Phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) are key nutrients that play major roles in crop production. However, there is not enough P in the soil that can be directly used by plants. On the one hand, most soil P is bound to organic molecules or mineral surfaces, or precipitated as insoluble phosphate (Pi); on the other hand, the mobility of P in soil is low, so it is more difficult for plants to obtain P. In many ecosystems, Pi levels limit plant growth, which has a significant impact on agriculture, especially in areas where low-input agriculture is practiced. In addition, nitrate (NO3−) and ammonium (NH4+) and organic N in the forms of amino acids and peptides are the dominant forms of N that are available to plants, and plant N use efficiency is low, rarely exceeding 50% in most agricultural systems due to leaching and run-off losses and gaseous N emissions. Plants have evolved a number of physiological changes to overcome scarce levels of Pi and N, and one of these strategies is to form symbiotic associations with AM fungi. Over 80% of terrestrial plant species can form symbiotic relationships with AM fungi, and these partnerships began more than 450 million years ago. Root-associated fungi often express specific phosphate importers, that help to the metabolization of P for the plant, improving its growing rate and condition. Here you can see a recent crystal structure of the phosphate transporter HPT1 from the endophytic root-colonising fungus Serendipita indica (PDB code: 8FVZ)

#molecularart ... #fungi ... #phosphate ... #association ... #symbioses ... #transporter ... #xray

Structure rendered with @proteinimaging and depicted with @corelphopaint