<i>Epichloë</i> Endophytes Shape the Foliar Endophytic Fungal Microbiome and Alter the Auxin and Salicylic Acid Phytohormone Levels in Two Meadow Fescue Cultivars
Plants harbor a large diversity of endophytic microbes. Meadow fescue (<i>Festuca pratensis</i>) is a cool-season grass known for its symbiotic relationship with the systemic and vertically—via seeds—transmitted fungal endophyte <i>Epichloë uncinata,</i> yet its effects on pl...
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MDPI AG
2023-01-01
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| Series: | Journal of Fungi |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2309-608X/9/1/90 |
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| author | Suni Anie Mathew Marjo Helander Kari Saikkonen Radomira Vankova Petre I. Dobrev Serdar Dirihan Benjamin Fuchs |
| author_facet | Suni Anie Mathew Marjo Helander Kari Saikkonen Radomira Vankova Petre I. Dobrev Serdar Dirihan Benjamin Fuchs |
| author_sort | Suni Anie Mathew |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Plants harbor a large diversity of endophytic microbes. Meadow fescue (<i>Festuca pratensis</i>) is a cool-season grass known for its symbiotic relationship with the systemic and vertically—via seeds—transmitted fungal endophyte <i>Epichloë uncinata,</i> yet its effects on plant hormones and the microbial community is largely unexplored. Here, we sequenced the endophytic bacterial and fungal communities in the leaves and roots, analyzing phytohormone concentrations and plant performance parameters in <i>Epichloë</i>-symbiotic (E+) and <i>Epichloë</i>-free (E-) individuals of two meadow fescue cultivars. The endophytic microbial community differed between leaf and root tissues independent of <i>Epichloë</i> symbiosis, while the fungal community was different in the leaves of <i>Epichloë</i>-symbiotic and <i>Epichloë</i>-free plants in both cultivars. At the same time, <i>Epichloë</i> symbiosis decreased salicylic acid and increased auxin concentrations in leaves. <i>Epichloë</i>-symbiotic plants showed higher biomass and higher seed mass at the end of the season. Our results demonstrate that <i>Epichloë</i> symbiosis alters the leaf fungal microbiota, which coincides with changes in phytohormone concentrations, indicating that <i>Epichloë</i> endophytes affect both plant immune responses and other fungal endophytes. Whether the effect of <i>Epichloë</i> endophytes on other fungal endophytes is connected to changes in phytohormone concentrations remains to be elucidated. |
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| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T12:04:04Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
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| series | Journal of Fungi |
| spelling | doaj.art-c75e78df811c4bbea0a55942e9a1fa662023-11-30T23:00:11ZengMDPI AGJournal of Fungi2309-608X2023-01-01919010.3390/jof9010090<i>Epichloë</i> Endophytes Shape the Foliar Endophytic Fungal Microbiome and Alter the Auxin and Salicylic Acid Phytohormone Levels in Two Meadow Fescue CultivarsSuni Anie Mathew0Marjo Helander1Kari Saikkonen2Radomira Vankova3Petre I. Dobrev4Serdar Dirihan5Benjamin Fuchs6Department of Biology, University of Turku, 20014 Turku, FinlandDepartment of Biology, University of Turku, 20014 Turku, FinlandBiodiversity Unit, University of Turku, 20014 Turku, FinlandLaboratory of Hormonal Regulations in Plants, Institute of Experimental Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Rozvojova 263, 16502 Prague, Czech RepublicLaboratory of Hormonal Regulations in Plants, Institute of Experimental Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Rozvojova 263, 16502 Prague, Czech RepublicDepartment of Biology, University of Turku, 20014 Turku, FinlandBiodiversity Unit, University of Turku, 20014 Turku, FinlandPlants harbor a large diversity of endophytic microbes. Meadow fescue (<i>Festuca pratensis</i>) is a cool-season grass known for its symbiotic relationship with the systemic and vertically—via seeds—transmitted fungal endophyte <i>Epichloë uncinata,</i> yet its effects on plant hormones and the microbial community is largely unexplored. Here, we sequenced the endophytic bacterial and fungal communities in the leaves and roots, analyzing phytohormone concentrations and plant performance parameters in <i>Epichloë</i>-symbiotic (E+) and <i>Epichloë</i>-free (E-) individuals of two meadow fescue cultivars. The endophytic microbial community differed between leaf and root tissues independent of <i>Epichloë</i> symbiosis, while the fungal community was different in the leaves of <i>Epichloë</i>-symbiotic and <i>Epichloë</i>-free plants in both cultivars. At the same time, <i>Epichloë</i> symbiosis decreased salicylic acid and increased auxin concentrations in leaves. <i>Epichloë</i>-symbiotic plants showed higher biomass and higher seed mass at the end of the season. Our results demonstrate that <i>Epichloë</i> symbiosis alters the leaf fungal microbiota, which coincides with changes in phytohormone concentrations, indicating that <i>Epichloë</i> endophytes affect both plant immune responses and other fungal endophytes. Whether the effect of <i>Epichloë</i> endophytes on other fungal endophytes is connected to changes in phytohormone concentrations remains to be elucidated.https://www.mdpi.com/2309-608X/9/1/90grass endophyte<i>Festuca</i>symbiosismicrobiotaplant hormonedefense response |
| spellingShingle | Suni Anie Mathew Marjo Helander Kari Saikkonen Radomira Vankova Petre I. Dobrev Serdar Dirihan Benjamin Fuchs <i>Epichloë</i> Endophytes Shape the Foliar Endophytic Fungal Microbiome and Alter the Auxin and Salicylic Acid Phytohormone Levels in Two Meadow Fescue Cultivars Journal of Fungi grass endophyte <i>Festuca</i> symbiosis microbiota plant hormone defense response |
| title | <i>Epichloë</i> Endophytes Shape the Foliar Endophytic Fungal Microbiome and Alter the Auxin and Salicylic Acid Phytohormone Levels in Two Meadow Fescue Cultivars |
| title_full | <i>Epichloë</i> Endophytes Shape the Foliar Endophytic Fungal Microbiome and Alter the Auxin and Salicylic Acid Phytohormone Levels in Two Meadow Fescue Cultivars |
| title_fullStr | <i>Epichloë</i> Endophytes Shape the Foliar Endophytic Fungal Microbiome and Alter the Auxin and Salicylic Acid Phytohormone Levels in Two Meadow Fescue Cultivars |
| title_full_unstemmed | <i>Epichloë</i> Endophytes Shape the Foliar Endophytic Fungal Microbiome and Alter the Auxin and Salicylic Acid Phytohormone Levels in Two Meadow Fescue Cultivars |
| title_short | <i>Epichloë</i> Endophytes Shape the Foliar Endophytic Fungal Microbiome and Alter the Auxin and Salicylic Acid Phytohormone Levels in Two Meadow Fescue Cultivars |
| title_sort | i epichloe i endophytes shape the foliar endophytic fungal microbiome and alter the auxin and salicylic acid phytohormone levels in two meadow fescue cultivars |
| topic | grass endophyte <i>Festuca</i> symbiosis microbiota plant hormone defense response |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2309-608X/9/1/90 |
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