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A novel actinomycete strain, Bv016 T , belonging to the genus Streptomyces , was isolated from the bark of tree, Bauhinia variegata Linn., collected in Thailand. The taxonomic position of the strain was characterized by using a polyphasic approach. ll-Diaminopimelic acid, glucose, mannose, ribose and galactose were detected in its whole-cell hydrolysates. The N -acyl type of muramic acid was acetyl. The strain contained anteiso-C 15  :  0 , iso-C 16  :  0 , iso-C 15  :  0 and iso-C 14  :  0 as the major fatty acids and MK-9(H 8 ), MK-9(H 6 ) and MK-9(H 4 ) as the major menaquinones. The major polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidylinositol mannoside. The strain was closely related to Streptomyces griseoluteus JCM 4041 T (98.4 %), Streptomyces seoulensis JCM 10116 T (98.4 %) and Streptomyces recifensis JCM 4408 T (98.2 %). The draft genome of Bv016 T was 6.74 Mb with 5949 coding sequences with an average G+C content of 71.7 mol%. The ANIb and ANIm values of strain Bv016 T were 94.1 and 95.2 %, respectively, and the digital DNA-DNA hybridization value was 60.6 % in comparison with the draft genome of S. griseoluteus JCM 4765 T . The results of the taxonomic analysis suggested that strain Bv016 T represented a novel species of the genus Streptomyces for which the name Streptomyces bauhiniae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is Bv016 T (=JCM 33208 T =TISTR 2645 T ).

Bauhinia forficata is native to South America and used with relative success in the folk medicine in Brazil. The diversity, antibacterial activity, and extracellular hydrolytic enzymes of endophytic fungi associated with this plant were studied. Plant samples, which included leaves, sepals, stems, and seeds, were used. Ninety-five endophytic fungal were isolated (18 from leaves, 22 from sepals, 46 from stems, and nine from seeds), comprising 28 species. The most frequently isolated species were Acremonium curvulum (9.5%), Aspergillus ochraceus (7.37%), Gibberella fujikuroi (10.53%), Myrothecium verrucaria (10.53%) and Trichoderma piluliferum (7.37%). Diversity and species richness were higher in stem tissues, and Sorensen's index of similarity between the tissues was low. Eleven fungi showed antibacterial activity. Aspergillus ochraceus , Gibberella baccata , Penicillium commune , and P. glabrum were those with the greatest antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and/or Streptococcus pyogenes . Thirteen species showed proteolytic activity, particularly Phoma putaminum . Fourteen species were cellulase positive, particularly the Penicillium species and Myrmecridium schulzeri . All isolates tested were xylanase positive and 10 showed lipolytic activity, especially Penicillium glabrum . It is clear that the endophytic fungi from B. forficata have potential for the production of bioactive compounds and may be a source of new therapeutic agents for the effective treatment of diseases in humans, other animals, and plants. To our knowledge, this is the first study of endophytic fungi from different tissues of B. forficata and their biotechnological potential.

The present work reports the isolation of five compounds from Aspergillus sp EJC08 isolated as endophytic from Bauhinia guianensis, a tipical plant of the Amazon. The compounds ergosterol (1), ergosterol peroxide (2), mevalolactone (3), monomethylsulochrin (4) and trypacidin A (5) were isolated by chromatographic procedures and identified by spectral methods of 1D and 2D NMR and MS. Compounds 3, 4 and 5 were tested against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus and showed good activity.

Bauhinia guianensis is a typical plant in the Amazon region belonging to the family Leguminosea, used by local populations for the treatment of infectious and renal diseases. Previous work on the plant B. guianensis led to the isolation of substances with anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities. Thus, compounds isolated from B. guianensis with antimicrobial activities had not been identified. Given that there is a possibility of biological activity reported for a given plant being found in the endophytic fungi, we decided to isolate endophytic fungi from B. guianensis and test their antimicrobial activities. The alkaloids known as fumigaclavine C and pseurotin A were isolated by column chromatography and identified by 1D and 2D NMR techniques and mass spectrometry. The alkaloids are first reported as broad-spectrum antibacterial agents with good activity.