Biolistic transformation of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi: advances and applications

The development of methods for both transient and stable gene delivery into any cell, tissue or organelle at will, is as fundamental to the genetic revolution as DNA sequencing and the polymerase chain reaction. Consequently, gene transfer methods have been developed for many important species in all kingdoms. Certain bacterial, fungal, plant and animal cells are routinely transformed in laboratories all over the world. However, despite the existence of diverse transformation techniques, gene delivery still remains a limiting step in several fields of research. The study of the obligate symbionts, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in their symbiotic and asymbiotic stages of development is one such field of research that has been hindered by the inability to develop suitable methodology for the introduction of foreign DNA into them.