title: Actinomycetes inhibit filamentous fungi from the cuticle of Acromyrmex leafcutter ants.
abstract: Actinomycetes bacteria associated with leafcutter ants produce secondary metabolites with antimicrobial properties against Escovopsis, a fungus specialized in attacking the gardens of fungus-growing ants, which denies the ants their food source. Because previous studies have used fungi isolated from fungus gardens but not from ant integument, the aims of the present study were to isolate actinomycetes associated with the cuticle of the Acromyrmex spp. and to quantify their inhibition abilities against the filamentous fungal species carried by these ants. The results demonstrated that actinomycetes had varied strain-dependent effects on several filamentous fungal species in addition to antagonistic activity against Escovopsis. The strain isolated from Acromyrmex balzani was identified as a Streptomyces species, whereas the remaining isolates were identified as different strains belonging to the genus Pseudonocardia. These findings corroborate the hypothesis that actinomycetes do not act specifically against Escovopsis mycoparasites and may have the ability to inhibit other species of pathogenic fungi.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Entomologia (Department of Entomology), Universidade Federal de Viçosa (Federal University of Viçosa), Viçosa-MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rômulo Augusto Cotta
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Dângelo
authors.affiliation: Campus Universitário de Gurupi (Gurupi University Campus), Universidade Federal do Tocantins (Federal University of Tocantins), Gurupi-TO, Brazil.
authors.forename: Danival José
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: de Souza
authors.affiliation: Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária - Agroenergia (Brazilian Enterprise for Agricultural Research - Agroenergy), Brasília-DF, Brazil.
authors.forename: Thais Demarchi
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Mendes
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Entomologia (Department of Entomology), Universidade Federal de Viçosa (Federal University of Viçosa), Viçosa-MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Joel da Cruz
authors.initials: Jda C
authors.lastname: Couceiro
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biologia Animal (Animal Biology Department), Universidade Federal de Viçosa (Federal University of Viçosa), Viçosa-MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Terezinha Maria Castro Della
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Lucia
mesh_terms: D039903:Actinobacteria / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D000192:Actinomycetales / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001000:Ants / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000502:physiology; D005658:Fungi / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology*; D006999:Hypocreales / Q000187:drug effects; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D012329:RNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013045:Species Specificity; D013302:Streptomyces / Q000145:classification / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D013559:Symbiosis
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents; D012329:RNA, Bacterial; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S
keywords: Actinobacteria; Attini; Specificity; Symbiosis