The Pre-Symbiotic Growth of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Is Induced by a Branching Factor Partially Purified from Plant Root Exudates

• Published in: Molecular plant-microbe interactions Vol. 13; no. 6; pp. 693 - 698
• Main Authors: Buee, M., Rossignol, M., Jauneau, A., Ranjeva, R., Bécard, G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: St Paul, MN APS Press 01.06.2000; The American Phytopathological Society
• Subjects: Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Biological and medical sciences; branching factor; cell division; chemistry; Daucus carota; Daucus carota - microbiology; Daucus carota - physiology; Economic plant physiology; Flavonoids; Flavonoids - chemistry; Flavonoids - metabolism; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; fungal spores; Fungi; Fungi - growth & development; Fungi - physiology; Gigapsora gigantea; Gigaspora margarita; Gigaspora rosea; growth & development; hyphae; isolation & purification; metabolism; metabolites; microbiology; physiology; Plant Proteins; Plant Proteins - isolation & purification; Plant Proteins - metabolism; Plant Roots; Plant Roots - metabolism; Plant Roots - microbiology; root exudates; roots; Species Specificity; spore germination; Spores, Fungal; Spores, Fungal - growth & development; Spores, Fungal - physiology; Symbiosis; Symbiosis (nodules, symbiotic nitrogen fixation, mycorrhiza...); vesicular arbuscular mycorrhizae; Symbiosis; Exudate; Daucus carota; Root; Germination; Phycomycetes; Gigaspora gigantea; Vegetal microorganism relation; Flavonoid; Spores; Fungi; Signal transduction; Endomycorrhiza; Vegetable crop; Dicotyledones; Angiospermae; Mycorrhiza; Gigaspora margarita; Spermatophyta; Umbelliferae; Thallophyta
• ISSN: 0894-0282; 1943-7706
• DOI: 10.1094/MPMI.2000.13.6.693

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis is an association between obligate biotrophic fungi and more than 80% of land plants. During the pre-symbiotic phase, the host plant releases critical metabolites necessary to trigger fungal growth and root colonization. We describe the isolation of a semipurified fraction from exudates of carrot hairy roots, highly active on germinating spores of Gigaspora gigantea, G. rosea, and G. margarita. This fraction, isolated on the basis of its activity on hyphal branching, contains a root factor (one or several molecules) that stimulates, directly or indirectly, G. gigantea nuclear division. We demonstrate the presence of this active factor in root exudates of all mycotrophic plant species tested (eight species) but not in those of nonhost plant species (four species). We negatively tested the hypothesis that it was a flavonoid or a compound synthesized via the flavonoid pathway. We propose that this root factor, yet to be chemically characterized, is a key plant signal for the development of AM fungi.