title: Methods for the study of endophytic microorganisms from traditional Chinese medicine plants.
abstract: Plant endophytes are very numerous and widely distributed in nature, their relationships being described as a balanced symbiotic continuum ranging from mutualism through commensalism to parasitism during a long period of coevolution. Traditional Chinese medicines have played a very important role in disease treatment in China and other Asian countries. Investigations show that these medicinal plants harbor endophytes with different kinds of ecological functions, and some of them have potential to produce bioactive small-molecule compounds. This chapter will focus on the selective isolation methods, the diversity of some endophytes (actinobacteria and fungi) isolated from Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) plants, and the bioactive compounds from selected endophytic actinobacteria reported in the past 3 years.
authors.affiliation: Yunnan Institute of Microbiology, Yunnan University, Kunming, Yunnan, China.
authors.forename: Li-Xing
authors.initials: LX
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Li-Hua
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Cheng-Lin
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Jiang
mesh_terms: D039903:Actinobacteria / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D001688:Biological Products / Q000737:chemistry; D003470:Culture Media / Q000737:chemistry; D046508:Culture Techniques / Q000379:methods; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000737:chemistry; D060026:Endophytes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005658:Fungi / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000737:chemistry / Q000382:microbiology; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000737:chemistry / Q000382:microbiology; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D001688:Biological Products; D003470:Culture Media; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D010936:Plant Extracts