AM fungal exudates activate MAP kinases in plant cells in dependence from cytosolic Ca2+ increase
International audience; The molecular dialogue occurring prior to direct contact between the fungal and plant partners of arbuscular-mycorrhizal (AM) symbioses begins with the release of fungal elicitors, so far only partially identified chemically, which can activate specific signaling pathways in the host plant. We show here that the activation of MAPK is also induced by exudates of germinating spores of Gigaspora margarita in cultured cells of the non-leguminous species tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum), as well as in those of the model legume Lotus japonicus. MAPK activity peaked about 15 min after the exposure of the host cells to the fungal exudates (FE). FE were also responsible for a rapi…
Genome of an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus provides insight into the oldest plant symbiosis
International audience; The mutualistic symbiosis involving Glomeromycota, a distinctive phylum of early diverging Fungi, is widely hypothesized to have promoted the evolution of land plants during the middle Paleozoic. These arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) perform vital functions in the phosphorus cycle that are fundamental to sustainable crop plant productivity. The unusual biological features of AMF have long fascinated evolutionary biologists. The coenocytic hyphae host a community of hundreds of nuclei and reproduce clonally through large multinucleated spores. It has been suggested that the AMF maintain a stable assemblage of several different genomes during the life cycle, but thi…
Plants and Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi: Cues and Communication in the Early Steps of Symbiotic Interactions
Abstract The ubiquitous nature of arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) pleads for common molecular and genetic determinants across different plant taxa. The cellular processes determining compatibility in early interactions prior to and during cell contact between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and plant roots are starting to be unraveled. The root epidermis is an active checkpoint where signal exchanges and control over root colonization occur. Root‐secreted flavonoids, flavonols, and strigolactones can act as rhizosphere signals in stimulating presymbiotic fungal growth, although their mechanism of action on the fungal cell is as yet unknown. Likewise, fungal signals (Myc factors) activate early plan…
Structural and functional genomics of symbiotic arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi.
The absorbing organs (roots, rhizomes) of nearly all terrestrial plant families host an intimate symbiotic association, called a mycorrhiza, with specialized functional groups of soil fungi. The most common type of root symbiosis is the arbuscular mycorrhiza where soil fungi interact with a tremendous diversity of plant species, including many forest trees and agricultural, horticultural, and fruit crops (Gianinazzi et al., 2002). The fungi involved are very ancient microorganisms compared to other true fungi. Fossil data and molecular phylogenetic analyses indicate that their origin dates back to the Ordovician-Devonian era some 460 to 400 million years ago (Remy et al., 1994; Redecker et …
Towards a cell-specific expression atlas of arbuscular mycorrhizal roots in the model legume Medicago truncatula
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