The role of bacteria and mycorrhiza in plant sulfur supply

Jacinta Gahan, Achim Schmalenberger

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Plant growth is highly dependent on bacteria, saprophytic, and mycorrhizal fungi which facilitate the cycling and mobilization of nutrients. Over 95% of the sulfur (S) in soil is present in an organic form. Sulfate-esters and sulfonates, the major forms of organo-S in soils, arise through deposition of biological material and are transformed through subsequent humification. Fungi and bacteria release S from sulfate-esters using sulfatases, however, release of S from sulfonates is catalyzed by a bacterial multi-component mono-oxygenase system.The asfA gene is used as a key marker in this desulfonation process to study sulfonatase activity in soil bacteria identified asVariovorax, Polaromonas, Acidovorax, and Rhodococcus. The rhizosphere is regarded as a hot spot for microbial activity and recent studies indicate that this is also the case for the mycorrhizosphere where bacteria may attach to the fungal hyphae capable of mobilizing organo-S. While current evidence is not showing sulfatase and sulfonatase activity in arbuscular mycorrhiza, their effect on the expression of plant host sulfate transporters is documented. A revision of the role of bacteria, fungi and the interactions between soil bacteria and mycorrhiza in plant S supply was conducted.

Original languageEnglish
Article number723
Pages (from-to)723
JournalFrontiers in Plant Science
Volume5
Issue numberDEC
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 16 Dec 2014

Keywords

  • Asf gene cluster
  • Mycorrhizal fungi
  • Mycorrhizosphere
  • Plant–microbe interactions
  • Sulfatases
  • Sulfate esters
  • Sulfonate desulfurization

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