Exploring the diversity of endophytic fungi in liverwort Plagiochasma appendiculatum Lehm. & Lindenb. and investigating them for their extracellular enzymatic activities and antibacterial properties

The present study deals with the isolation of endophytic fungi from liverwort Plagiochasma appendiculatum Lehm. & Lindenb. by using microscopic characters aided with the molecular approaches of DNA sequencing of the ITS region. It revealed the presence of 17 endophytic fungi belonging mainly to two fungal phyla- Ascomycota (16) and Basidiomycota (01). The isolated endophytic fungi included Alternaria alternata, Aspergillus aculeatinus, A. flavus, A. niger, A. piperis, Daldinia korfii, Epicoccum dendrobii, E.nigrum, Fusarium oxysporum, F. petroliphilum, Graphium basitruncatum, Pyrenopolyporus tonngachangensis, Stachybotrys chartarum, Talaromyces atroroseus, Trichoderma asperellum, T. koningiospis (Phylum Ascomycota) and Schizophyllum commune (Phylum Basidiomycota). Pyrenopolyporus tonngachangensis of the order Xylariales was the most prevalent species colonising the liverwort. Also, to the best of our knowledge, there is no prior report of this fungus reported as an endophyte in any other plant or bryophyte, thus highlighting a novel endophyte-liverwort association. Strong amylase and cellulase production species like A. niger, D. korfii and S. commune is suggestive of their potential use at commercial levels. Additionally, ethyl acetate extracts of these fungi displayed high antibacterial activities against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, with highest inhibition zones depicted in P. tonngachangensis (29 ± 0.68 mm, 29 ± 0.50 mm against B.subtilis and L. monocytogenes respectively), T. koningiospis (34 ± 0.14 mm,31 ± 0.81 mm against S. aureus and L. monocytogenes respectively) and A. piperis (31 ± 0.58 mm, 26 ± 0.46 mm against P.aeuruginosa and S. typhi respectively), a novel finding depicting the broad spectrum potency of the endophytic fungal extracts in antimicrobial drug development.