Epigenetic regulation of mycorrhizal symbioses: from plastic responses to transgenerational legacies.
Beltrán-Torres G, De La Cruz HJ, Maury S, Janoušková M, Veneault-Fourrey C
Mycorrhizal Networks
The tomatoes or beans in your garden may quietly inherit stress-resistance blueprints from the soil fungi their parent plants partnered with — a hidden biological head-start that costs nothing and requires no breeding or genetic modification.
When fungi team up with plant roots, they don't just help the plant absorb nutrients — they also flip genetic switches on and off, like leaving sticky notes inside the plant's instruction manual. Sometimes those sticky notes get copied and passed down to the plant's offspring, giving the next generation a built-in advantage against drought or disease. Plants that reproduce by cloning themselves keep these notes better than plants that make seeds through regular sexual reproduction.
Key Findings
Mycorrhizal fungi regulate plant gene networks through epigenetic mechanisms at every stage of the partnership — from initial root colonization through active nutrient and defense signaling.
Epigenetic marks from mycorrhizal symbiosis are better preserved in clonally reproducing and shorter-lived host plants, while sexually reproducing and longer-lived species show partial erasure of these marks between generations.
Mycorrhiza-induced epigenetic inheritance may influence offspring stress resilience, ecological interactions, and long-term evolutionary trajectories — paralleling mechanisms seen in plant-pathogen and plant-endophyte interactions.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Mycorrhizal fungi don't just help plants absorb nutrients — they also alter plant gene activity through epigenetic changes that can persist across generations. This review synthesizes how these underground fungal partnerships leave heritable molecular 'memories' that shape plant resilience and adaptation over time.
Abstract Preview
Mycorrhizal symbioses represent one of the most widespread and ecologically significant plant-microbe interactions, shaping plant nutrition, stress resilience, and ecosystem functioning. Beyond the...
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