Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.
Nat Rev Microbiol. 2020 Nov;18(11):649-660. doi: 10.1038/s41579-020-0402-3. Epub 2020 Jul 21.
Mycorrhizas are among the most important biological interkingdom interactions, as they involve ~340,000 land plants and ~50,000 taxa of soil fungi. In these mutually beneficial interactions, fungi receive photosynthesis-derived carbon and provide the host plant with mineral nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen in exchange. More than 150 years of research on mycorrhizas has raised awareness of their biology, biodiversity and ecological impact. In this Review, we focus on recent phylogenomic, molecular and cell biology studies to present the current state of knowledge of the origin of mycorrhizal fungi and the evolutionary history of their relationship with land plants. As mycorrhizas feature a variety of phenotypes, depending on partner taxonomy, physiology and cellular interactions, we explore similarities and differences between mycorrhizal types. During evolution, mycorrhizal fungi have refined their biotrophic capabilities to take advantage of their hosts as food sources and protective niches, while plants have developed multiple strategies to accommodate diverse fungal symbionts. Intimate associations with pervasive ecological success have originated at the crossroads between these two evolutionary pathways. Our understanding of the biological processes underlying these symbioses, where fungi act as biofertilizers and bioprotectors, provides the tools to design biotechnological applications addressing environmental and agricultural challenges.
菌根是最重要的生物种间相互作用之一,因为它们涉及到约 34 万种陆地植物和约 5 万种土壤真菌。在这些互利共生的相互作用中,真菌获得光合作用产生的碳,同时为宿主植物提供磷和氮等矿物质养分作为交换。对菌根的研究已有 150 多年的历史,这提高了人们对其生物学、生物多样性和生态影响的认识。在这篇综述中,我们重点关注最近的系统发育基因组学、分子和细胞生物学研究,以呈现对菌根真菌起源和它们与陆地植物关系的进化历史的最新认识。由于菌根具有多种表型,取决于伙伴的分类学、生理学和细胞相互作用,我们探讨了菌根类型之间的相似之处和不同之处。在进化过程中,菌根真菌已经完善了它们的生物营养能力,以利用其宿主作为食物来源和保护小生境,而植物则发展了多种策略来容纳不同的真菌共生体。在这两种进化途径的交叉点上,菌根与普遍的生态成功建立了密切的联系。我们对这些共生关系的生物学过程的理解,即真菌作为生物肥料和生物保护剂的作用,为设计解决环境和农业挑战的生物技术应用提供了工具。