Proteomics of Fungal Endophytes: Trends and Insight for Biotechnology
摘要
Fungal endophytes are endosymbiotic microorganisms that colonize plants and are an abundant source of the secondary metabolites. Although the importance of the fungal endophytes in plant is not fully understood, they actively affect the plant health, plant growth promotion, stress tolerance, community diversity, and surrounding ecosystem. Endophytes hold immense potential for applications in agriculture, environmental remediation, and medicine. Various techniques like genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metagenomics aid in understanding endophyte-plant relationships. Proteomic study has become exceptionally important for the endophyte research as it provides the information about the actual proteins being produced by the endophyte and their dynamics and functional role in stress tolerance, secondary metabolite production, and plant-fungus relation. Traditional methods of isolation of the endophytes using the culture-based methods are now being replaced by the high-throughput omics methods such as mass spectrometry, chromatography, 2D gel electrophoresis, and microarray. Overall, proteomics is a transformative tool for unraveling the complex world of fungal endophytes. This chapter discusses the role and methods for proteomic study and the potential applications in enhancing the crop production and pest control and improving fertility, stress tolerance, and secondary metabolites’ production. By providing a deeper understanding of protein function, it paves the way for developing innovative strategies to harness the power of these fascinating organisms for a healthier and more sustainable future.