Detection of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, archaeospora leptoticha, and related species coloning plant roots by specific PCR primer

Abstract

Archaeospora leptoticha, Archaeosporaceae, is a dimorphic arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus, We designed the PCR primers, ARCH2O8, specific to the 18S rRNA gene of Ar. leptoticha, and NS12, a counter primer for ARCH2O8, based on a conserved region of the 18S rRNA gene among glomalean fungi. ARCH2O8 and the taxons-pecific primers designed by Simon et al. (Appl. Environ. Microbiol., 59, 4211-4215, 1993) with N512 amplified partial segments, about 110 bp, of thel8S rRNA gene from spores and mycorrhizal roots of the corresponding fungal species. By using ARCH2O8, we observed that some plant roots collected in the field were colonized by Ar. leptoticha. The taxon. specific PCR could be used for surveys of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal taxa in the field. © 2004 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.