Mycorrhizal Roots (mycorrhizal + root)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Microdiversity of Burkholderiales associated with mycorrhizal and nonmycorrhizal roots of Medicago truncatula

FEMS MICROBIOLOGY ECOLOGY, Issue 2 2008
Pierre Offre
Abstract The genetic diversity of bacterial communities associated with mycorrhizal and nonmycorrhizal roots of Medicago truncatula was characterized by two approaches. Firstly, phylogenetic analysis was performed on 164 partial 16S rRNA gene,intergenic spacer (IGS) sequences from operational taxonomic units previously shown to be preferentially associated with mycorrhizal roots. These sequences were distributed into three branches corresponding to Comamonadaceae, Oxalobacteraceae and Rubrivivax subgroups. Most sequences were obtained from mycorrhizal roots, indicating the preferential association of the corresponding families with mycorrhizal roots. A second phylogenetic analysis was performed on the partial 16S rRNA gene,IGS sequences of 173 isolates among a large collection of isolates, from mycorrhizal and nonmycorrhizal roots, belonging to Comamonadaceae and Oxalobacteraceae on the basis of their positive hybridization with a partial 16S rRNA gene,IGS probe obtained in this study. Sequence analysis confirmed the affiliation of 166 isolates to Comamonadaceae and seven to Oxalobacteraceae. Oxalobacteraceae isolates were more abundant in mycorrhizal (five) than in nonmycorrhizal (two) roots, whereas Comamonadaceae isolates were more abundant in nonmycorrhizal (109) than mycorrhizal roots (57). Further analysis of Comamonadaceae isolates by BOX-PCR showed that the genetic structure of culturable populations belonging to this family differed significantly in mycorrhizal and nonmycorrhizal roots, as indicated by distributions in different BOX types, differences being significantly explained by BOX types only including isolates from mycorrhizal roots. These data are discussed in an ecological context. [source]


Chemotactic response of plant-growth-promoting bacteria towards roots of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal tomato plants

FEMS MICROBIOLOGY ECOLOGY, Issue 3 2003
Sushma Gupta Sood
Abstract The chemotactic responses of the plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria Azotobacter chroococcum and Pseudomonas fluorescens to roots of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal (Glomus fasciculatum) tomato plants were determined. A significantly (P=0.05) greater number of bacterial cells of wild strains were attracted towards vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal tomato roots compared to non-vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal tomato roots. Substances exuded by roots served as chemoattractants for these bacteria. P. fluorescens was strongly attracted towards citric and malic acids, which were predominant constituents in root exudates of tomato plants. A. chroococcum showed a stronger response towards sugars than amino acids, but the response was weakest towards organic acids. The effects of temperature, pH, and soil water matric potential on bacterial chemotaxis towards roots were also investigated. In general, significantly (P=0.05) greater chemotactic responses of bacteria were observed at higher water matric potentials (0, ,1, and ,5 kPa), slightly acidic to neutral pH (6, 6.5 and 7), and at 20,30°C (depending on the bacterium) than in other environmental conditions. It is suggested that chemotaxis of P. fluorescens and A. chroococcum towards roots and their exudates is one of the several steps in the interaction process between bacteria and vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal roots. [source]


Genetic diversity of the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Glomus intraradices as determined by mitochondrial large subunit rRNA gene sequences is considerably higher than previously expected

NEW PHYTOLOGIST, Issue 2 2008
Boris Börstler
Summary ,,Glomus intraradices is a widespread arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF), which has been found in an extremely broad range of habitats, indicating a high tolerance for environmental factors and a generalist life history strategy. Despite this ecological versatility, not much is known about the genetic diversity of this fungal species across different habitats or over large geographic scales. ,,A nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) approach for the mitochondrial rRNA large subunit gene (mtLSU), distinguished different haplotypes among cultivated isolates of G. intraradices and within mycorrhizal root samples from the field. ,,From analysis of 16 isolates of this species originating from five continents, 12 mitochondrial haplotypes were distinguished. Five additional mtLSU haplotypes were detected in field-collected mycorrhizal roots. Some introns in the mtLSU region appear to be stable over years of cultivation and are ancestral to the G. intraradices clade. ,,Genetic diversity within G. intraradices is substantially higher than previously thought, although some mtLSU haplotypes are widespread. A restriction fragment length polymorphism approach also was developed to distinguish mtLSU haplotypes without sequencing. Using this molecular tool, intraspecific genetic variation of an AMF species can be studied directly in field plants. [source]


Culturing and direct DNA extraction find different fungi from the same ericoid mycorrhizal roots

NEW PHYTOLOGIST, Issue 1 2003
Tamara R. Allen
Summary ,,This study compares DNA and culture-based detection of fungi from 15 ericoid mycorrhizal roots of salal (Gaultheria shallon), from Vancouver Island, BC Canada. ,,From the 15 roots, we PCR amplified fungal DNAs and analyzed 156 clones that included the internal transcribed spacer two (ITS2). From 150 different subsections of the same roots, we cultured fungi and analyzed their ITS2 DNAs by RFLP patterns or sequencing. We mapped the original position of each root section and recorded fungi detected in each. ,,Phylogenetically, most cloned DNAs clustered among Sebacina spp. (Sebacinaceae, Basidiomycota). Capronia sp. and Hymenoscyphus erica (Ascomycota) predominated among the cultured fungi and formed intracellular hyphal coils in resynthesis experiments with salal. ,,We illustrate patterns of fungal diversity at the scale of individual roots and compare cloned and cultured fungi from each root. Indicating a systematic culturing detection bias, Sebacina DNAs predominated in 10 of the 15 roots yet Sebacina spp. never grew from cultures from the same roots or from among the > 200 ericoid mycorrhizal fungi previously cultured from different roots from the same site. [source]


Mtha1, a Plasma Membrane H+ -ATPase Gene from Medicago truncatula, Shows Arbuscule-Specific Induced Expression in Mycorrhizal Tissue

PLANT BIOLOGY, Issue 6 2002
F. Krajinski
Abstract: Transport processes between plant and fungal cells are key elements in arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM), where H+ -ATPases are considered to be involved in active uptake of nutrients from the symbiotic interface. Genes encoding H+ -ATPases were identified in the genome of Medicago truncatula and three cDNA fragments of the H+ -ATPase gene family (Mtha1 - 3) were obtained by RT-PCR using RNA from M. truncatula mycorrhizal roots as template. While Mtha2 and Mtha3 appeared to be constitutively expressed in roots and unaffected by AM development, transcripts of Mtha1 could only be detected in AM tissues and not in controls. Further analyses by RT-PCR revealed that Mtha1 transcripts are not detectable in shoots and phosphate availability did not affect RNA accumulation of the gene. Localization of transcripts by in situ hybridization on AM tissues showed that Mtha1 RNA accumulates only in cells containing fungal arbuscules. This is the first report of arbuscule-specific induced expression of a plant H+ -ATPase gene in mycorrhizal tissues. [source]