title: Ecologically Different Fungi Affect Arabidopsis Development: Contribution of Soluble and Volatile Compounds.
abstract: Plant growth and development can be influenced by mutualistic and non-mutualistic microorganisms. We investigated the ability of the ericoid endomycorrhizal fungus Oidiodendron maius to influence growth and development of the non-host plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Different experimental setups (non-compartmented and compartmented co-culture plates) were used to investigate the influence of both soluble and volatile fungal molecules on the plant phenotype. O. maius promoted growth of A. thaliana in all experimental setups. In addition, a peculiar clumped root phenotype, characterized by shortening of the primary root and by an increase of lateral root length and number, was observed in A. thaliana only in the non-compartmented plates, suggesting that soluble diffusible molecules are responsible for this root morphology. Fungal auxin does not seem to be involved in plant growth promotion and in the clumped root phenotype because co-cultivation with O. maius did not change auxin accumulation in plant tissues, as assessed in plants carrying the DR5::GUS reporter construct. In addition, no correlation between the amount of fungal auxin produced and the plant root phenotype was observed in an O. maius mutant unable to induce the clumped root phenotype in A. thaliana. Addition of active charcoal, a VOC absorbant, in the compartmented plates did not modify plant growth promotion, suggesting that VOCs are not involved in this phenomenon. The low VOCs emission measured for O. maius further corroborated this hypothesis. By contrast, the addition of CO2 traps in the compartmented plates drastically reduced plant growth, suggesting involvement of fungal CO2 in plant growth promotion. Other mycorrhizal fungi, as well as a saprotrophic and a pathogenic fungus, were also tested with the same experimental setups. In the non-compartmented plates, most fungi promoted A. thaliana growth and some could induce the clumped root phenotype. In the compartmented plate experiments, a general induction of plant growth was observed for most other fungi, especially those producing higher biomass, further strengthening the role of a nonspecific mechanism, such as CO2 emission.
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Casarrubia
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sapienza
authors.affiliation: INRA-Nancy and Lorraine University, Lab of Excellence ARBRE, Unité Mixte de Recherche 1136, Champenoux, France.
authors.forename: Héma
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fritz
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Stefania
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Daghino
authors.affiliation: Research Unit Environmental Simulation, Institute of Biochemical Plant Pathology, Helmholtz Zentrum München-German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), Neuherberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Maaria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rosenkranz
authors.affiliation: Research Unit Environmental Simulation, Institute of Biochemical Plant Pathology, Helmholtz Zentrum München-German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), Neuherberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Jörg-Peter
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Schnitzler
authors.affiliation: INRA-Nancy and Lorraine University, Lab of Excellence ARBRE, Unité Mixte de Recherche 1136, Champenoux, France.
authors.forename: Francis
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Perotto
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.|INRA-Nancy and Lorraine University, Lab of Excellence ARBRE, Unité Mixte de Recherche 1136, Champenoux, France.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3446-2994
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Martino
mesh_terms: D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000382:microbiology*; D001203:Ascomycota / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007210:Indoleacetic Acids / Q000494:pharmacology; D038821:Mycorrhizae / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D010641:Phenotype; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000254:growth & development / Q000382:microbiology; D013559:Symbiosis; D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D007210:Indoleacetic Acids; D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds; D002245:Carbon Dioxide