Local root ABA/cytokinin status and aquaporins regulate poplar responses to mild drought stress independently of the ectomycorrhizal fungus Laccaria bicolor.

ABSTRACT: The relatively better performance of mycorrhizal plants subjected to drought stress has commonly been linked to improved root water uptake through the fungal regulation of plant aquaporins and hormones. In this study, we examined the role of ectomycorrhizal fungi in plant water relations and plant hormonal balance under mild drought using split-root seedlings of Populus trichocarpa × deltoides either with or without inoculation with Laccaria bicolor. The root compartments where the drought treatment was applied had higher ABA and lower cytokinin tZR contents, and greater expression of the plant aquaporins PtPIP1;1, PtPIP1;2, PtPIP2;5, and PtPIP2;7. On the other hand, the presence of L. bicolor within the roots down-regulated PtPIP1;4, PtPIP2;3, and PtPIP2;10, and reduced the abundance of P

SUBMITTER: Calvo-Polanco M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6859725 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature