Functional characterization of LbCDF-A, an ER-localized Zn transporter of the ectomycorrhizal fungus Laccaria bicolor
Mycorrhizal Networks
Every pine, oak, birch, and spruce you walk beneath relies on root fungi like Laccaria bicolor to mine zinc and other minerals from the soil — and this discovery reveals a molecular switch the fungus uses to control how much zinc it holds, which ultimately shapes whether forest trees thrive or struggle on nutrient-poor ground.
Trees in forests can't survive without fungi living in their roots, and those fungi need to carefully manage minerals like zinc — essential in small amounts, poisonous in large ones. Scientists found a tiny molecular 'gate' inside the root fungus Laccaria bicolor that sits in a specific compartment of its cells and controls how zinc moves around. Understanding this gate helps explain how forest trees and their fungal partners stay healthy together, even in soils with unusual mineral levels.
Key Findings
LbCDF-A is an ER-localized transporter, making it one of relatively few Cation Diffusion Facilitator proteins in fungi confirmed to reside in the endoplasmic reticulum rather than the cell membrane or vacuole
The protein functions as a zinc transporter in the ectomycorrhizal fungus Laccaria bicolor, suggesting the ER plays an active role in zinc sequestration or buffering within fungal cells
Functional characterization of LbCDF-A expands the known toolkit of metal homeostasis mechanisms in ectomycorrhizal fungi, with implications for how tree-fungus symbioses tolerate variable zinc availability in forest soils
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists identified and characterized a zinc-transporting protein (LbCDF-A) in Laccaria bicolor, a fungus that colonizes tree roots, finding it sits inside a cellular compartment called the endoplasmic reticulum where it likely sequesters or redistributes zinc to keep the fungus — and its tree host — healthy.
Was this useful?
Want to tell us more? (optional)
Thanks for the note!
Something went wrong — please try again.
Too many submissions. Try again in an hour.
Ancient DNA Reveals Pre-Columbian Amazonian Forest Management at Scale
Forests and fruits we romanticize as wild — including many plants now in our kitchens and gardens — may exist in their current abundance precisely because an...
A pine is any conifer in the genus Pinus of the family Pinaceae. Pinus is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The species are evergreen trees or shrubs with their leaves in bunches, usually of 2 to 5 needles. The seeds are carried on woody cones, with two seeds to each cone scale.