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3 The Interface Between Plants and Mycorrhizal Fungi: Nutrient Exchange, Signaling and Cell Organization

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Fungal Associations

Part of the book series: The Mycota ((MYCOTA,volume 9))

Abstract

Mycorrhizas are mutualistic interactions that the majority of land plants establish with a heterogeneous group of soil fungi. Although the pattern of root colonization can be very diverse, one trait common to all mycorrhizal interactions is the appearance of an apoplastic compartment where the plant and fungal cell walls are strictly associated. This symbiotic interface, which includes the plasma membranes of both partners, is the site of major nutrient exchanges and represents the functional core of the symbiosis. Over the last 10 years, substantial advances have been made in our knowledge of many of the cellular and molecular mechanisms that underlie mycorrhizal associations. The advent of novel technologies, such as genome sequencing, high-throughput transcriptomics and in vivo confocal microscopy, has opened new ways to explore the hidden world of these fascinating subterranean symbioses. Here we propose a synopsis of the recent literature on the interactions between mycorrhizal fungi and their hosts, with particular focus on the intimate contact that develops between plant cells and fungal hyphae, in terms of molecular signaling, nutrient exchange and cell organization.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Raffaella Balestrini for kindly sharing her results and providing images of ectomycorrhizal roots and to Antonella Faccio for electron microscopy preparations. Contributions to this chapter have partially been funded by the Italian National project PRIN 2008, and by Regione Piemonte (CIPE-BioBITs).

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  1. Department of Life Science and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Viale P.A. Mattioli 25, 10125, Torino, Italy

    A. Genre & P. Bonfante

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  1. A. Genre
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  2. P. Bonfante
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Correspondence to P. Bonfante .

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  1. Technical University of Munich, Alte Akademie 6, Freising, 85354, Bayern, Germany

    Bertold Hock

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Genre, A., Bonfante, P. (2012). 3 The Interface Between Plants and Mycorrhizal Fungi: Nutrient Exchange, Signaling and Cell Organization. In: Hock, B. (eds) Fungal Associations. The Mycota, vol 9. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-30826-0_3

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