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Inoculation Strategies to Infect Plant Roots with Soil-Borne Microorganisms

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Mutualistic interactions on a knife-edge between saprotrophy and pathogenesis.

Claire Veneault-Fourrey¹, Francis Martin

¹UMR 1136 INRA-Nancy Université « Tree-Microorganisms Interactions », Ecogenomics of Interactions, Centre INRA de Nancy, 54280 Champenoux, France.

Current Opinion in Plant Biology

|May 3, 2011

Summary

Fungal genomes reveal shared traits between mutualistic and pathogenic species, highlighting convergent evolution. More ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungal genome data is needed to understand symbiosis and evolutionary transitions.

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Area of Science:

Forest ecology
Mycology
Genomics

Background:

Fungi are crucial for forest carbon and nutrient cycling.
Limited genomic data exists for ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi compared to saprotrophic and pathogenic types.
Previous studies on biotrophic species revealed convergent evolution.

Purpose of the Study:

To compare genomes of biotrophic fungi to understand evolutionary strategies.
To identify conserved traits for ectomycorrhizal (ECM) symbiosis.
To explore the molecular basis for transitions between fungal lifestyles.

Main Methods:

Comparative genomic analysis of available fungal genomes.
Examination of genome size expansion and transposon proliferation.
Analysis of molecular strategies for plant interaction.

Main Results:

Mutualistic and pathogenic biotrophic fungi share genome expansion and plant immune evasion strategies.
Nutritional strategies significantly differ between fungal lifestyles.
Molecular boundaries between saprotrophism, symbiosis, and pathogenesis are indistinct.

Conclusions:

Convergent evolution is evident in biotrophic fungi.
Additional ECM fungal genome sequencing is essential.
Understanding conserved traits will illuminate the evolution of ECM symbiosis and lifestyle transitions.