Molecular and functional characterization of endophytic fungi from traditional medicinal plants.

This study reports the isolation of 63 endophytic fungal isolates from two traditional medicinal plants, Ocimum sanctum and Sapindus detergens from different locations of Amritsar, India. The functional characterization of the fungi for their ability to produce anti bacterial and anti cancer agent was carried out. Sixteen strains were characterized at molecular level by sequencing the amplified ITSI-5.8-ITSII region of rDNA. The phylogenetic tree resolved the endophytic fungi into different clades. The fungal endophytes belonging to order Pleosporales (Alternaria sp., Phoma sojicola and Exserohilum sp.) were functionally versatile as they produced diverse biomolecules including antibacterial agent active against Mycobacterium smegmatis, as well as cytotoxic activity against different human cancer cell lines of lung, ovary, breast, prostrate, neuroblastoma and colon.