Plant Cell Wall Changes in Common Wheat Roots as a Result of Their Interaction with Beneficial Fungi of <i>Trichoderma</i>

Abstract

Plant cell walls play an important role in shaping the defense strategies of plants. This research demonstrates the influence of two differentiators: the lifestyle and properties of the Trichoderma species on cell wall changes in common wheat seedlings. The methodologies used in this investigation include microscopy observations and immunodetection. In this study was shown that the plant cell wall was altered due to its interaction with Trichoderma. The accumulation of lignins and reorganization of pectin were observed. The immunocytochemistry indicated that low methyl-esterified pectins appeared in intercellular spaces. Moreover, it was found that the arabinogalactan protein epitope JIM14 can play a role in the interaction of wheat roots with both the tested Trichoderma strains. Nevertheless, we postulate that modifications, such as the appearance of lignins, rearrangement of low methyl-esterified pectins, and arabinogalactan proteins due to the interaction with Trichoderma show that tested strains can be potentially used in wheat seedlings protection to pathogens.

Keywords

• wheat
• <i>Trichoderma</i>
• plant cell wall
• immunodetection
• confocal microscopy
• scanning electron microscopy