Transcriptome of Medicago truncatula colonized by high or low-benefit arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

Prior work has shown that the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungus Rhizophagus irregularis strain 09 confers significantly greater growth and nutritional benefits to a variety of host plants than the AM fungus Glomus aggregatum strain 165. Although this physiological phenomenon is well-characterized, the molecular mechanisms controlling it are not. As such, we used transcriptomics to identify shifts in gene expression in Medicago truncatula that occur seven weeks post-inoculation with either fungus compared non-mycorrhizal control plants. RNA was extracted from roots and shoots to evaluate both local and systemic responses to colonization by either fungus.