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Title: Distribution, diversity and bioprospecting of bioactive compounds from cryptic fungal communities associated with endemic and cold-adapted macroalgae in Antarctica

Author
item GODINHO, VALÉRIA - Universidade Federal De Minas Gerais
item ESTEVES, LAURA - Universidade Federal De Minas Gerais
item SANTIAGO, TÂNIA M.A. - Universidade Federal De Minas Gerais
item PELLIZARI, FRANCIANE - Universidade Federal Do Parana
item YOKOYA, NAIR - Institute Of Biology - Brazil
item PUPO, DICLÁ - Institute Of Biology - Brazil
item ALVES, TÂNIA M.A. - Instituto Biologicio - Brazil
item JUNIOR, SALES - Instituto Biologicio - Brazil
item ROMANHA, ALVARO - Instituto Biologicio - Brazil
item ZANI, CARLOS - Instituto Biologicio - Brazil
item Cantrell, Charles
item ROSA, CARLOS - Universidade Federal De Minas Gerais
item ROSA, LUIZ - Universidade Federal De Minas Gerais

Submitted to: The ISME Journal: Multidisciplinary Journal of Microbial Ecology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/7/2013
Publication Date: 5/23/2013
Citation: Godinho, V.M., Esteves, L.F., Santiago, T., Pellizari, F.M., Yokoya, N., Pupo, D., Alves, T., Sales, J., Romanha, A.J., Zani, C.L., Cantrell, C.L., Rosa, C.A., Rosa, L.H. 2013. Diversity and bioprospecting of fungal communities associated with endemic and cold-adapted macroalgae in Antarctica. The ISME Journal: Multidisciplinary Journal of Microbial Ecology. 7:1434-1451.

Interpretive Summary: We surveyed the distribution and diversity of fungi associated with eight macroalgae from Antarctica and their capability to produce bioactive compounds. The collections yielded 148 fungal isolates identified using molecular methods into 21 genera and 43 species. The most frequent taxa were Geomyces pannorum, Penicillium chrysogenum, Penicillium sp. and Metschnikowia australis. Twenty-two fungal singletons were identified representing rare components of the fungal communities. Fourteen taxa showed low molecular similarities in comparison with sequences of fungi deposited in GenBank, suggesting they may be new species. The fungal communities displayed high diversity, richness and dominance indices; however, the rarefactions curves indicated that not all fungal diversity was recovered. The Antarctic indigenous G. pannorum and the mesophilic cold-adapted P. chrysogenum were found associated with the endemics Antarctic macroalgae Palmaria decipiens and Monostroma hariotii. The principal component analysis among abiotic data revealed positive correlations with the fungal diversity indices. Penicillium chrysogenum UFMGCB 6034 and P. chrysogenum UFMGCB 6126 recovered from endemics P. decipiens and M. hariotii, respectively, yielded extracts with high and selective antifungal and/or trypanocidal activities, which after the preliminary spectral analysis using proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy indicated the presence of highly functionalized aromatic compounds. These results suggest that endemic and cold-adapted macroalgae of Antarctica shelter a rich diversity and complex fungal communities formed by few dominant indigenous or mesophilic cold-adapted species and a high number of rare and/or endemic taxa, which may offer an interesting model of algae-fungal interactions in extreme conditions as well as a potential source of bioactive compounds.

Technical Abstract: We surveyed the distribution and diversity of fungi associated with eight macroalgae from Antarctica and their capability to produce bioactive compounds. The collections yielded 148 fungal isolates identified using molecular methods into 21 genera and 43 species. The most frequent taxa were Geomyces pannorum, Penicillium chrysogenum, Penicillium sp. and Metschnikowia australis. Twenty-two fungal singletons were identified representing rare components of the fungal communities. These results suggest that endemic and cold-adapted macroalgae of Antarctica shelter a rich diversity and complex fungal communities formed by few dominant indigenous or mesophilic cold-adapted species and a high number of rare and/or endemic taxa, which may offer an interesting model of algae-fungal interactions in extreme conditions as well as a potential source of bioactive compounds.