Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, via Vetoio, Coppito 1, 67100, L'Aquila, Italy.
National Research Council, Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection, Viale Mattioli 25, 10125, Torino, Italy.
Mycorrhiza. 2020 Nov;30(6):715-723. doi: 10.1007/s00572-020-00985-5. Epub 2020 Aug 24.
Arbutus unedo (the strawberry tree) is a Mediterranean shrub which forms arbutoid mycorrhizae with a variety of Asco- and Basidiomycetes. After the discovery of the mycorrhizal symbiosis between A. unedo and Tuber borchii, in this study, arbutoid mycorrhizae were synthetized in greenhouse with Tuber aestivum and Tuber melanosporum. Six months after inoculation, both species colonized the roots of all inoculated A. unedo seedlings, but mature mycorrhizae were only observed after 12 months. Ultrastructure analysis of Tuber arbutoid mycorrhizae was described for the first time, showing, as observed in typical endosymbiosis, a rearrangement of host cells and the creation of an interface compartment with both truffle species. Immunolabelling experiments suggested that pectins are not present in the interface matrix surrounding the intracellular hyphae. Thus, the ability to establish symbiosis with A. unedo seems to be a common feature in the genus Tuber, opening up the possibility to use this plant for mycorrhization with valuable truffles. This could represent an important economic opportunity in Mediterranean areas by combining the production of truffles, edible fruits and valued honey.
杨梅树（Arbutus unedo）是一种地中海灌木，它与多种子囊菌和担子菌形成类菌根共生体。在发现杨梅树与块菌属（Tuber）的共生关系后，本研究在温室中用块菌属的夏块菌（Tuber aestivum）和块菌属的黑块菌（Tuber melanosporum）合成了类菌根共生体。接种后 6 个月，两种块菌都定植于所有接种杨梅树的幼苗根部，但仅在 12 个月后才观察到成熟的类菌根共生体。首次对块菌类菌根共生体的超微结构进行了描述，结果表明，与典型的内共生体一样，宿主细胞发生了重排，并与两种块菌物种一起创建了一个界面隔室。免疫标记实验表明，在围绕细胞内菌丝的界面基质中不存在果胶。因此，与杨梅树建立共生关系的能力似乎是块菌属的一个共同特征，这为利用这种植物与有价值的块菌进行菌根化提供了可能性。在有地中海地区，这可能是一个重要的经济机会，因为它将块菌、可食用的果实和有价值的蜂蜜的生产结合在一起。
