Abstract
Plants colonised by dark septate endophytic (DSE) fungi show increased uptake of nutrients available in the environment. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the impact of DSE fungi on the activity of proton pumps, nitrogen (N) recovery from ammonium sulphate, and nutrient accumulation in rice plants. Treatments consisted of non-inoculated plants and plants inoculated with two isolates of DSE fungi, A101 and A103. To determine N recovery from the soil, ammonium sulphate enriched with (15)N was added to a non-sterile substrate while parameters associated with the activity of proton pumps and with NO(3)(-) uptake were determined in a sterile environment. The A101 and A103 fungal isolates colonised the roots of rice plants, promoting (15)N uptake, growth, and accumulation of nutrients as compared with the mock control. A103 induced the expression of the plasma membrane H(+)-ATPase (PM H(+)-ATPase) isoforms OsA5 and OsA8, the activity of the PM H(+)-ATPase and H(+)-pyrophosphatase. Our results suggest that the inoculation of rice plants with DSE fungi represents a strategy to improve the N recovery from ammonium sulphate and rice plant growth through the induction of OsA5 and OsA8 isoforms and stimulation of the PM H(+)-ATPase and H(+)-pyrophosphatase.