OpenAlex · 2026-11-20
Scientists identified a gene in Laccaria bicolor — a fungus that forms partnerships with forest tree roots — that moves zinc into the fungus's internal storage compartments and is most active right at the junction where fungus meets tree root. This clarifies how mycorrhizal fungi regulate zinc at the critical nutrient-exchange zone with their tree hosts.
LbCDF-B encodes a zinc transporter that pumps zinc into the vacuole — the fungus's internal storage compartment — placing it in the CDF (Cation Diffusion Facilitator) protein family
The transporter localizes to the vacuolar membrane in Laccaria bicolor, a widely studied model ectomycorrhizal fungus
LbCDF-B shows functional activity specifically at ectomycorrhizal root tips — the active symbiotic interface where fungal and plant tissues exchange nutrients