Bioprospecting and Biotechnological Applications of Microbial Endophytes

Endophytes are a family of microbes which grow inter/intracellularly in the tissues of higher plants without causing any kind of harm to the host plant in which they reside. Endophytic microbes are representing a potential source of natural bioactive compounds which are highly useful in agriculture, medicine and industries, such as antioxidants, anticancerous agents, antidiabetic, antibiotics, biological control agents and others. A broad variety of bioactive secondary metabolites are being provided by the endophytes with unique structural properties, including steroids, phenolic acids, alkaloids, flavonoids, benzopyranones, terpenoids, quinines, xanthones, tetralones, etc. These bioactive secondary metabolites find a wider range of applications as immunosuppressants, antibiotics, agrochemicals, antioxidants, anticancerous agents and antiparasitic. Novel antimicrobial metabolite discovery from the endophytes is an alternative way to overcome the problem of drug resistance in human and plant pathogens. Novel compound production via the process of biotransformation by endophytes is an interesting phenomenon, providing a number of advantages over the chemical synthesis as well as enhancing the productivity of the desired products. Endophytes have the ability to produce similar secondary bioactive metabolites as produced by their host plants, thus promoting good yield and growth, and enable host plant to tolerate the abiotic as well as biotic stress conditions and disease resistance. This field is attracting a lot of interest, and therefore it can be utilised for novel natural products in medicinal, food and agricultural industries. This chapter is dealing with the endophytic microorganisms, their applications and phytochemicals produced via endophytes.