An outlook on ion signaling and ionome of mycorrhizal symbiosis

Abstract

The 450-million-year-old interaction between the majority of land plants and mycorrhizal fungi is one of the most ancient, abundant, and ecologically important symbiosis on Earth. The early events in the evolution of mycorrhizal symbioses seem to have involved reciprocal genetic changes in ancestral plants and free-living fungi. New data on the mechanism of action of specific signaling molecules and how it influence and is influenced by the membrane ions fluxes and cytoplasm ion oscillations which integrate the symbiotic ionome are improving our understanding of the molecular bases of the mycorrhization process. This mini-review will highlight topics regarding what is known about the ionome and ionic communication in the arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis focusing on the signals involved in the development of symbioses. Here we present an overview integrating the available data with the prospects of the research in the field.