High-affinity ammonium transporters and nitrogen sensing in mycorrhizas

Arnaud Javelle, Bruno André, Anne Marie Marini, Michel Chalot

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    45 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Most terrestrial plants live in mutualistic symbiosis with root-infecting mycorrhizal fungi. This association requires a molecular dialogue between the two partners. However, the nature of the chemical signals that induce hyphal differentiation are not well characterized and the mechanisms for signal reception are still unknown. In addition to its role in ammonium scavenging, the Mep2 protein from Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been proposed to act as an ammonium sensor that is essential for pseudohyphal differentiation in response to ammonium limitation. We propose that the high-affinity ammonium transporters from mycorrhizal fungi act in a similar manner to sense the environment and induce, via as-yet-unidentified signal transduction cascades, the switch in the mode of fungal growth observed during the formation of mycorrhiza.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)53-5
    Number of pages3
    JournalTrends in Microbiology
    Volume11
    Issue number2
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2003

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