Symbiosis with fungi has been determinant for the evolution of vascular plants since their apparition on land. Devonian Rhynia fossils 400 million years old, permit to observe in the lower part of their stems, fungal structures closely resembling modern Glomales …
…During this evolution, arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi became totally dependant on their host and became obligate symbionts. Today, in the present state of knowledge, it is impossible to grow these fungi independently from a host plant …
…Since the mid-eighties, the use of root organ culture has opened new vistas on several aspects of the AM symbiosis. It has become obvious that all areas of the AM fungi biology per se, as well as of the biology of the symbiotic relationship, have been revisited using monoxenic cultures. Cultivation of AM fungi on root cultures have shed new lights on their molecular biology, cytology, genetic, physiology, systematic and phylogeny, which have since received a tremendous innovative momentum. Large scale industrial production of biologically clean AM inocula produced on root cultures has also become a reality.
With permission from Fortin, Declerck and Strullu, in In vitro culture of mycorrhizas, by Declerck S., Strullu D.G. and Fortin J.A., Springer-Verlag.
The CEnter of Study on AM Monoxenics of the Microbiology unit of the "Université catholique de Louvain" (Belgium) has made the in vitro cultivation of AMF its premium activity to elucidate various aspects, from genomic to functional, of the obligate biotrophic nature of these ubiquitous below-ground fungi.
The CESAMM team.
Address :
Microbiology unit
CEnter of Study on AM Monoxenics
Université catholique de Louvain
Croix du Sud, 3 bt 6
1348 Louvain-la-Neuve
BELGIUM
tel. : +32 10 47 46 44
fax : +32 10 45 15 01
Latest news
Last publications
2011-03-23
In 2010, the research activities conducted by the members of the CESAMM team resulted in ten publications, most of which being conducted using several in vitro cultivations systems.
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Stéphane Declerck
CESAMM and GINCO have a new internet address: www.mycorrhiza.be
2011-01-11
The internet address of the webpages of CESAMM, GINCO, but also of the International training on In Vitro Culture of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi, has changed!!!
Please modify your bookmarks with our new address:
www.mycorrhiza.be
Thank you.
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Stéphane Declerck
You are invited to participate to a training devoted to the process of AM fungi in vitro cultivation following the methodologies routinely used in CESAMM and GINCO. This training will offer each trainee the opportunity to manipulate the organisms (i.e. roots, plants and AM fungi) during each phase of the establishment of an in vitro culture from the sampling of the AM fungi in pot cultures to their maintenance and sub-subculture under in vitro conditions. During this training, both in vitro cultivation of AM fungi on root organ (ROC-system) and on autotrophic plants will be presented.
This year two sessions of this training are organized to allow a maximum of participants to learn these techniques:
- 3 - 8 April 2011
- 1 - 6 May 2011
ATTENTION: NEW INTERNET ADDRESS! www.mycorrhiza.be
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Stéphane Declerck
Secondes Journées Francophones Mycorhizes
2010-06-09
Les Secondes Journées Francophones Mycorhizes se tiendront à Bruxelles du 15 au 17 septembre 2010. L'objectif de ces journées est de promouvoir le travail des chercheurs francophones dans le domaine des symbioses mycorhiziennes. Le thème central de ces journées portera sur "Les Mycorhizes et leurs Environnements". Six sessions ont été identifiées afin que chacun puisse présenter au mieux ses travaux de recherche. L?organisation de ces journées permettra, en outre, des échanges importants entre participants.
Nous espérons vous rencontrer nombreux aux "Secondes Journées Francophones Mycorhizes"
http://emma.agro.ucl.ac.be/cesamm/ramyf/Accueil.php
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Comité d'organisation: Stéphane Declerck, Sylvie
For a couple of years, CESAMM and GINCO have annually organized two training sessions on the in vitro culture of AM fungi. The first one was dedicated to the root organ culture (ROC) techniques of AM fungi and the second one to the mycorrhization of whole plants.
To satisfy the demand of an increasing number of scientists and industrials, both training sessions are now joined in a unique session.
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Stéphane Declerck