Diao Fengwei, Liu Ke, Wu Wenjing, Xu Jing
Shanxi Institute of Organic Dryland Farming, Shanxi Agricultural University, No. 81 Longcheng Street, Taiyuan, Shanxi, 030031, China.
College of Resources and Environment, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu, 030801, China.
Arch Microbiol. 2025 May 8;207(6):139. doi: 10.1007/s00203-025-04343-x.
Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi play important roles in sustainable agriculture, given that they provide multiple benefits for numerous crops. Conversely, negative plant growth effects induced by AM fungi are also occasionally observed. However, little information is available regarding the responses of symbiosis. In this study, compared with an absence of AM fungus inoculation, tomato seedlings inoculated with Funneliformis mosseae or Rhizophagus intraradices were characterized by reduced shoot and root growth. The two AM fungi decreased the carbon contents and the carbon-nitrogen ratios in shoots. To gain further insights into the underlying mechanisms, transcriptomic analyses were performed in the study. A total of 190 and 870 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in the F. mosseae vs. control and R. intraradices vs. control comparisons, respectively. KEGG enrichment analysis of the former 190 DEGs revealed significant enrichment of the "Protein processing in endoplasmic reticulum," "Flavonoid biosynthesis," "Flavone and flavonol biosynthesis," and "Stilbenoid, diarylheptanoid, and gingerol biosynthesis" pathways, whereas "DNA replication," "Photosynthesis - antenna proteins," "Cutin, suberine, and wax biosynthesis," "Protein processing in endoplasmic reticulum," and "Glycerophospholipid metabolism" were identified as pathways significantly enriched with the latter 870 DEGs. GO functional analysis revealed that among both groups of DEGs, large numbers of genes were assigned the "Response to stimulus" term. Moreover, many of the enriched terms were associated with stimulus and stress response processes, including response to salt stress, heat, and reactive oxygen species. Therefore, the findings indicated that AM fungi may trigger defense-related responses in hosts, even though the symbioses performed growth depressions. These findings will contribute to advancing our current understanding of AM fungi.
丛枝菌根（AM）真菌在可持续农业中发挥着重要作用，因为它们为众多作物带来多种益处。相反，偶尔也会观察到AM真菌对植物生长产生负面影响。然而，关于共生反应的信息却很少。在本研究中，与未接种AM真菌相比，接种摩西管柄囊霉或根内根孢囊霉的番茄幼苗地上部和根部生长受到抑制。这两种AM真菌降低了地上部的碳含量和碳氮比。为了进一步深入了解其潜在机制，本研究进行了转录组分析。在摩西管柄囊霉与对照以及根内根孢囊霉与对照的比较中，分别鉴定出190个和870个差异表达基因（DEG）。对前190个DEG进行KEGG富集分析，结果显示“内质网中的蛋白质加工”“类黄酮生物合成”“黄酮和黄酮醇生物合成”以及“芪类、二芳基庚烷类和姜酚生物合成”途径显著富集，而“DNA复制”“光合作用 - 天线蛋白”“角质、木栓质和蜡质生物合成”“内质网中的蛋白质加工”以及“甘油磷脂代谢”被鉴定为后870个DEG显著富集的途径。GO功能分析表明，在两组DEG中，大量基因被归类为“对刺激的反应”。此外，许多富集的术语与刺激和应激反应过程相关，包括对盐胁迫、热和活性氧的反应。因此，研究结果表明，即使共生导致生长受抑，AM真菌仍可能触发宿主的防御相关反应。这些发现将有助于推动我们目前对AM真菌的理解。
