In the current study, a model of ‘fungus-root’ interaction was designed using host Zea mays inoculated with a metal-tolerant dark septate endophyte (DSE) strain of Exophiala pisciphila H93 both under nutritional- (Zn₀) and zinc-stressed (Zn₅₅₀) conditions. We found that the co-cultured maize benefited from the alleviated excessive Zn toxicity by its root-associated E. pisciphila, through significantly decreasing root Zn under Zn₅₅₀ conditions, or promoting the nutritional Zn in maize shoots and roots by 34.03% and 22.13% under Zn₀ conditions, respectively, compared with non-inoculated controls. Interestingly, H93 further enhanced the maize Zn tolerance by the bioaugmented Zn compartmentation in root cell walls to reduce the proportion of Zn in maize root soluble fractions and cell organelles under Zn₅₅₀ stress. In exchange for the maize carbon cost, the H93 extraradical hyphae tended to accumulate more toxic Zn, compared with H93 mycelia in the in vitro culture under Zn₅₅₀ conditions, and vice versa the co-cultured maize also promoted Zn tolerance of H93 via the repartitioning of subcellular Zn. Our results suggest the potentially mutual association of E. pisciphila and its host maize, by trading carbon for the increased abiotic tolerance.

在目前的研究中，“真菌-根”相互作用的模型是使用宿主玉米设计的，该玉米接种了耐金属暗隔膜内生菌 (DSE) 菌株Exophiala pisciphila H93，在营养（Zn ₀）和锌胁迫下（ Zn ₅₅₀ ) 条件。我们发现共培养玉米受益于其根相关的E. pisciphila减轻了过量的 Zn 毒性，通过在 Zn ₅₅₀条件下显着降低根 Zn ，或将玉米芽和根中的营养 Zn 提高 34.03% 和 22.13% Zn _{0 以下}条件，分别与未接种的对照相比。有趣的是，H93 通过根细胞壁中生物增强的锌区室进一步增强了玉米对锌的耐受性，以降低₅₅₀锌胁迫下玉米根可溶性部分和细胞器中锌的比例。作为玉米碳成本的交换，与Zn ₅₅₀条件下体外培养的H93 菌丝体相比，H93 根外菌丝倾向于积累更多的有毒锌，反之亦然，共培养的玉米也通过重新分配促进了 H93 的锌耐受亚细胞锌。我们的结果表明E. pisciphila与其寄主玉米之间存在潜在的相互关联，通过交易碳来增加非生物耐受性。