Effect of short- and long-term Serendipita indica-infections on the gene expression in wild-type Arabidopsis thaliana plants

The root-colonizing fungal endophyte Serendipita indica, formerly known as Piriformospora indica, is well known to promote plant biomass production and stress tolerance of its host plants. Co-cultivation of Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings with the fungus triggers a substantial induction of the growth of the root system. However, the molecular mechanisms by which the fungus promotes plant growth over an extended period of time is still unclear. We here report the comparative analysis of the effect of a mock- and S. indica-infection on wild-type Arabidopsis plants (Col-0) after 2 and 10 days of co-cultivation. Our data provide evidence for the induction of a number of genes that are consistingly induced during the plant–fungus interaction. Overall design: To investigate differential gene expression in mock- and S. indica-infected Arabidopsis wild-type plants (Col-0) during early stages (2 days) and later stages (10 days) of co-cultivation.