Ultrastructure of symbiotic germination of the orchid Dendrobium officinale with its mycobiont, Sebacina sp.

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Abstract

Dendrobium officinale is an endangered epiphytic orchidaceous medicinal plant. Similar to other orchid plants, the seed germination of D. officinale under natural conditions depends nutritionally upon mycorrhizal fungi. The compatible fungi have been isolated from D. officinale protocorms using in situ seed baiting technique in our previous studies. However, the interaction between seed germination of D. officinale and its mycobiont is still unclear. In the present study, we investigated the morphological changes of seed and fungus during the symbiotic germination using a light microscope and transmission electron microscope. Seeds of D. officinale have no conspicuous suspensor cells. The fungus enters into the embryo cell through the posterior end of the embryo and colonises the cortical cell in the first stage of germination (Stage 1). Then, the hyphae form pelotons with the protocorm development (Stages 1–3). After protocorm formation, the reinvaded fungal hyphae conspicuously decrease. Invaded hyphae lose bioactivity, form clumps and start degeneration at Stage 4 or 5 (seedling development). When penetrating the neighbouring cortical cell, the fungal hyphae constrict to collar shape at the contacted site and follow by swelling in the apex. Our study suggested that fungi trigger protocorm development and concomitant reserve utilisation during the symbiotic germination.

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Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi elicit a novel intracellular apparatus in Medicago truncatula root epidermal cells before infection.

Andrea Genre, Mireille Chabaud, Ton Timmers … (2005)

The penetration of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi through the outermost root tissues of the host plant is a critical step in root colonization, ultimately leading to the establishment of this ecologically important endosymbiotic association. To evaluate the role played by the host plant during AM infection, we have studied in vivo cellular dynamics within Medicago truncatula root epidermal cells using green fluorescent protein labeling of both the plant cytoskeleton and the endoplasmic reticulum. Targeting roots with Gigaspora hyphae has revealed that, before infection, the epidermal cell assembles a transient intracellular structure with a novel cytoskeletal organization. Real-time monitoring suggests that this structure, designated the prepenetration apparatus (PPA), plays a central role in the elaboration of the apoplastic interface compartment through which the fungus grows when it penetrates the cell lumen. The importance of the PPA is underlined by the fact that M. truncatula dmi (for doesn't make infections) mutants fail to assemble this structure. Furthermore, PPA formation in the epidermis can be correlated with DMI-dependent transcriptional activation of the Medicago early nodulin gene ENOD11. These findings demonstrate how the host plant prepares and organizes AM infection of the root, and both the plant-fungal signaling mechanisms involved and the mechanistic parallels with Rhizobium infection in legume root hairs are discussed.

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MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR ASPECTS OF THE ARBUSCULAR MYCORRHIZAL SYMBIOSIS.

Ben J. Harrison (1999)

Arbuscular mycorrhizae are symbiotic associations formed between a wide range of plant species including angiosperms, gymnosperms, pteridophytes, and some bryophytes, and a limited range of fungi belonging to a single order, the Glomales. The symbiosis develops in the plant roots where the fungus colonizes the apoplast and cells of the cortex to access carbon supplied by the plant. The fungal contribution to the symbiosis is complex, but a major aspect includes the transfer of mineral nutrients, particularly phosphate from the soil to the plant. Development of this highly compatible association requires the coordinate molecular and cellular differentiation of both symbionts to form specialized interfaces over which bi-directional nutrient transfer occurs. Recent insights into the molecular events underlying these aspects of the symbiosis are discussed.