Current Advances in Mycorrhizae Research

Softcover  214 pages, 51 illustrations  ISBN 0890542457      £40.00

This book presents recent findings in the study of ectomycorrhizas and arbuscular mycorrhizas, which together colonize the majority of terrestrial plants. These beneficial fungi help plants by increasing nutrient uptake, enhancing water relations, and improving resistance to pests. The relatively new application of molecular genetic, biochemical, and physiological analyses to these symbiotic fungi is covered in this book, making it a must-have selection for anyone interested in mycorrhizae research and its effects on plant health. This comprehensive volume also covers the signalling recognition processes prior to colonization and describes how the host's defence mechanisms are regulated to allow for fungal growth within the root. It also considers ultrastructural aspects of the functioning mycorrhiza as well as cellular and whole plant aspects of the flow of carbon from host to fungus and outlines significant progress in genetic engineering of ectomycorrhizal fungi to make them more efficient biocontrol organisms. The contents are as follows:

Preface

Signalling Mechanisms in Mycorrhizal Symbiosis

• Elicitor Induced Reactions in Mycorrhizae and their Suppression
• Signalling and Recognition Events Prior to Colonization of Roots by Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi
• External Sugar Concentration as a Signal Controlling Ectomycorrhizal Fungal Gene Expression

Mycorrhizal Fungi and Plant Defence

• Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi and Defence Response in Plants
• Regulation of Plant Defense-Related Genes in Arbuscular Mycorrhizae
• Plant Defence Responses during Arbuscular Mycorrhiza Symbiosis

Molecular Genetics of Mycorrhizal Symbiosis

• Molecular Aspects of Ectomycorrhiza Development
• Isolation of Genes Induced During Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Associations Using a Combination of Subtractive Hybridization and Differential Screening
• The Truffle Life Cycle: A Biochemical and Molecular Characterization

Carbon Metabolism and Cost of Arbuscular Mycorrhizas

• Dissecting Carbon Pathways in Arbuscular Mycorrhizae with NMR Spectroscopy
• Assessing Costs of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Symbiosis in Agroecosystems

Ultrastructural Changes During Mycorrhizal Symbiosis

• Outside and Inside the Roots: Cell-to-Cell Interactions among Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi, Bacteria and Host Plants
• Interactions between Fungi and Plant Cell Cytoskeleton

Genetic Engineering of Mycorrhizal Fungi

• Development of Genetically Engineered Mycorrhizal Fungi for Biological Control

Index