Browsing by Author "Yekkour, Amine"

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    Actinobacteria: an underestimated source of potential microbial biocontrol agents against fusarium-related diseases in cultivated crops
    (Springer, 2023-07-28) Djemouai, Nadjette; Meklat, Atika; Yekkour, Amine; Verheecke-Vaessen, Carol
    Crop infections with Fusarium spp. and associated mycotoxins have devastating economic implications and are a significant limitation to fifteen of the seventeen United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Therefore, it is necessary to develop innovative strategies to reduce or eliminate diseases caused by Fusarium spp. in cultivated crops. Management of Fusarium-related diseases using beneficial microorganisms is a promising and eco-friendly solution. In this context, actinobacteria are considered one of the best candidates because of their multifunctional properties, which consist in the reduction of Fusarium spp. diseases and the promotion of plant growth. Actinobacteria represent a large Gram-positive bacterial phylum that is widespread in different environments, especially in soil. They are principally known for their versatile capacity to produce biologically active molecules with potential applications in different fields, including agriculture. As Fusarium species threaten diverse crops worldwide and cause global yield and quality losses that can negatively impact food security, the use of actinobacteria for plant diseases management is gaining interest as a safer and more potent alternative to ineffective synthetic-based pesticides. Thus, this work aims to review and highlight the importance of actinobacteria as microbial biocontrol agents and discuss the current research on Fusarium spp. diseases with a focus on species that threaten economically important crops, such as F. graminearum, F. oxysporum, F. solani, and F. culmorum. This review also presents actinobacteria-based products that have been patented for Fusarium disease control. We aim to provide valuable data, guidance and advancements for future research on microbial biocontrol against Fusarium-related diseases. In addition, this review emphasizes the need for further research about the impact of actinobacteria-Fusarium interactions on mycotoxin production. It also highlights the need of in-depth understanding microbial biocontrol mechanisms to ensure safe and sustainable crop production worldwide.
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    Exploration of actinobacteria communities in seawater and sediments of mediterranean basin from Algerian coast displays hight diversity with new taxa and antibacterial potential
    (Springer, 2023-02-20) Matmoura, Amina; Yekkour, Amine; Boufadi, Mokhtaria Yasmina; Bouras, Noureddine; Zitouni, Abdelghani; Mokrane, Salim; Meklat, Atika; Verheecke-Vaessen, Carol
    The biodiversity of actinobacteria in the Mediterranean Sea habitat has drawn limited attention compared to that paid to terrestrial habitats. The work presented here focused on the biodiversity of culturable marine actinobacteria from sediments and seawater collected from the Algerian coast, and led to the identification of 114 actinobacterial isolates. The morphological study revealed higher actinobacterial diversity in sediment than in seawater. Fifty strains were selected for 16 S rRNAgene sequencing. The results revealed that the isolates belonged to ten different genera, Streptomyces (n = 17) and Micromonospora (n = 15) being the most dominant. The remaining actinobacterial isolates, identified as belonging to rare genera, included Nocardia (n = 5), Nocardiopsis (n = 3), Saccharothrix (n = 2), Rhodococcus (n = 2), Promicromonospora (n = 2), Nonomuraea (n = 2), Actinomadura (n = 1) and Saccharomonospora (n = 1). Interestingly, through 16 S rRNA sequence-based identification and phylogenetic analysis, two strains of the genus Streptomyces (MAT1 and MAS22) and a strain of the genus Nonomuraea (MAG8) both constituted a novel species. Screening of antibacterial activity of identified isolates against a panel of human pathogenic bacteria demonstrated that 36% of the isolates were active, particularly against Gram-positive bacteria. The ability to grow in the presence of NaCl and seawater revealed that 98% of the strains were halotolerant, with different levels of NaCl acceptance (from 3 to 13%) but no isolates required seawater to grow.
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    Mycotoxin accumulation in dry rot potato tubers from Algeria and toxigenic potential of associated isolates of fusarium genus
    (Springer , 2024-10-01) Hadjebar, Sihem; Yekkour, Amine; Djemouai, Nadjette; Matmoura, Amina; Gutierrez-Pozo, Maria; Medina, Angel; Meklat, Atika; Verheecke-Vaessen, Carol
    The presence of different mycotoxins in 232 tuber samples exhibiting dry rot symptoms and their associated Fusarium strains from two production sites in Algeria was investigated. LC–MS/MS was used to simultaneously detect and quantify 14 mycotoxins, including trichothecenes and non-trichothecenes. A total of 49 tubers were contaminated with at least one mycotoxins, including T-2, HT-2, Diacetoxyscirpenol (DAS), 15-acetoxyscirpenol (15-AS) and Beauvericin (BEA). Positive samples from the Bouira region had a significantly higher level of toxin contamination compared to Ain Defla (56.34% and 5.59%, respectively). A total of 283 Fusarium strains were isolated: 155 from Bouira and 128 from Ain Defla. These strains were evaluated for their ability to produce the targeted mycotoxins. The results showed that 61.29% and 53.9% of strains originate from Bouira and Ain Defla regions were able to produce Nivalenol, Fusarenone-X, DAS, 15-AS, Neosolaniol, BEA and Zearalenone. The phylogenetic analysis of the conserved ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences of 29 Fusarium strains, representative of the recorded mycotoxins profiles, was distributed into 5 Fusarium species complexes (SC): F. incarnatum-equiseti SC (FIESC), F. sambucinum SC (FSAMSC), F. oxysporum SC (FOSC), F. tricinctum SC (FTSC) and F. redolens SC (FRSC). This is the first study determining multiple occurrences of mycotoxins contamination associated to Fusarium dry rot of potato in Algeria and highlights fungal potential for producing trichothecene and non-trichothecens mycotoxins.