Fluorescent Imaging-Based Identification of the Fungus Fusarium oxysporum in Grass Roots 


Presenter: Erica Rose Weinstein

Faculty Sponsor: Samuel P. Hazen

School: UMass Amherst

Research Area: Biological Organisms

Session: Poster Session 5, 3:15 PM - 4:00 PM, Auditorium, A24

ABSTRACT

Fusarium oxysporum Fo47 is an endophytic fungus not known to penetrate the vascular system or have a negative effect on plant growth. The relationship between F. oxysporum and its host plant varies by strain but Fo47 has been found to promote growth in some species, and it has not yet been reported in grasses. We wounded the roots of the model grass Brachypodium distachyon and inoculated them with Fo47 expressing a red fluorescent protein (RFP) to compare to uninoculated roots. Using a fluorescent stereomicroscope, we visualized RFP-labeled Fo47 growing on the root surface and between cells. No fungus was observed in uninoculated plants or in inoculated soils without plant roots. To better define the location of the fungal hyphae within the roots, we stained transverse sections with AlexaFluor-488, which binds to fungal cell walls, and observed them using a confocal microscope to identify stained fluorescent green hyphae, which may grow between cells in the cortex. We seek high-resolution imaging to determine whether Fo47 hyphae grow within the cortex. Additionally, we aim to investigate a potential growth-promoting relationship between B. distachyon and F. oxysporum Fo47.

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