Objective Nutrient acquisition is the basis of life. Arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) symbiosis of plants with nutrient-delivering fungi is detected in the oldest land plant fossils and considered a prerequisite for plant life on land. It is wide-spread in the plant kingdom and its secondary loss is the exception. AM improves plant nutrition, stress resistance and general plant performance. Breeding AM-optimized crops has significant potential for improving food security and sustainable agriculture. Understanding the molecular underpinnings of AM function is thus imperative. The hallmark of the symbiosis are the arbuscules, highly branched hyphal structures, which develop in root cortex cells. They build a large membrane interface with the plant derived peri-arbuscular membrane (PAM) that surrounds them. Most mineral nutrients are delivered from the arbuscules and taken up via the PAM into plant cells through transporter proteins. In return, the fungi receive up to 20% of the photosynthetically-fixed carbon. The balance in mineral-nutrient-gain-for-carbon-loss influences the effect of the symbiosis in plant growth and yield. However, the full range of transported nutrients, any mechanisms regulating transport and the balance in molecular exchange are unknown. ‘SymbioticExchange’ strategically integrates transcriptomics, phosphoproteomics, metabolomics and protein-protein interaction analysis, with reverse genetics, cell biology and transport physiology to identify novel plant and fungal transporters involved in symbiotic nutrient and metabolite exchange, and to understand the molecular mechanisms of their regulation. ‘SymbioticExchange’ will thus deliver major advances on the range of transporters at the plant-fungal interface, the exchanged goods and the regulation of exchange. This important knowledge-base will provide crucial clues on how nutrient exchange can be tuned for profitable agricultural application of one of the most important symbioses on earth. Fields of science natural sciencesbiological sciencesgeneticsnatural sciencesbiological sciencesmolecular biologymolecular geneticsnatural sciencesbiological sciencesbiochemistrybiomoleculesproteinsproteomicsnatural sciencesbiological sciencescell biologynatural sciencesbiological sciencesmicrobiologymycologynatural sciencesbiological sciencesbiological behavioural sciencesethologybiological interactions Keywords Plant symbiosis plant nutrition beneficial fungi nutrient transport metabolite transport regulation of transport Programme(s) HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme Topic(s) ERC-2022-COG - ERC CONSOLIDATOR GRANTS Call for proposal ERC-2022-COG See other projects for this call Funding Scheme HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants Host institution MAX-PLANCK-GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FORDERUNG DER WISSENSCHAFTEN EV Net EU contribution € 2 000 000,00 Address HOFGARTENSTRASSE 8 80539 Munchen Germany See on map Region Bayern Oberbayern München, Kreisfreie Stadt Activity type Research Organisations Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 2 000 000,00 Beneficiaries (1) Sort alphabetically Sort by Net EU contribution Expand all Collapse all MAX-PLANCK-GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FORDERUNG DER WISSENSCHAFTEN EV Germany Net EU contribution € 2 000 000,00 Address HOFGARTENSTRASSE 8 80539 Munchen See on map Region Bayern Oberbayern München, Kreisfreie Stadt Activity type Research Organisations Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 2 000 000,00
