Occurrence of alkaloids in grass seeds symbiotic with vertically - transmitted epichloë fungal endophytes and its relationship with antioxidants

• Autores: Gundel, Pedro Emilio; Seal, Charlotte E.; Biganzoli, Fernando; Molina Montenegro, Marco A.; Vázquez de Aldana, Beatriz R.; Zabalgogeazcoa, Iñigo; Bush, Lowell P.; Martínez Ghersa, María Alejandra; Ghersa, Claudio Marco
• Año de publicación: 2018
• Idioma: inglés
• Tipo de recurso: artículo
• Fuente: Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution; Vol.6; 1-7; https://www.frontiersin.org
• Materia: GRASS-ENDOPHYTE SYMBIOSIS; SECONDARY COMPOUNDS; DEFENSIVE MUTUALISM; CURRENCY OF MUTUALISM; SEED QUALITY
• Institución: Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomía

Fil: Gundel, Pedro Emilio. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomía. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisiológicas y Ecológicas Vinculadas a la Agricultura (IFEVA). Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Fil: Seal, Charlotte E. Department of Comparative Plant and Fungal Biology. Royal Botanic Gardens. Kew, United Kingdom.
Fil: Biganzoli, Fernando. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomía. Departamento de Métodos Cuantitativos y Sistemas de Información. Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Fil: Molina Montenegro, Marco A. Universidad de Talca. Instituto de Ciencias Biológicas. Talca, Chile.
Fil: Vázquez de Aldana, Beatriz R. Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología de Salamanca (IRNASA-CSIC). Salamanca, España.
Fil: Zabalgogeazcoa, Iñigo. Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología de Salamanca (IRNASA-CSIC). Salamanca, España.
Fil: Bush, Lowell P. University of Kentucky. Department of Plant and Soil Sciences. Lexington, KY. United States.
Fil: Martínez Ghersa, María Alejandra. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomía. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisiológicas y Ecológicas Vinculadas a la Agricultura (IFEVA). Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Fil: Ghersa, Claudio Marco. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomía. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisiológicas y Ecológicas Vinculadas a la Agricultura (IFEVA). Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Host organisms can acquire new functional traits through symbiosis. Seed-transmitted Epichloë fungal endophytes are known to protect host plants against herbivores and increase tolerance to abiotic stresses by alkaloids and antioxidants, respectively (currencies of mutualism). Whereas, alkaloids are fungal products with demonstrated effects at plant vegetative stage, few studies have focused on alkaloids in seeds. We assessed the occurrence of fungal alkaloids and determined their concentrations in seeds of two host grasses, Festuca rubra and Lolium multiflorum. Then, we sought for a relationship with the antioxidants tocochromanols and glutathione, which are involved in the control of oxidative stress. Different alkaloids were detected depending on the species and plant genotype. Most notably, loline alkaloids were not detected in F. rubra seeds, whereas ergovaline and peramine were absent in L. multiflorum. In F. rubra, ergovaline concentration was dependent on the maternal line in interaction with the production year, diminishing in seeds after 1 year of storage. The exposure of L. multiflorum plants to ozone had no effect on the seed concentration of lolines. There was a significant positive relationship between the concentrations of ergovaline and tocochromanols in both species, and between ergovaline concentration and EGSSG/2GSH (glutathione halfcell reduction potential) in RAB maternal line of F. rubra. These results suggest that alkaloid and antioxidants have a close association in seeds of host grasses, and that the alkaloid bioactivity could be related with the antioxidant capacity to control stress. This has important implications for the ecology of partner species, thus supporting its consideration for further research.
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