Abstract
Nuclear changes in roots of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum), a plant with a small genome, during the establishment of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) colonization were studied using light and electron microscopy, as well as flow and static cytometry. Nuclei of mycorrhizal root cortex cells were larger and had more decondensed chromatin than those of controls. Significant ploidy distribution differences were observed between nuclei of AM colonized and control roots, and a strong correlation between nuclear polyploidization and AM colonization was found. Polyploidization and decondensation are usually associated with high metabolic activity. The metabolic activity of mycorrhizal root cells, evaluated in this work as respiratory activity by using a cytochemical assay for succinate dehydrogenase combined with image analysis, increased in comparison to controls. The meaning of polyploidization is discussed in relation to the structural and metabolic modifications induced by mycorrhization.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Balestrini R, Berta G and Bonfante-Fasolo P 1992 The plant nucleus inmycorrhizal roots: positional and structural modifications. Biol. Cell. 75, 235–243.
Baluska F, Bacigálová K, Oud J L, Hauskrecht M and Kubica S 1995 Rapid reorganization of microtubular cytoskeleton accompanies early changes in nuclear ploidy and chromatin structure in posmitotic cells of barley leaves infected with powdery mildew. Protoplasma 185, 140–151.
Bennet M D and Leich I J 1995 Nuclear DNA amounts in angiosperms. Ann. Bot. 76, 113–176.
Berta G and Fusconi A 1998 Effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal and ericoid fungi on the structure and activity of host cell nuclei. In Plant cell proliferation and its regulation in growth and development. Eds J A Bryant and D Chiatante. pp 213–217. J Wiley & Sons. Chichester.
Berta G, Sgorbati S, Soler V, Fusconi A, Trotta A, Citterio A, Bottone M G, Sparvoli B and Scannerini S 1990 Variations in chromatin structure in host nuclei of a vesicular arbuscular mycorrhiza. New Phytol. 114, 199–205.
Blair D A, Peterson R L and Bowley S R 1988 Nuclear DNA content in root cells of Lotus and Trifolium colonized by the VAM fungus Glomus versiforme New Phytol. 109, 167–170.
Bonfante-Fasolo P and Perotto S 1995 Strategies of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi when infecting host plants. New Phytol. 130, 3–21.
D'Amato F 1998 Chromosome endoreduplication in plant tissue development and function. In Plant cell proliferation and its regulation in growth and development, Eds Bryant J A and Chiatante D, pp 153–166. J Wiley & Sons, Chichester.
De Rocher B J, Harkins K R, Galbraith D W and Bohnen H J 1990 Developmentally regulated systemic endopolyploidy in succulent plants with small genomes. Science 250, 99–101.
Fusconi A, Sampó S, Lingua G, Gnavi B and Berta G 1997 Ploidy in tomato roots and its variations induced by Glomus mosseae and Phytophthora nicotianae. Atti dell'Accademia dei Fisiocritci Tomo XXVI Serie XV: pp 55–58.
Galbraith DW, Harkins K R and Knapp S 1991 Systemic endopolyploidy in Arabidopsis thaliana. Plant Physiol. 96, 985–989.
Genre A and Bonfante P 1998 Actin versus tubulin configuration in arbuscule-containing cells from mycorrhizal tobacco roots. New Phytol. 140, 745–752.
Gianinazzi-Pearson V 1996 Plant cell responses to arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi: getting to the roots of symbiosis, Plant Cell 8, 1871–1883.
Gianinazzi-Pearson V, Gollotte A, Cordier C and Gianinazzi S 1996 Root defence responses in relation to cell and tissue invasion by symbiotic microorganisms: cytological investigations. In Histology, ultrastructure and molecular cytology of plant-microorganism interactions. Eds M Nicole and V Gianinazzi-Pearson. Pp 177–191. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht.
Koide R T and Schreiner R P 1992 Regulation of the vesciculararbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis. Annu. Rev. Plant Physiol 43. 557–581.
Lingua G, Varese O C, Trotta A, Fusconi A, Gnavi E and Berta G 1996 Flow cytometry as a tool to investigate nuclear senescence in symbiotic and pathogenic systems. Agronomie 16, 663–670.
Lisztwan J, Marty A, Sutterlüty H, Gstaiger M, Wirbelauer C and Krek W 1998. Association of human CUL-1 and ubiquitinconjugating enzyme CDC 34 with the F-box protein p45SKP2: evidence for evolutional conservation in the subunit composition of the CUC 34-SCF pathway. EMBO J. 17, 368–383.
Melaragno E J, Mehrotra B and Coleman A W 1993 Relationship between endopolyploidy and cell size in epidermal tissue of Arabidopsis. Plant Cell 5, 1661–1668.
Nagl W 1995 Cdc2-kinases, cyclins, and the switch from proliferation to polyploidization. Protoplasma 188, 143–150.
Sgorbati S, Berta G, Trotta A, Schellenbaum L, Citterio S, Dela Pierre M, Gianinazzi-Pearson V and Scannerini S 1993 Chromatin structure variation in successful and unsuccessful arbuscular mycorrhizas of pea. Protoplasma 175, 1–8.
Tahiri-Alaoui A and Antoniw J F 1997 Cloning of genes associated with the colonization of tomato roots by the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Glomus mosseae. Agronomie 16, 699–707.
Tisserant B, Gianinazzi-Pearson V. Gianinazzi S and Gollotte A 1993 In Planta histochemical staining of fungal alkaline phosphatase activity for analysis of efficient arbuscular mycorrhizal infections. Mycol. Res. 97, 245–250.
Torelli A, Trotta A, Acerbi L, Arcidiacono G, Berta G and Branca C 1999 IAA and ZR content in leek (Allium porrum L.) as in-fluenced by P nutrition and arbuscular mycorrhizae in relation to plant development. Plant Soil (In press).
Trotta A, Varese G C, Gnavi E, Fusconi A, Sampò S and Berta G 1996 Interactions between the soilborne root pathogen Phytoph44 thora nicotianae var. parasitica. and the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Glomus mosseae in tomato plants. Plant Soil 185, 199–209.
Trouvelot A, Kough J L and Gianinazzi-Pearson V 1986 Mesure du taux de mycorhization VA d'un sistè me radiculaire. Recherche de méthodes d'estimation ayant une signification fonctionelle. In Mycorrhizae: physiology and genetics. Eds V Gianinazzi-Pearson and S Gianinazzi. pp 217–221. INRA, Paris.
Valente P, Tao W and Verbelen J-P 1998 Auxin and cytochinins control DNA endoreduplication and deduplication in single cells of tobacco. Plant Sci. 134, 207–215.
Wolfe A P 1991 Implications of DNA replication for eukarotic gene expression. J. Cell Science 99, 201–206.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Berta, G., Fusconi, A., Sampò, S. et al. Polyploidy in tomato roots as affected by arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization. Plant and Soil 226, 37–44 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026468810886
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026468810886