Molecular Profiling of Membrane Transport Systems in the Ectomycorrhizal Association
EMSL Project ID
48314
Abstract
Forest ecosystem productivity is often limited by mineral nutrient availability; phosphorus (P) is one of the major mineral nutrients required by forest trees in significant amounts. To overcome P limitation, plants form ectomycorrhizal (ECM) symbiotic association with fungi i.e. plants acquire nutrients from fungi in exchange to fixed carbon from plants. To understand the underpinnings of this widespread symbiotic association, it is important to reveal the coordinated expression of transporters involved in C and P exchange as well as communication pathways that underlie improved performance under P limitation. In the current study we proposed to assess the influences of two ectomycorrhizal colonization on P limitation responses on P. tremuloides. Specifically investigating carbon allocation, changes in membrane transporter system coupled with metabolic changes and gene expression. The experimental system will utilize Aspen (P. tremuloides) plants generated from seed and grown in sand-nutrient solution culture with no mycorrhizal symbionts (NM) or inoculated with Laccaria bicolor or Paxillus involutus. The effect of symbiosis on P limitation will be studied through phenotypic parameters, physiological measures and biochemical assays and these measurements will be linked to transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic assessments. The analyses will enable the establishment of direct links between statistically significant gene expression with protein synthesis and the ability to link predicted metabolomic capacity with direct measures of metabolite concentrations. This capability will enable models predictive for the molecular mechanisms by which C and P are allocated in the complex aspen-symbiosis system.
Project Details
Project type
Large-Scale EMSL Research
Start Date
2014-10-01
End Date
2016-09-30
Status
Closed
Released Data Link
Team
Principal Investigator
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