Endophytes of the Tropics

Adeline Su Yien Ting holds a PhD in plant pathology from Universiti Putra Malaysia. Her work highlighted the significant value of endophytes as biocontrol agents to suppress Fusarium wilt development in banana plants. Upon graduation, she continued her research on endophytes, diversifying into expounding the potential of endophytes in many areas; for metabolite production, biofungicide application, bioremediation treatment, and biosynthesis of metal-nanoparticles. She leads her applied microbiology research team, and they pursue this interest together. In recent years, she has blended the omics technologies, physical approaches, and instrumentation techniques, such as metagenomics, next-generation sequencing, electron microscopy, Fourier-transformed infrared microscopy, into her research. Adeline is now with Monash University Malaysia, and is the head of the discipline (Biological Science). She has been awarded 12 external grants, published over 50 journal articles, 10 invited book chapters, and more than 60 conference papers. She has hosted international interns from the RISE-DAAD program and from SupBiotech Paris. The numerous awards conferred have recognized her excellent research work. This includes the prestigious National Outstanding Researcher Award (Biological Science) (2018), Gold Medal for the International Invention, Innovation and Technology Exhibition (ITEX) (2018), ProVice Chancellor Award (Research Excellence) for Postgraduate Research Supervision (2019), and ProVice Chancellor Award (Research Excellence) for Early Career Researcher (2013).

Contents

Foreword ix

Preface xi

Acknowledgment xiii

Author xv

Introduction xvii

1 Endophytes in the Tropics 1

1.1 Diversity and Ubiquity 1

1.2 Endophytes and Their Tropical Host Plants 4

1.3 Factors Driving Endophyte Communities in the Tropics 14

1.4 Spread of Tropical Endophytes and Their Endophyte-Host

Plant Association 15

1.5 Endophyte Research in the Tropics 18

2 Applications of Endophytes from the Tropics 21

2.1 Introduction 21

2.2 Tropical Endophytes for Agriculture 22

2.3 Tropical Endophytes for Biomedicine and Biosynthesis

of Valuable Compounds 28

2.3.1 Antimicrobial Compounds 28

2.3.2 Anticancer Compounds 30

2.3.3 Functional Polysaccharides 36

2.3.4 Other Valuable Compounds/Metabolites 36

2.3.5 Biotransformation of Valuable Compounds 39

2.3.6 Biosynthesis of Nanoparticles by Tropical

Endophytes 42

2.4 Tropical Endophytes for Industrial Use 43

2.4.1 Enzymes from Tropical Endophytes 43

2.4.2 Pigments (or Colorants) from Tropical Endophytes 45

2.5 Tropical Endophytes for Bioenergy and Biocatalysis 48

2.6 Tropical Endophytes for Bioremediation 49

2.6.1 Metal Bioremediation 49

2.6.2 Hydrocarbon Bioremediation 54

2.6.3 Other Xenobiotic Pollutants 55

3 Valuable Endophytic Species from the Tropics 57

3.1 Endophytic Actinobacteria 57

3.2 Diaporthe and Phomopsis Species 58

3.3 Lasiodiplodia Species 59

3.4 Muscodor Species 60

3.5 Trichoderma Species 60

3.6 Xylaria Species 61

4 Commercialization of Endophytes from the Tropics 63

4.1 Introduction 63

5 Challenges in Endophytic Research in the Tropics 65

5.1 Challenges and Limitations 65

5.2 Remedial Strategies to Challenges 67

6 Conclusions 71

References 73

Index 105