Symbiotic endophytes as a means to confer stress tolerance to plants

Regina Redman, Symbiogenics

September 26, 2013 @ 12:00 pm to 01:00 pm

W-203 Millennium Science Complex

Symbiotic associations span a continuum from parasitism to mutualism, the basis of which, involve complex inter-genomic interactions and environmental factors. These factors determine the ability of plants to adapt to a changing climatic world imposing fierce abiotic and biotic stresses. For example, plants in natural ecosystems adapt to abiotic stress by forming symbiotic associations with a special group of fungal endophytes (class 2) that confer stress tolerances such as drought, high salinity and temperatures. Biotic stress in the form of disease resistance is also observed with class 2 endophytes. Without the endophytes, the plants are not stress tolerant, are unable to adapt, and do not survive in their perspective habitats. Symbiotically conferred stress tolerance typically occurs in a habitat-specific manner, a phenomenon we designate Habitat Adapted Symbiosis (HAS). Although several biochemical processes have been correlated to plant stress tolerance, few processes correlate with symbiotically conferred stress tolerance. Symbiotically conferred stress tolerance involves altered plant gene regulation, increased metabolic efficiency, and an increased ability to manage reactive oxygen species. Presented in this work, we will describe how fungal endophytes adapt plants across environmental gradients and present a working model for symbiotically conferred stress tolerance.

Contact

Eleanore Sternberg
eds16@psu.edu