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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, November 2003, p. 6762-6767, Vol. 69, No. 11
0099-2240/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AEM.69.11.6762-6767.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Fungal Lipid Accumulation and Development of Mycelial Structures by Two Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi

Ingrid M. van Aarle and Pål Axel Olsson^*

Department of Microbial Ecology, Lund University, SE-223 62 Lund, Sweden

Received 24 March 2003/ Accepted 25 August 2003

We monitored the development of intraradical and extraradical mycelia of the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi Scutellospora calospora and Glomus intraradices when colonizing Plantago lanceolata. The occurrence of arbuscules (branched hyphal structures) and vesicles (lipid storage organs) was compared with the amounts of signature fatty acids. The fatty acid 16:15 was used as a signature for both AM fungal phospholipids (membrane constituents) and neutral lipids (energy storage) in roots (intraradical mycelium) and in soil (extraradical mycelium). The formation of arbuscules and the accumulation of AM fungal phospholipids in intraradical mycelium followed each other closely in both fungal species. In contrast, the neutral lipids of G. intraradices increased continuously in the intraradical mycelium, while vesicle occurrence decreased after initial rapid root colonization by the fungus. S. calospora does not form vesicles and accumulated more neutral lipids in extraradical than in intraradical mycelium, while the opposite pattern was found for G. intraradices. G. intraradices allocated more of its lipids to storage than did S. calospora. Thus, within a species, the fatty acid 16:15 is a good indicator for AM fungal development. The phospholipid fatty acid 16:15 is especially suitable for indicating the frequency of arbuscules in the symbiosis. We propose that the ratio of neutral lipids to phospholipids is more important than is the presence of vesicles in determining the storage status of AM fungi.

Present address: UMR Rhizosphere & Symbiose, INRA-ENSAM, 34060 Montpellier Cedex, France.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Olsson, P. A., Hammer, E. C., Wallander, H., Pallon, J. (2008). Phosphorus Availability Influences Elemental Uptake in the Mycorrhizal Fungus Glomus intraradices, as Revealed by Particle-Induced X-Ray Emission Analysis. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 74: 4144-4148 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
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• Olsson, P. A., van Aarle, I. M., Gavito, M. E., Bengtson, P., Bengtsson, G. (2005). 13C Incorporation into Signature Fatty Acids as an Assay for Carbon Allocation in Arbuscular Mycorrhiza. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 71: 2592-2599 [Abstract] [Full Text]