Edible Ectomycorrhizal Mushroom Molecular Response to Heavy Metals

Heavy metal pollution poses a significant threat to the environment, public, and soil health. Ectomycorrhizal fungi are thought to enhance mineral nutrition of their host plants and to confer increased tolerance toward toxic metals. The responses of mycorrhizal fungi to toxic metal cations are diverse and may consist of a reduced uptake of metals by extracellular or intracellular chelation or increased efflux out of the cell or into sequestering compartments.