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Symbiotic Fungi: Principles and Practice (Soil Biology)

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Chapter 11<br />

Isolation of Metabolically Active<br />

Arbuscules <strong>and</strong> Intraradical Hyphae<br />

from Mycorrhizal Roots<br />

Zakaria M. Solaiman<br />

11.1 Introduction<br />

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are obligate symbionts <strong>and</strong> colonize more than<br />

80% terrestrial plant roots <strong>and</strong> fungi belonging to the Glomales. The mutualistic<br />

nutrient exchange in this symbiosis is characterized by the transfer of phosphorus<br />

from fungi to host plant in exchange for carbon compounds derived from photosynthesis<br />

(Smith <strong>and</strong> Read 1997; Solaiman <strong>and</strong> Saito 1997). It is now well-reported<br />

that phosphate present in soil is taken up into the extraradical hyphae by a<br />

phosphate transporter, subsequently condensed into polyphosphate, <strong>and</strong> translocated<br />

by protoplasmic streaming into the intraradical hyphae (Saito 2000). The<br />

arbuscule is supposed to be the main site for the nutrient exchange. Alkaline<br />

phosphatase activity has been expressed in arbuscules, <strong>and</strong> it is suggested that<br />

this relates to the efficiency of phosphorous uptake (Tisserant et al. 1992) <strong>and</strong><br />

sugar metabolism (Ezawa et al. 1999; Solaiman <strong>and</strong> Saito 1997) of AM. However,<br />

the carbon <strong>and</strong> phosphorus metabolism involved in the nutrient exchange at the<br />

arbuscular interface remain to be investigated.<br />

The isolation of arbuscules from the host tissue <strong>and</strong> subsequent examination of<br />

biochemical activities are required to clarify the mechanism occurring in nutrient<br />

exchange in this symbiotic system. The isolation of arbuscules from host tissue is a<br />

powerful process, especially because this endo-symbiont cannot be independently<br />

cultured in vitro. However, it is not easy to isolate the arbuscules from host tissue<br />

because of the complex penetration of hyphae into cortical cells. Intraradical<br />

Z.M. Solaiman (*)<br />

<strong>Soil</strong> Science <strong>and</strong> Plant Nutrition, School of Earth <strong>and</strong> Environment, M087, Faculty of Natural <strong>and</strong><br />

Agricultural Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia<br />

e‐mail: solaiman@cyllene.uwa.edu.au<br />

A. Varma <strong>and</strong> A.C. Kharkwal (eds.), <strong>Symbiotic</strong> <strong>Fungi</strong>, <strong>Soil</strong> <strong>Biology</strong> 18, 189<br />

DOI: 10.1007/978‐3‐540‐95894‐9_11, # Springer‐Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2009

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