In vitro association of non-seed plant gametophytes with arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi

狭义菌根是维管束植物根部与真菌的共生群落。丛枝菌根(AM)以分枝的细胞内结构(丛枝)为特征，是互惠互利的，即对双方都有利。加州所有现存植物中有90%能够与AM真菌(AMF)伴生，因此这种能力被认为是一种祖先性状。AM以及非种子植物中的AM-like群丛(AMLA)随着植物生命从水到陆的转变(约4.5亿年前)而进化，并被认为是植物占领陆地栖息地的重要因素。AMLA是在植物没有根的时候进化的，配子体的世代通常更明显。因此，我们想要研究AM真菌与无根配子体的关联，以更好地了解这种重要的共生相互作用是如何进化的。由于土壤微生物的存在对标准化提出了一个潜在的严重问题，我们将在体外无菌培养中研究Amla。拟议的项目将使用显微镜、反向遗传学、表达谱和生物信息学来研究非种子植物配子体与AMF的关联。预期的结果是更好地理解植物是如何进化到与真菌相互作用以征服土地的。该项目可能对可持续农业程序以及我们对生态系统养分和物种多样性通量的理解产生影响。

Mycorrhiza sensu stricto are symbiotic associations of vascular plant roots and fungi. Arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM), which are characterized by branched, intracellular structures (arbuscules), are mutualistic, i.e. beneficial for both partners. Ca. 90% of all extant plants are able to associate with AM fungi (AMF), this ability is therefore considered an ancestral trait. AM as well as AM-like associations (AMLA), which occur in non-seed plants, have evolved concomitant with the water-to-land transition of plant life (~450 million years ago) and are assumed to have been instrumental in the occupation of the terrestrial habitat by plants. AMLA evolved at a time when plants did not possess roots and the gametophytic generation was generally more pronounced. Therefore, we want to study the association of AM fungi with rootless gametophytes, in order to better understand how this important symbiotic interaction evolved. As the presence of soil microbes presents a potential severe problem for standardization we will study AMLA in axenic in vitro culture. The proposed project shall study the association of non-seed plant gametophytes with AMF using microscopy, reverse genetics, expression profiling and bioinformatics. The expected outcome is a better comprehension of how plants evolved to interact with fungi in order to conquer the land. The project has potential impact on sustainable agriculture procedures as well as on our understanding of ecosystem nutrient and species diversity fluxes.