Endophytic Fungi Piriformospora indica Mediated Protection of Host from Arsenic Toxicity

Abstract

Complex intercellular interaction is a common theme in plant-pathogen/symbiont relationship. Cellular physiology of both the partners is affected by abiotic stress. However, little is known about the degree of protection each offers to the other from different types of environmental stress. Our current study focused on the changes in response to toxic arsenic in the presence of an endophytic fungus Piriformospora indica that colonizes the paddy roots. The primary impact of arsenic was observed in the form of hyper-colonization of fungus in the host root and resulted in the recovery of its overall biomass, root damage, and chlorophyll due to arsenic toxicity. Further, fungal colonization leads to balance the redox status of the cell by adjusting the antioxidative enzyme system which in turn protects photosynthetic machinery of the plant from arsenic stress. We observed that fungus has ability to immobilize soluble arsenic and interestingly, it was also observed that fungal colonization restricts most of arsenic in the colonized root while a small fraction of it translocated to shoot of colonized plants. Our study suggests that P. indica protects the paddy (Oryza sativa) from arsenic toxicity by three different mechanisms viz. reducing the availability of free arsenic in the plant environment, bio-transformation of the toxic arsenic salts into insoluble particulate matter and modulating the antioxidative system of the host cell.

Inoculation with the endophyte Piriformospora indica significantly affects mechanisms involved in osmotic stress in rice

“…Most of the previous research articles elaborated the mechanisms that how P. indica ameliorates the drastic effects of salt, heavy metal and some biotic stresses in rice plant. It had been reported that this symbiotic fungus increase the concentration of proline, antioxidants and decreases the concentration of malondialdehyde under these stresses (Bagheri et al 2014 ; Nassimi and Taheri 2017 ; Mohd et al 2017 ). Most of the yield damage in rice is due to the water shortage.…”

Beneficial Root Endophytic Fungi Increase Growth and Quality Parameters of Sweet Basil in Heavy Metal Contaminated Soil

“…S. indica alters the secondary metabolites of many plants of economic importance and, for example, promotes the uptake of iron and copper in the sugarcane ratoon crop ( Varma et al, 2012 ). A recent study shows that S. indica is able to protect Oryza sativa from arsenic toxicity ( Mohd et al, 2017 ).…”

An Endophytic Bacterial Consortium modulates multiple strategies to improve Arsenic Phytoremediation Efficacy in Solanum nigrum

“…P . indica reduced As induced root damage and As translocation in rice 58 . Total glutathione level was increased 1.8-times in root and 3.4-fold in the shoot (Fig.…”