Plant Physiol. (1998) 118: 627-635
Carbohydrate and Amino Acid Metabolism in the Eucalyptus
globulus-Pisolithus tinctorius Ectomycorrhiza
during
Glucose Utilization1
Francis Martin*,
Vincent Boiffin, and
Philip E. Pfeffer
Equipe de Microbiologie Forestière, Institut National de la
Recherche Agronomique, Centre de Recherches de Nancy, F-54280
Champenoux, France (F.M., V.B.); and Plant-Soil Biophysics, United
States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, 600 East Mermaid Lane, Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania 19038 (P.E.P.)
 |
ABSTRACT |
The metabolism of
[1-13C]glucose in Pisolithus tinctorius cv
Coker & Couch, in uninoculated seedlings of Eucalyptus globulus bicostata ex Maiden cv Kirkp., and in the E. globulus-P. tinctorius ectomycorrhiza was studied using nuclear
magnetic resonance spectroscopy. In roots of uninoculated seedlings,
the 13C label was mainly incorporated into sucrose and
glutamine. The ratio (13C3 + 13C2)/13C4 of glutamine was approximately 1.0 during the time-course experiment, indicating equivalent contributions
of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase and pyruvate
dehydrogenase to the production of
-ketoglutarate used for synthesis
of this amino acid. In free-living P. tinctorius, most
of the 13C label was incorporated into mannitol, trehalose,
glutamine, and alanine, whereas arabitol, erythritol, and glutamate
were weakly labeled. Amino acid biosynthesis was an important sink of
assimilated 13C (43%), and anaplerotic CO2
fixation contributed 42% of the C flux entering the Krebs cycle. In
ectomycorrhizae, sucrose accumulation was decreased in the colonized
roots compared with uninoculated control plants, whereas
13C incorporation into arabitol and erythritol was nearly
4-fold higher in the symbiotic mycelium than in the free-living fungus. It appears that fungal utilization of glucose in the symbiotic state is
altered and oriented toward the synthesis of short-chain polyols.
 |
INTRODUCTION |
Carbohydrate metabolism in ectomycorrhizae has received
considerable attention (for review, see Hampp and Schaeffer, 1995
; Smith and Read, 1997
). Using carbohydrates for storage, for increasing biomass, and for conversion into metabolic energy, ectomycorrhizal fungi create strong assimilate sinks. Photoassimilates move into the
phloem of trees primarily as Suc and reach the ectomycorrhizal tissues
in this form (Jakobsen, 1991
; Hampp and Schaeffer, 1995
). Suc is the
main labeled carbohydrate in root cells but is not detected in
symbiotic fungal tissues, where mannitol, trehalose, and glycogen are
the main labeled carbohydrates (Söderström et al., 1988
;
Hampp and Schaeffer, 1995
; Smith and Read, 1997
). Glc resulting from
Suc catabolism is thought to be the primary source of carbon for the
generation of ATP, reducing power, and carbon skeletons for
biosynthetic pathways in ectomycorrhizae (Hampp and Schaeffer, 1995
).
The metabolic pathways leading to the synthesis of major fungal
carbohydrates such as mannitol and trehalose have been characterized in
several free-living ectomycorrhizal fungi (Martin et al., 1985
, 1988
;
Ramstedt et al., 1989
). These carbohydrates have also been found in
ectomycorrhizae (Ineichen and Wiemken, 1992
), but metabolic routes
converting Suc to fungal carbohydrates and other metabolites in
symbiotic tissues have not been characterized.
There is evidence that ectomycorrhizal symbiosis brings about
considerable modification of carbon metabolism in the host roots and in
the mycobiont forming the association (Martin et al., 1987
; Hampp and
Schaeffer, 1995
). An important question in relation to the physiology
of ectomycorrhizal associations concerns the extent to which each
partner contributes to the metabolism of carbohydrates. A full
understanding of the metabolic fate of Glc in ectomycorrhizae requires
the characterization of (a) the metabolic pathways converting Glc to
other carbohydrates and metabolites, (b) the carbon compounds
accumulated in symbiotic tissues, and (c) the changes induced by the
symbiosis on the partner metabolism. We used NMR spectroscopy in
conjunction with [1-13C]Glc labeling to study
carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism in a eucalypt (Eucalyptus
globulus subsp. bicostata) and in Pisolithus tinctorius, growing separately and in mycorrhizal association. The
results demonstrated significant mutual effects on fungal and
host-plant metabolism.
 |
MATERIALS AND METHODS |
Biological Material and in Vitro Synthesis of Ectomycorrhizae
Eucalyptus globulus subsp. bicostata ex
Maiden Kirkp. seeds (Kylisa Seeds Co., Weston Creek, Australia) were
sterilized with 20% calcium hypochloride (v/v) for 20 min, rinsed with
four changes of sterile water, and plated on low-sugar Pachlewski
medium (2.7 mM di-ammonium tartrate, 7.3 mM
KH2PO4, 2.0 mM
MgSO4·7H2O, 5 mM Glc; 2.9 µM thiamine-HCl, and 1 mL of a
trace-element stock solution [Kanieltra 6Fe, Hydro Azote Co.,
Ambès, France]; Hilbert et al., 1991
) in 2.0% (w/v) agar. After
7 d, aseptically germinated seedlings were placed on the edge of
14-d-old fungal mats of the ectomycorrhizal gasteromycete
Pisolithus tinctorius Coker & Couch isolate 441, grown on
low-sugar Pachlewski medium in 2.0% agar, and left for 7 d in a
controlled-environment growth chamber with 16 h of light (25°C,
150 µmol m
2 s
1) and
8 h of dark (Hilbert et al., 1991
) for ectomycorrhiza formation. After 7 d, the ectomycorrhizal sheath and Hartig net were
differentiated on the main root and lateral roots of seedlings
(Dexheimer et al., 1994
). Petri dishes of free-living mycelium and
uninoculated control seedlings were grown under the same conditions.
Fungal colonization of root tissues was measured by the ergosterol
assay (Martin et al., 1990
). Uninoculated and 7-d-old ectomycorrhizal seedlings, together with the edges of 21-d-old fungal mats, were then
sampled and preincubated in 5 mL of Pachlewski medium containing 5 mM Glc for 1.5 h prior to
[13C]Glc labeling.
Labeling Studies
[1-13C]Glc labeling of uninoculated
and ectomycorrhizal seedlings was carried out with the roots fully
submerged in 5 mL of Pachlewski medium containing 5 mM
[1-13C]Glc (99 atom % 13C, Sigma-Aldrich) for 6 to 30 h. Fungal
mats were floated on the surface of the labeled solution. Samples
(approximately 0.1 g dry weight) were taken for natural abundance
NMR analysis immediately before the addition of the labeled
[1-13C]Glc (0-time sample). After this, the
labeled samples (roots and mycelium) were rinsed thoroughly with
Glc-free Pachlewski medium to remove any remaining labeled Glc,
blot-dried, frozen in liquid nitrogen, and lyophilized. Lyophilized
samples were extracted using cold (
20°C) methanol:water (70:30,
v/v; Martin and Canet, 1986
) and processed for NMR analysis of
water-soluble carbon compounds (Martin, 1991
). Two labeling experiments
were performed for each time course, with very similar results (±5% to ±10%); in each case data from one of the replicates are shown.
NMR Spectroscopy
1H-decoupled 13C-NMR
spectra were recorded at 100.55 MHz using a spectrometer (Unity Plus
400, Varian Instruments, Sugarland, TX) with a superconducting magnet
(Oxford Instruments, Oxford, UK). Spectra were recorded at 25°C with
the following spectrometer conditions: proton decoupling by
WALTZ-16 composite pulse sequence, 25,000-Hz spectral width,
quadrature phase detection, 16 K data storage array, 11.6-µs
observation pulse (corresponding to a 45° flip angle), 2.38-s recycle
time, and 25,000 free induction decays. The lock signal was obtained
from the 99% (v/v) D2O in which the extract was
dissolved. Spectra were processed with 3.0-Hz exponential line
broadening.
Chemical shifts are quoted relative to the Suc C5
resonance (82.48
ppm; plant extracts) or the trehalose C1 resonance (94.1
ppm;
fungal and ectomycorrhizal extracts) and expressed in 100
ppm
downfield from tetramethylsilane. The resonances were assigned by
comparing observed chemical shifts with previously published values for
carbohydrates (Dijkema et al., 1985
; Martin et al., 1985
, 1988
;
Shachar-Hill et al., 1995
; Fan, 1996) and amino acids (Martin and
Canet, 1986
; Fan, 1996). The identification of each carbohydrate and
amino acid component was also made by peak matching with authentic
samples, spiking with authentic samples, or analyses of heteronuclear
single-quantum coherence spectroscopy spectra.
Acquisition conditions that do not permit complete relaxation of all
carbon signals between pulses were used. However, this had a constant
effect on intensities throughout the series of experiments, and the
relative intensities could therefore be measured accurately. To compare
the amounts of 13C incorporated into metabolites
in ectomycorrhizal and fungal extracts sampled during the time-course
experiments, the peak intensities of the various
13C resonances was standardized to the peak
intensity of the natural abundance of mannitol C2,5 within each
spectrum and then to mannitol C2,5 resonance in the natural abundance
(T0) spectrum. The 13C
enrichment (atom % 13C) of mannitol C1,6 and
C3,4 was calculated by comparison with natural abundance
13C enrichment (1.1%) of mannitol C2,5 within
the same spectrum. Suc 13C enrichment was
evaluated by comparing the intensity of the C1 and C1
resonances (62.4 and 93.3
ppm) with the intensity of the unlabeled natural abundance
resonance of the C5
(82.4
ppm). Absolute 13C
content in trehalose C1 was determined from the
1H-13C satellite spectra,
and 13C labeling in C6,6
was calculated from the
C6,6
-to-C1,1
ratio in 13C spectra.
 |
RESULTS |
Glc Assimilation in Free-Living P. tinctorius
Methanolic extracts of P. tinctorius harvested after
growth in a medium containing 5 mM
[1-13C]Glc for 29 h gave rise to the
13C-NMR spectra shown in Figure
1. The largest resonances observed in the
carbohydrate region of Figure 1A arose from C1,6 of mannitol and C1,1
of trehalose. The C1,6 of mannitol was the most highly labeled
component in the time-course experiment (Fig. 4A), incorporating 31%
of total NMR observable 13C at 29 h. It is
possible to deduce the percentage of mannitol C1,6 labeling by
comparing natural abundance mannitol C2,5 with the C1,6 intensity.
Mycelium showed 8.5%, 20%, and 29% 13C
enrichment (i.e. atom % 13C) after 6, 21, and
29 h, respectively. This distribution of label is consistent with
the hypothesis that mannitol, the most prominent soluble carbohydrate
of free-living P. tinctorius (natural abundance spectrum not
shown), was synthesized by a direct route from labeled [1-13C]Glc.

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| Figure 1.
13C-NMR spectra of intracellular
13C-carbohydrates (A) and free 13C-amino acids
(B) in P. tinctorius mycelium obtained after feeding
[1-13C]Glc (99 atom %) for 29 h. G, Glc; T,
trehalose; M, mannitol; E, erythritol; A, arabitol. Subscripts refer to
the carbon positions.
|
|

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| Figure 4.
Time dependence of the 13C content of
metabolites identified in P. tinctorius mycelium (A),
uninoculated E. globulus roots (B), and P. tinctorius-E. globulus ectomycorrhizae (C)
incubated in 5 mM [1-13C]Glc for the
indicated times. The 13C contents are from the peak heights
of the carbohydrate and amino acid resonances in the NMR spectra.
, Trehalose; , mannitol; , arabitol; , erythritol; ,
Suc; , Gln; X, Glu; , Ala. 13C content in fungal and
ectomycorrhizal spectra were standardized to the natural abundance
mannitol C2,5. Average values are from duplicate experiments (±5% to
±10%).
|
|
Mannitol C3,4 showed a very low 13C enrichment
(approximately 2%), indicating that the flux of
13C from Glc through the pentose phosphate
pathway was limited (Martin et al., 1988
). Apart from the rapid
incorporation of 13C into mannitol, a number of
changes occurred with time, notably the marked increase in intensity of
trehalose C1,1
(Figs. 1A and 4A). From the
1H-13C satellite spectrum
of trehalose (data not shown), it appears that the
13C enrichment of this C1,1
position was 61%,
whereas the C6,6
position exhibited a 14% 13C
enrichment. The occurrence of 13C labeling at the
C6,6
position of trehalose indicates an isotopic scrambling between
C1,1
and C6,6
positions, suggesting that Glc carbon used to form
trehalose was cycled through the metabolically active mannitol pool or
the pentose phosphate cycle enzyme transaldolase (Martin et al., 1988
;
Pfeffer and Shachar-Hill, 1996
). However, the
13C6,6
-to-13C1,1
ratio of
trehalose was approximately 0.18, suggesting low randomization of the
13C label. After 29 h of labeling, mannitol,
trehalose, erythritol, arabitol, and Glc accounted for 54%, 26%, 9%,
6%, and 5% of the total carbohydrate 13C,
respectively.
Figure 1B shows an expanded 13C-NMR spectrum of
the amino acid region after 29 h of labeling. The most intense
peaks of this spectrum had chemical shifts that correspond to C2, C3,
and C4 of Gln and C3 of Ala. Glu positions were weakly labeled.
In Gln and Glu, C4 exhibited a greater 13C
content than the C2 or C3 positions of these amino acids (Fig. 1B). The
ratio (13C3 + 13C2)/13C4 of Gln was
approximately 1.0 during the time-course experiment. The proportion of
the label entering the free amino acid pools represented 22% (6-h time
sample) to 43% (29-h time sample) of the 13C
observed by NMR. After 29 h, Gln (59%) accounted for the largest incorporation in the amino acid pool, followed by Ala (30%) and Glu
(11%). Multiple 13C resonances of Gln C3 at 27 ppm showed that the synthesis of multilabeled
[13C3-13C4]Gln occurred.
This indicates cycling of amino acid precursors through the Krebs cycle
(Malloy et al., 1988
).
Glc Assimilation in Roots of Uninoculated E. globulus
Suc is the main soluble carbon metabolite in uninoculated eucalypt
roots, as shown by the presence of natural abundance
13C resonances of this disaccharide (Fig.
2A). After addition of [1-13C]Glc, the majority of labeling was
incorporated into the glucosyl C1 and fructosyl C1
moieties of Suc.
These positions showed about 15% 13C enrichment
after 29 h. The labeling of the C1 of Fru (the precursor of the
C1
of Suc) and C1 of the Glc used to synthesize Suc were identical
when the contribution of free Glc
C1 was subtracted. This suggests
a rapid labeling of the Fru pool from absorbed Glc. There was a weak
scrambling between the C1,1
of Glc into the C6,6
positions of Suc.

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| Figure 2.
13C-NMR spectra of intracellular
13C-carbohydrates (A) and free 13C-amino acids
(B) in noncolonized E. globulus roots obtained after
feeding [1-13C]Glc (99 atom %) for 28 h. G, Glc; S,
Suc; F, Fru; T, trehalose; M, mannitol; E, erythritol; A, arabitol.
|
|
Gln was the only free amino acid detected in uninoculated eucalypt
roots (Figs. 2B and 4B). The ratio (13C3 + 13C2)/13C4 of Gln was
approximately 1.0 during the time-course experiment, indicating
equivalent contributions of PEP carboxylase and pyruvate kinase/pyruvate dehydrogenase to the production of Krebs cycle intermediates.
Glc Assimilation in Ectomycorrhizae
Based on the ergosterol assay (Martin et al., 1990
), the
analyzed ectomycorrhizae contained approximately 25% to 30% fresh weight of mycelium (data not shown). As shown in Figure
3, ectomycorrhiza formation had a
dramatic effect on Glc metabolism in the mycobiont and the host roots.
After a 27-h incubation in [1-13C]Glc,
resonances detected in the carbohydrate region (Fig. 3A) predominantly
arose from C1,1
of trehalose, C1,6 of mannitol, C1,5 of arabitol, and
C1,4 of erythritol. The 13C natural abundance
resonances of Suc were detected, but 13C
incorporation into the glucosyl C1 and fructosyl C1
moieties of the
disaccharide was very low (about 1% above the natural abundance). The
C1,1
of trehalose was labeled to about 75% from the
13C spectrum (comparison of the C5,5
position at
73.1
ppm and the C1,1
position at 94.1
ppm; Fig. 3A) and
approximately 81% from the
1H-13C satellite spectrum
(data not shown). Trehalose C6,6
was more intense than the natural
abundance resonances of this carbohydrate at 73.4, 73.1, 71.9, and
70.5, indicating the occurrence of an isotopic scrambling (i.e.
cycling) between the C1,1
and C6,6
positions. The
13C6,6
-to-13C1,1
ratio of
trehalose was approximately 0.11, implying low randomization of the
13C label, as observed in the free-living
mycelium (Fig. 1A). The amount of newly incorporated
13C into trehalose was nearly 2-fold higher in
symbiotic tissues than in free-living mycelium. The C1,6 of mannitol
was also highly labeled over the time-course experiment (Fig.
4C), reaching 21% C enrichment after 27 h.

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| Figure 3.
13C-NMR spectra of intracellular
13C-carbohydrates (A) and free 13C-amino acids
(B) in P. tinctorius-E. globulus ectomycorrhizae
obtained after feeding [1-13C]Glc (99 atom %) for
27 h. G, Glc; S, Suc; F, Fru; T, trehalose; M, mannitol; E,
erythritol; A, arabitol.
|
|
Apart from the rapid synthesis of
[13C]trehalose and
[13C]mannitol, a striking feature of
[13C]Glc assimilation in ectomycorrhizae was
the rapid and intense accumulation of
[13C]erythritol and
[13C]arabitol (Figs. 3A and 4C). The
distribution of 13C label is consistent with the
hypothesis that these polyols were synthesized by a direct route from
[1-13C]Glc. These sugar alcohols, which barely
accumulated in free-living P. tinctorius (Fig. 1A),
represented a large part of the labeling in the soluble ectomycorrhizal
carbon compounds (Fig. 4C). After 27 h, trehalose, mannitol,
erythritol, and arabitol accounted for 31%, 25%, 26%, and 18% of
NMR-observable 13C incorporated in fungal
carbohydrates, respectively, whereas root Suc was barely detectable.
The amount of newly incorporated C in total
polyols (i.e. mannitol, erythritol, and arabitol) of symbiotic tissues
was about 1.6-fold higher than in free-living mycelium. The increased
synthesis of erythritol plus arabitol in the symbiotic mycelium was
even higher: 4.4-fold higher than in free-living mycelium.
As found in free-living P. tinctorius, the most intense
peaks observed in the amino acid region (Fig. 3B) had chemical shifts corresponding to C2, C3, and C4 of Gln and C3 of Ala. Glu positions were weakly labeled. In Gln, C4 exhibited a greater
13C content than the C2 and C3 positions of these
amino acids (Fig. 3B). The ratio (13C3 + 13C2)/13C4 of Gln was
approximately 1.1, indicating that the 13C flux
through anaplerotic carboxylases was still high in symbiotic tissues
and was not affected by ectomycorrhiza development. As observed in the
free-living mycelium, multiplet 13C resonances of
Gln C3 revealed the presence of Gln isotopomers. The proportion of the
label entering the free amino acid pools represented 19% (6-h time
sample) to 25% (27-h time sample) of the 13C
observed by NMR. After 27 h, Gln (72%) accounted for the largest incorporation, followed by Ala (15%) and Glu (13%). The proportion of
13C incorporated into Ala was thus 50% lower in
symbiotic mycelium compared with the free-living mycelium.
 |
DISCUSSION |
13C Metabolism in Free-Living P. tinctorius
In ectomycorrhizal ascomycetes (Martin et al., 1985
, 1988
),
basidiomycetes (Martin et al., 1984
; Söderström et al.,
1988
; Ramstedt et al., 1989
; Ineichen and Wiemken, 1992
; Hampp and
Schaeffer, 1995
), and other fungi (Lewis and Smith, 1967
; Dijkema et
al., 1985
), trehalose and various polyols (e.g. mannitol and arabitol) have been reported to be present during active growth. These
carbohydrates form endogenous storage pools that are continuously
metabolized and contribute to the osmotic stabilization of the hyphae.
Mannitol contains the highest proportion of carbon from assimilated Glc in Cenococcum geophilum and Sphaerosporella
brunnea (Martin et al., 1985
, 1988
), whereas trehalose is
prominent in Piloderma croceum (Ramstedt et al., 1989
) and
Laccaria bicolor (Martin, 1991
). This indicates that
mannitol and trehalose are important components of carbohydrate
conversion and biosynthesis.
Insoluble glycogen was not detectable in the extracts, but likely
contributed to the carbohydrate pools (Martin et al., 1985
, 1988
). The
extensive labeling of mannitol (31% of total NMR-observable C at 29 h) and trehalose (17%) in
P. tinctorius is consistent with this scheme. Free-living
mycelium of P. tinctorius strain Lelly/Marx 298 showed high
contents of trehalose and arabitol (Ineichen and Wiemken, 1992
),
whereas [13C]arabitol was barely detectable
(6% at 29 h) in the strain used in the present study. The fact
that trehalose showed only a weak isotopic scrambling between the C1
and C6 positions in hexose pools in free-living P. tinctorius and symbiotic fungal cells (Figs. 1A and 3A) is in
marked contrast to observations in free-living C. geophilum
and S. brunnea. In these ectomycorrhizal ascomycetes, cycling through the mannitol cycle is high and leads to intense isotopic scrambling (Martin et al., 1985
, 1988
).
Free amino acids also represent an important sink of absorbed and
assimilated carbon in P. tinctorius (43% of total
13C at 29 h). This value was similar to the
proportion of 13C entering the free amino acids
of other ectomycorrhizal fungi (France and Reid, 1983
; Martin and
Canet, 1986
; Martin et al., 1988
). Under the conditions of nitrogen
(5.4 mM) levels in the growth medium, a large proportion of
the carbon is therefore shifted toward production of amino acids.
Labeled Gln was already abundant after 6 h of feeding (Fig. 4A)
and its 13C content increased rapidly to 25% of
the soluble 13C. In
[1-13C]Glc-fed C. geophilum (Martin
and Canet, 1986
) and P. croceum (Ramstedt et al., 1989
), Gln
was also rapidly synthesized. Because Gln has a strong signal and its
labeling pattern reflects the isotopic distribution of
-ketoglutarate, it could be used to track the label through Krebs
cycle intermediates (Martin, 1991
; Pfeffer and Shachar-Hill, 1996
).
The intramolecular 13C-labeling pattern of
Glu/Gln in P. tinctorius is in agreement with the operation
of the Krebs cycle.
-Ketoglutarate, used to synthesize Glu and Gln,
would therefore arise from sequential action of citrate synthase,
aconitase, and isocitrate dehydrogenase. There is evidence of about
32% multiple labeling of Gln, as indicated by
13C-13C spin-spin coupling
(e.g. resonance at 27.1 ppm of Gln C3; Fig. 1B) showing that
-ketoglutarate used to form amino acids does cycle to a minor extent
through the Krebs cycle (Malloy et al., 1988
). The
13C isotopic distribution in Gln was used to
estimate the contribution of the anaplerotic C flux to malate via
pyruvate carboxylase, as previously demonstrated by Martin and Canet
(1986)
. During the time-course experiment, the ratio
(13C3 + 13C2)/13C4 of Gln indicated
that the contributions of pyruvate carboxylase and pyruvate
dehydrogenase to the production of Krebs cycle intermediates (Martin
and Canet, 1986
; Martin, 1991
) were similar. Anaplerotic CO2 fixation is therefore an important component
of Glc metabolism in free-living mycelium. It is likely that this
anaplerotic role is particularly significant under conditions of amino
acid accumulation to replenish intermediates of the Krebs cycle that
are drawn off for biosynthesis during active growth.
13C intramolecular enrichment of Glu and Gln in
other ectomycorrhizal fungi (Martin and Canet, 1986
; Martin et al.,
1988
; Ramstedt et al., 1989
) also suggested high activity of
anaplerotic carboxylases during rapid Glc utilization.
Ala synthesis was a significant fate for the Glc carbon in P. tinctorius. The high 13C labeling of the C3
of Ala is in agreement with the synthesis of this amino acid via
pyruvate kinase and Ala aminotransferase.
13C Metabolism in Uninoculated Eucalypt Roots
The majority of labeling from [1-13C]Glc was
incorporated into C1 of the glucosyl and fructosyl moieties of Suc in
the uncolonized roots. Gln was the only amino acid detected and it
represented an important sink of absorbed and assimilated carbon (17%
at 20 h). As shown by the (13C3 + 13C2)/13C4 ratio of Gln, PEP carboxylase and
pyruvate dehydrogenase contributed equally to the production of Krebs
cycle intermediates. It is now well documented in plant cells that both
malate and pyruvate act as the point of entry for glycolytic carbon
into the Krebs cycle and that malate is favored during rapid
respiration, such that a significant fraction of glycolytic products
enters the Krebs cycle via the combined action of PEP carboxylase and
malate dehydrogenase (Wiskich and Dry, 1985
). Edwards et al. (1998)
showed that PEP carboxylase contributed 62% of the malate synthesized in respiring maize root tips. The flux through PEP carboxylase is
comparable in magnitude in eucalypt roots. This high PEP carboxylase anaplerotic activity likely sustains the synthesis of Gln.
13C Metabolism in Ectomycorrhizae
The utilization patterns of the Glc source by seedlings and
mycelium was dramatically influenced by mycorrhizal colonization, with
a greater allocation of carbon to short-chain polyols, arabitol, and
erythritol and to trehalose in the mycelium and a suppression of Suc
synthesis in the roots. The labeling of Suc by the host cells was
suppressed in the mycorrhizal roots despite the significant level of
[1-13C]Glc supplied (5 mM). This
finding does not seem to be a result of the preferential interception
of labeled Glc by the hyphal network ensheathing the roots, because
previous studies using S-labeled Met and Cys
have shown that synthesis of proteins is taking place at a high rate
from the exogenous precursors in the root cells of ectomycorrhizal
eucalypt seedlings (Hilbert et al., 1991
; Burgess et al., 1995
).
Compared with uninoculated roots, the level of Suc was reduced by 50%
in spruce roots colonized by either Amanita muscaria or
C. geophilum (Schaeffer et al., 1995
). The mycobiont, which
lacks sucrolytic enzymes (Schaeffer et al., 1995
), could possibly
induce Suc breakdown to meet its carbohydrate supply. This could be
achieved by inducing a higher acid-dependent Suc breakdown (Schaeffer
et al., 1997
). It is clear that the carbohydrate metabolism of host
roots is regulated by the presence of a fungal partner that is able to
induce strong additional carbon sinks (Shachar-Hill et al., 1995
;
Schaeffer et al., 1997
).
Conversely, E. globulus-P. tinctorius ectomycorrhizae
contain a high amount of fungus-specific carbohydrates. The
disaccharides trehalose and mannitol are the prominently labeled carbon
compounds, and it appears that fungal metabolism dominates the
assimilation of exogenous carbohydrates into symbiotic tissues.
13C incorporation into arabitol and erythritol
was nearly 4-fold higher than in the free-living mycelium. Arabitol and
erythritol accumulated 6% of the total 13C in
free-living hyphae, whereas these polyols incorporated 25% of
13C detected in symbiotic tissues. Arabitol
accumulation in P. tinctorius during spruce ectomycorrhiza
formation has also been reported (Ineichen and Wiemken, 1992
).
The initial steps in the ectomycorrhizal interaction include the
swelling of hyphal tips and the formation of fan-like structures on the
root surface (Jacobs et al., 1989
; Kottke et al., 1997). The hyphal tip
then produces the force to break the root surface and penetrates
between epidermal cells to initiate the Hartig net (Gea et al., 1994
).
The internal turgor pressure is believed to be generated by an influx
of water caused by the osmotic gradient produced in the fungal cell
(Smith and Read, 1997
). It is tempting to speculate that the
accumulation of the osmolytes arabitol and erythritol, together with
the up-regulation of the synthesis of cell wall hydrophobins that takes
place in P. tinctorius during eucalypt mycorrhiza
development (Tagu et al., 1996
), provides a simple mechanism for plant
infection. Arabitol and erythritol may be the compatible solutes
responsible for generating the hydrostatic pressure. The rice blast
fungus (Magnaporthe grisea) simultaneously accumulates a
high amount of glycerol and hydrophobins during the formation of its
appressorium (De Jong et al., 1997).
Dark CO2 fixation by fungal and root carboxylases
contributes substantially to fulfilling the demands for carbon
compounds in ectomycorrhizae (France and Reid, 1983
; Martin et al.,
1988
; Hampp and Schaeffer, 1995
). In free-living mycelium of C. geophilum (Martin and Canet, 1986
), S. brunnea (Martin
et al., 1988
), and P. tinctorius (present study), a large
part of the
-ketoglutarate for Glu and Gln biosynthesis is also
provided by anaplerotic CO2 fixation. There was a
large accumulation of Gln, which displayed a
(13C3 + 13C2)/13C4 ratio in
agreement with a high anaplerotic carboxylase activity (Fig. 3B), in
symbiotic tissues. The spectrum (Fig. 3B) does not directly show
whether the amino acids labeled in mycorrhizal roots are of plant or
fungal origin. However, the amino acid labeling (e.g. intramolecular
labeling of Gln) in symbiotic tissues was similar to those observed in
the free-living fungus, suggesting that most of the labeling took place
in the fungus. The high labeling in Gln is in agreement with the known
high activity of the Gln synthetase/Glu synthase cycle in eucalypt
ectomycorrhizae (Turnbull et al., 1995
), and is likely related to the
high NH4+ concentration used in
the growth medium. However, the proportion of 13C
allocated to Gln and Ala was lower by 30% and 50%, respectively, in
symbiotic tissues than in the free-living mycelium.
In conclusion, the assimilation of [13C]Glc in
free-living P. tinctorius and E. globulus-P.
tinctorius ectomycorrhizae resulted in the production of a large
amount of labeled polyols, trehalose, Gln, and Ala, whereas E. globulus roots mainly accumulated Suc and Gln. Ectomycorrhiza
development induces striking alterations in the carbohydrate pools,
including enhanced synthesis of arabitol and erythritol. Whether this
accumulation of polyols is linked to the aggregation of hyphae to form
the ectomycorrhizal sheath and/or penetration of root surface by the
hyphal tips will await further biochemical and molecular analyses.
 |
FOOTNOTES |
1
This work was supported by a travel grant from
the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (to F.M.). V.B. was
supported by a doctoral scholarship from the Ministère de
l'Enseignement Supérieur et de la Recherche.
*
Corresponding author; e-mail fmartin{at}nancy.inra.fr; fax
33-383-394069.
Received April 7, 1998;
accepted July 21, 1998.
 |
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS |
We would like to thank Dr. Yair Shachar-Hill for reading the
manuscript and for helpful discussions and Janine Brouillette for her
technical assistance in obtaining the NMR spectra.
 |
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