6533b85cfe1ef96bd12bd23b

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Signalling between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and plants: Identification of a gene expressed during early interactions by differential RNA display analysis

subject

description

Although there is evidence for an interplay of signalling/recognition events at different stages during plant/fungal interactions in arbuscular mycorrhiza, the nature of signalling molecules and signal perception/transduction processes are so far unknown. Virtually nothing is known of molecular interactions during initial contact between arbuscular mycorrhizal symbionts, but plant mutants which limit fungal development to these first steps (myc-1) provide proof of the involvement of plant genes. One such pea mutant (P2) has been used to investigate gene expression during early plant-fungal interactions by differential RNA display. Partial transcriptome analysis has indicated frequent similarities in up-regulated genes in Glomus mosseae-inoculated mutant and non-mutant pea genotypes. One of these has been putatively identified as a plant Clp serine protease and its eventual role in early events of arbuscular mycorrhiza interactions is discussed.