Singh, Shweta and BR, Gurumurthy and MM, Vasanthakumari and Gudasalamani, Ravikanth and Selvadurai, Dayanandan and R., Storms and MB, Shivanna and R, Uma Shaanker (2015) Endophyte fungal diversity in Nothapodytes nimmoniana along its distributional gradient in the Western Ghats, India: are camptothecine (anticancer alkaloid) producing endophytes restricted to specific clades? Current Science, 109 (1). pp. 127-138.

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Abstract

Nothapodytes nimmoniana Graham (Icacinaceae) is a small tree distributed along a 1600 km mountain range in the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot in southern India. The stem wood of N. nimmoniana accumulates high concentration (about 0.3% by dry weight) of the anti-cancer alkaloid, camptothecine (CPT). Several endophytic fungi isolated from this plant have been shown to produce camptothecine in vitro. In this study, we examined the diversity and distribution of fungal endophytes of N. nimmoniana along its entire distributionalrange in the Western Ghats and investigated if the CPT-producing endophytes are restricted to any specific clade. The leaf and stem of N. nimmoniana were sampled from 18 sites along the Western Ghats spanning 8–18N lat. Endophytes were recovered from all sites with the colonization frequency ranging from 0% to 52% across the sites. One hundred and four endophytic fungal isolates were recovered from 118 plants and characterized both morphologically and by sequencing the internally transcribed spacer region of the nuclear rDNA gene. The fungal isolates belonged to 45 species (44 Ascomycetes and one Basidiomycetes). Fusarium and Hypoxylon were the most predominant genera comprising over half of the total isolates. Interestingly, CPT-producing endophytes were not restricted to any specific clade. We discuss these results in the context of the growing interest in endophytic fungi as possible alternative sources of plant secondary metabolites.

Item Type: Article
Additional Information: Copyright of this article belongs to the authors.
Uncontrolled Keywords: Camptothecine, endophytic fungi, fungal diversity and distribution, Nothapodytes nimmoniana.
Subjects: A ATREE Publications > G Journal Papers
Divisions: SM Sehgal Foundation Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation > Biodiversity Monitoring and Conservation Planning
Depositing User: Ms Suchithra R
Date Deposited: 24 Nov 2025 05:26
Last Modified: 04 Dec 2025 10:54
URI: http://archives.atree.org/id/eprint/1084

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