Search for novel metabolites in fungal endophytes : study of Phomopsis sp. and Colletotrichum sp. co-cultivation and Botryosphaeria mamane epigenetic modification

Fungal endophytes are fungi that grow within plant tissues without causing immediate signs of disease. They are gaining increased attention for their ability to produce natural products with diverse structure and pharmacological activity [1]. Under conventional cultures conditions some endophytes show loss of activity in producing secondary metabolites (SM) due to inactivation of metabolite gene clusters [2]. Several strategies have been applied to activate these silent gene clusters including epigenetic modifications and co-cultivation. The signal come to the cell will modify the silence gene and lead to an enhanced production and/or to an accumulation of different compounds that are not detected in axenic cultures [3].