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Title: Spatial co-transcriptomics reveals discrete stages of the arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis
Abstract The symbiotic interaction of plants with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi is ancient and widespread. Plants provide AM fungi with carbon in exchange for nutrients and water, making this interaction a prime target for crop improvement. However, plant–fungal interactions are restricted to a small subset of root cells, precluding the application of most conventional functional genomic techniques to study the molecular bases of these interactions. Here we used single-nucleus and spatial RNA sequencing to explore bothMedicago truncatulaandRhizophagus irregularistranscriptomes in AM symbiosis at cellular and spatial resolution. Integrated, spatially registered single-cell maps revealed infected and uninfected plant root cell types. We observed that cortex cells exhibit distinct transcriptome profiles during different stages of colonization by AM fungi, indicating dynamic interplay between both organisms during establishment of the cellular interface enabling successful symbiosis. Our study provides insight into a symbiotic relationship of major agricultural and environmental importance and demonstrates a paradigm combining single-cell and spatial transcriptomics for the analysis of complex organismal interactions.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2420360
PAR ID:
10501903
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
Publisher / Repository:
Nature Plants
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Nature Plants
Volume:
10
Issue:
4
ISSN:
2055-0278
Page Range / eLocation ID:
673 to 688
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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