Endophytic Bacteria Associated with Medicinal Plant Vernonia anthelmintica: Diversity and Characterization.

Increasing evidence shows that endophytic bacteria living inside plant tissue may possess similar biological activity and produce similar metabolites to their hosts. This study aimed to determine the diversity of endophytic bacteria associated with Vernonia anthelmintica and to evaluate their biological activity. The bacteria were isolated from the plant tissue using culture-dependent techniques. Comparison of the 16S rRNA gene sequences of endophytic bacteria isolated from V. anthelmintica showed that isolates belong to the species Micrococcus endophyticus VERA1, Bacillus megaterium VERA2, Pseudomonas chlororaphis VERA3, P. kilonensis VERA4, Stenotrophomonas pavanii VERA5, B. endophyticus VERA6, S. maltophilia VERA7, Pantoea ananatis VERA8, B. atrophaeus VERA9 and M. flavus VERA10. Activity studies showed that the endophytic bacteria share several similar biological properties with their host plant including antimicrobial, anti-vitiligo and antidiabetic activities. These findings indicate that plant phytochemical compounds and activity play an important role in the physiological properties of their endophytes.