A Medicago truncatula phosphate transporter indispensable for the arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis

The arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis is a mutualistic endosymbiosis formed by plant roots and AM fungi. Most vascular flowering plants have the ability to form these associations, which have a significant impact on plant health and consequently on ecosystem function. Nutrient exchange is a central feature of the AM symbiosis, and AM fungi obtain carbon from their plant host while assisting the plant with the acquisition of phosphorus (as phosphate) from the soil. In the AM symbiosis, the fungus delivers P(i) to the root through specialized hyphae called arbuscules. The molecular mechanisms of P(i) and carbon transfer in the symbiosis are largely unknown, as are the mechanisms by which the plant regulates…

• NS
  National Science Foundation
• UD
  U.S. Department of Agriculture