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Endophytic fungi from parasitic-plant Cuscuta, and their potential for producing L-asparaginase of pharmaceutical significance

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Abstract

Cuscuta is a rootless, perennial, leafless, climbing, holoparasitic weed with a worldwide distribution, known for its antitumor, antimicrobial, hepatoprotective, antispasmodic, and antioxidant activities. Endophytic microbes are known to be an additional resource for the plant as they produce useful bioactive metabolites, enzymes and provide nutrients to the host that helps the plant to combat different types of stress conditions. The study was planned to isolate and investigate the endophytic mycobiota of Cuscuta spp. holoparasitic on different host plants. Seventy-eight fungal endophytes were isolated and identified as belonging to 16 morpho genera Alternaria, Aureobasidium, Aspergillus, Chaetomium, Cladosporium, Colletotrichum, Curvularia, Exserohilum, Fusarium, Macrophomina, Microsporum, Penicillium, Phoma, Sarocladium, Rhizopus, and Yeast. The endophytic infection rate (EIR) was found higher in the haustoria region over the stem sections between haustoria. Analysis of fungal diversity based on Shannon and Simpson index showed a successive increase in fungal richness in Cuscuta samples from trees to herbaceous host plants. Isolates were inspected for the synthesis of bioactive compounds, L-asparaginase free from glutaminase activity, flavonoids, phenolics and antioxidants. Study showed highest glutaminase-free asparaginase activity of 19.78 U/mg in Alternaria spp. DEH2.5, which can be utilized as a source of valuable compounds of corporate interest.

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Data availability

The data that supports the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Abbreviations

ANOVA:

One-way analysis of variance

CF:

Colonisation frequency

EIR:

Endophytic infection rate

HSD:

Honest Significant Difference

pH:

Potential of Hydrogen

PDA:

Potato Dextrose Agar

TCA:

Trichloroacetic acid

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to Vice Chancellor, Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University, Kanpur, India for providing facilities.

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The authors declare that no funds, grants, or other support were received during the preparation of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University, Kanpur, 208024, India

    Ekta Khare, Amrita Vishwakarma & Vanshika Maurya

  2. Department of Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University, Kanpur, 208024, India

    Shilpa Deshpande Kaistha

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  1. Ekta Khare
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  2. Amrita Vishwakarma
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  3. Vanshika Maurya
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  4. Shilpa Deshpande Kaistha
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Contributions

Author Ekta Khare contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by Amrita Vishwakarma and Vanshika Maurya. Analysis of data was performed by Ekta Khare and Shilpa Deshpande Kaistha. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Ekta Khare and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Ekta Khare.

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Khare, E., Vishwakarma, A., Maurya, V. et al. Endophytic fungi from parasitic-plant Cuscuta, and their potential for producing L-asparaginase of pharmaceutical significance. Environmental Sustainability 7, 93–101 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42398-024-00307-x

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