ABSTRACT
Endophytes are endosymbionts residing asymptomatically in plants and have emerged as a rich source of novel metabolites, enzymes, and plant stress relievers. There is a continuous interaction between individual endophyte and the host plant, resulting in a complex microbiome–plant ecology. Modern genomic technologies such as metaomics are evolving as a good tool to understand and unravel the complex plant–endophyte relationship, which benefits the host plant in biotic and abiotic stress tolerance, nutrient mobilization, and growth promotion. One such emerging area is the study on the importance and significance of ethnomedicinal plants as a rich source of metabolites hence used in traditional medical practices. These plants have inherent microbiome complex and colonization by specific endophytes. The metabolites and enzymes produced by the host plant bear similarity to the endophytic metabolites, providing a potential option for their use as minifactories for useful products. Next-generation technologies have enhanced research in biological science enabling analysis of microbial community that lives in association with plants, and the interaction between plant-associated microbes and their host over the years may have favored the synthesis of equivalent biologically active secondary metabolites in the endophytes. This chapter provides an overview of the application of metaomics approaches for the analysis of microbial communities associated with medicinal plants. Further, metaomics technologies open vistas for understanding the probable coevolution of host plant and the associated endophytes.
