Systematic and functional aspects of symbiotic fungi

该提案的中心部分有两个主要部分：开发一种有前景的新型和强大的丛枝菌根真菌鉴定工具，以及继续探索与建立丛枝菌根真菌共生相关的功能方面。第三个组成部分旨在更深入地了解导致外生菌根(ECM)真菌子实体形成的因素。对于AM共生来说，阻碍生物多样性研究的一个主要挑战是对真菌的正确识别。拟议的项目将把基于孢子形态的经典鉴定与物种特异性分子探针的设计结合起来。这一方法将允许鉴定AM真菌并确定特定物种的遗传划界。第二个项目将研究细胞质流动，以及AM真菌芽管中细胞器的运动和活动，显示出细枝菌丝生长模式或管状菌丝生长模式。球菌属遗传不同簇的顶端外菌丝体的表型表达。也将使用分形维计算器程序来表征。对于EMC共生，大多数子实体在夏末寄主树芽落后发育。这表明植物来源的光周期调控信号在触发ECM真菌原基的形成中起着关键作用。体外系统将被用来检验这一理论，并测试不同处理对子实体形成的影响。AM真菌研究的结果将是对物种的准确识别和对其多样性、生物学和生态学的更好理解。最后，对植物来源的信号作为ECM子实体潜在启动子的作用的研究，将在可食用ECM真菌的培养和商业化生产中得到应用。

The central part of this proposal has two principal components: the development of a promising novel and robust identification tool for arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, and the continued exploration of the functional aspects associated with the establishment of the AM symbiosis. A third component aims to provide a greater insight into the factors responsible for initiating ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungal fruitbody formation. For the AM symbiosis, a major challenge that hampers biodiversity studies is the correct identification of the mycobionts. The proposed project will couple classical identification, based on spore morphology, with the design of species-specific molecular probes. This approach will allow identification of AM fungi and the determination of the genetic delimitation of a given species. A second project will investigate cytoplasm streaming, and the movement and activity of organelles in AM fungal germ tubes exhibiting either the fine branching or runner hyphae growth pattern. The phenotypic expression of the extraradical mycelium of genetically distinct clusters of Glomus spp. will also be characterized using the Fractal Dimension Calculator program. For the EMC symbiosis, most fruitbodies develop at the end of summer, after bud set of the host tree. This suggests that plant-derived photoperiod-regulated signals play a key role in triggering the formation of ECM fungal primordia. An in vitro system will be used to test this theory, and to test the effect of diverse treatments on fruitbody formation. The outcome of the research on AM fungi will be the accurate identification of species and an improved understanding of their diversity, biology and ecology. Finally, it is envisaged that investigations into the role of plant-derived signal as potential initiators of ECM fruiting bodies, will have applications in the cultivation and commercial production of edible ECM fungi.