Auxins as Signals in Arbuscular Mycorrhiza Formation

Plant hormones such as auxin derivatives are likely signals during the establishment of an arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis. Although reports on auxin levels during AM in different plant species are contradictory, the contribution of auxins to the establishment of an AM symbiosis might be an important factor especially for the development of lateral roots which are the preferred infection sites for the fungi. In addition to evidence that different auxins could be elevated after colonization with AM fungi, there are also overlapping gene expression patterns between auxin-treated and AM-inoculated roots that provide further clues on auxin-triggered colonization events. Using an auxin-inducible promoter-reporter system it was shown that the reporter was strongly induced in AM colonized roots, although co-localization with AM fungi was not observed. Our data are discussed in frame of a model together with other plant hormones which might be involved in the AM colonization processes.