{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,30]],"date-time":"2026-07-30T10:49:50Z","timestamp":1785408590231,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":74,"publisher":"American Society for Microbiology","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,20]],"date-time":"2026-05-20T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1779235200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,20]],"date-time":"2026-05-20T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1779235200000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.asm.org\/non-commercial-tdm-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.asm.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Appl Environ Microbiol"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,20]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>ABSTRACT<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title\/>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      The increasing prevalence of fungal phytopathogens and the widespread emergence of fungicide resistance necessitate the development of alternative antifungal strategies with reduced environmental impact. Here, we report the isolation and characterization of a novel antifungal metabolite, SM06, produced by the rice seed-associated endophytic bacterium\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Phytobacter<\/jats:italic>\n                      sp. RSE02. SM06 exhibited broad-spectrum antifungal activity against plant and human pathogenic fungi, including\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Curvularia lunata<\/jats:italic>\n                      ,\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Fusarium oxysporum<\/jats:italic>\n                      , and\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Candida albicans<\/jats:italic>\n                      .\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">In vitro<\/jats:italic>\n                      assays and micromorphological analyses revealed that SM06, an indole dimer, disrupts fungal cell membrane integrity, while\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">in planta<\/jats:italic>\n                      experiments demonstrated significant suppression of brown leaf spot disease in tomato and rice. Molecular docking suggested that SM06 binds to lanosterol 14\u03b1-demethylase (ERG11), a key enzyme in fungal sterol biosynthesis. Consistent with this prediction, LC-MS\u2013based analyses confirmed a significant reduction in ergosterol content in SM06-treated fungal cells. Together, these findings identify SM06 as a biologically active antifungal metabolite produced by a plant-associated bacterium, highlighting its potential application in sustainable fungal disease management.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                    <jats:sec>\n                      <jats:title>IMPORTANCE<\/jats:title>\n                      <jats:p>\n                        Fungal diseases cause major losses in crop production and contribute to the growing challenge of antifungal resistance, underscoring the need for sustainable alternatives to chemical fungicides. This study identifies SM06, a novel indole dimer produced by the rice seed endophyte\n                        <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Phytobacter<\/jats:italic>\n                        sp. RSE02, with strong antifungal activity against economically important plant pathogens and clinically relevant fungi. Through integrated chemical, cellular, and\n                        <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">in planta<\/jats:italic>\n                        analyses, we demonstrate that SM06 disrupts fungal membrane integrity by inhibiting ergosterol biosynthesis. The compound is biocompatible, stable, and effective in plant disease suppression, highlighting its translational potential for crop protection. These findings reveal seed endophytes as an important yet underexplored source of antifungal metabolites and provide a mechanistic foundation for developing eco-friendly biocontrol strategies with implications beyond agriculture.\n                      <\/jats:p>\n                    <\/jats:sec>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1128\/aem.02569-25","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,20]],"date-time":"2026-04-20T13:00:44Z","timestamp":1776690044000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1128\/asmj-crossmark-policy-page","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["An indole dimer antifungal metabolite from a rice seed endophyte inhibits ergosterol biosynthesis in fungal pathogens"],"prefix":"10.1128","volume":"92","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0509-9313","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Santosh Kumar","family":"Jana","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/01e7v7w47","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Laboratory of Molecular Bacteriology, Department of Microbiology, University of Calcutta","place":["Kolkata, India"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Supriya","family":"Bhunia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/01e7v7w47","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Laboratory of Molecular Bacteriology, Department of Microbiology, University of Calcutta","place":["Kolkata, India"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Dipanjan","family":"Ghosh","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/01e7v7w47","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Department of Biotechnology and Dr. B. 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