Neotropical Endophytic Fungi

Professor Luiz Henrique Rosa works at the Department of Microbiology at the Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil. He holds an MSc and PhD at Microbiology from the Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil and completed a sabbatical at the Agricultural Research Service of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA-ARS) in USA. Since 2005, his work has focused on the taxonomy of fungi and bioprospecting of their bioactive natural products. He has been the principal investigator for various research projects on taxonomy, diversity, ecology, and bioprospecting of endophytic fungi associated with plants living in ecosystems such as Brazilian savannah, Amazonian rainforest, Atlantic rainforest, Pantanal wetland, and Brazilian rupestrian grasslands. As a result of these research activities, several endophytic fungi were obtained and deposited in the Collection of Microorganisms and Cells of the Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil, for the ex situ preservation of Brazilian fungal biodiversity; perhaps one of the major endophytic fungal collection of the world. Many of these fungi have been shown to be capable of producing bioactive metabolites that can be used against neglected tropical diseases and as agrochemical pesticides less toxic to mammals.

Neotropical endophytic fungi: isolation, diversity, and biogeography of Neotropical endophytic fungi.- Ecology of Neotropical endophytic fungi.- Diversity, ecology and applications of Epichloë fungal endophytes of grasses in South America.- Endophytes from unique ecosystems in Chile: challenge and opportunities for biodiversity and biotechnological applications.- Endophytic fungal community associated with Colombian plants.- Fungal endophytes and bioactive compounds from tropical forests of Costa Rica.- Diversity of endophytic fungi in Brazilian biomes Rupestrian Grasslands, Caatinga, Pampa, and Pantanal.- Endophytic fungi of the Cerrado: Diversity and its role in ecological interactions and environmental conservation.- Endophytic fungi associated with medicinal plants of Amazonian forest.- Endophytic fungi associated with ancient Neotropical plants.- Bioprospecting of Neotropical endophytic fungi in South America applied to medicine.- Bioprospecting of Neotropical endophytic fungi applied to agriculture.- Endophytic fungi associated with Neotropical plants: a source of promising macromolecules for use in biotechnology.- Potential use of Neotropical endophytic fungi in green synthesis of nanoparticles using endophytes.- Bioprospecting of secondary bioactive metabolites produced by endophytic fungi of the medicinal Piper sp. in the Brazilian Tropical Rain Forest.- Diversity of endophytic fungi of Empetrum rubrum Vahl ex Willd (Ericaceae), a medicinal plant from austral South America.