Abstract
Key message
Both bacterial and fungal endophytes exhibited one or more plant growth-promoting (PGP) traits. Among these strains, the Paenibacillus peoriae SYbr421 strain demonstrated the greatest activity in the direct biotransformation of tuber powder from D. nipponica into diosgenin.
Abstract
Endophytes play crucial roles in shaping active metabolites within plants, significantly influencing both the quality and yield of host plants. Dioscorea nipponica Makino accumulates abundant steroidal saponins, which can be hydrolyzed to produce diosgenin. However, our understanding of the associated endophytes and their contributions to plant growth and diosgenin production is limited. The present study aimed to assess the PGP ability and potential of diosgenin biotransformation by endophytes isolates associated with D. nipponica for the efficient improvement of plant growth and development of a clean and effective approach for producing the valuable drug diosgenin. Eighteen bacterial endophytes were classified into six genera through sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rDNA gene. Similarly, 12 fungal endophytes were categorized into 5 genera based on sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of the ITS rDNA gene. Pure culture experiments revealed that 30 isolated endophytic strains exhibited one or more PGP traits, such as nitrogen fixation, phosphate solubilization, siderophore synthesis, and IAA production. One strain of endophytic bacteria, P. peoriae SYbr421, effectively directly biotransformed the saponin components in D. nipponica. Moreover, a high yield of diosgenin (3.50%) was obtained at an inoculum size of 4% after 6 days of fermentation. Thus, SYbr421 could be used for a cleaner and more eco-friendly diosgenin production process. In addition, based on the assessment of growth-promoting isolates and seed germination results, the strains SYbr421, SYfr1321, and SYfl221 were selected for greenhouse experiments. The results revealed that the inoculation of these promising isolates significantly increased the plant height and fresh weight of the leaves and roots compared to the control plants. These findings underscore the importance of preparing PGP bioinoculants from selected isolates as an additional option for sustainable diosgenin production.
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to acknowledge the Forestry College of Shanxi Agricultural University for invaluable instrumental support. In addition, the authors acknowledge the Science and Technology Department of Shanxi Province for their financial assistance. We appreciate Dr. Shabir A. Rather (Center for Integrative Conservation & Yunnan Key Laboratory for Conservation of Tropical Rainforests and Asian Elephants, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yunnan, China) for their assistance in revising the manuscript and enhancing its English language quality.
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We acknowledge the funding provided by the Science and Technology Department of Shanxi Province (Shanxi Province Basic Research Project number 20210302123391) and the grant received from the Shanxi Provincial Education Department (Shanxi Province Postgraduate Innovation Project number J202282027).
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SND performed the experiments, analyzed the data, and wrote the manuscript. JG facilitated the experiment by providing essential experimental equipment. RW and YMF contributed to the data analysis and manuscript refinement. RMG and YZH designed the study and provided advice. All the authors reviewed the manuscript.
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Dang, S., Geng, J., Wang, R. et al. Isolation of endophytes from Dioscorea nipponica Makino for stimulating diosgenin production and plant growth. Plant Cell Rep 43, 95 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00299-024-03164-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00299-024-03164-4