# CAREER: Integrating the Next Generation into Investigating Cross-kingdom Interactions between Mycorrhizal Fungi and Hyphosphere Bacteria

> **NSF 01003031DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT** · University of Minnesota-Twin Cities (MN) · $869,052

## Abstract

This project will advance understanding of how beneficial soil fungi and bacteria interact to improve plant nutrition and support sustainable agriculture. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi form symbiotic partnerships with most land plants, helping roots acquire nutrients, while bacteria associated with fungal hyphae can influence fungal growth, colonization, and nutrient exchange. However, the mechanisms governing these cross-kingdom interactions remain poorly understood. This work will address a fundamental question in soil ecology and plant biology: how mycorrhizal fungi recruit helpful bacteria and how those bacteria, in turn, enhance fungal symbiosis with plant roots. By uncovering the rules that shape these partnerships, the project will contribute to basic knowledge of microbial ecology and may inform future strategies and biotechnology priorities to reduce fertilizer dependence, improve crop productivity, and support environmentally sustainable agriculture. The project will also provide interdisciplinary training for students in microbiology, plant science, and molecular biology, strengthening workforce development in agricultural research.

The project will use maize, the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Rhizophagus irregularis, and the bacterium Azotobacter vinelandii as a model system to test how fungal hyphal exudates influence bacterial persistence and how bacterial partners affect mycorrhization. Using compartmented growth chambers that separate plant roots from fungal hyphae, the project will analyze fungal exudates by metabolomics, measure gene expression changes in plant roots, fungi, and bacteria by transcriptomics, and quantify fungal colonization and bacterial population dynamics across varying nitrogen and phosphorus conditions. The project will also test whether bacterial strains differ in their ability to promote fungal growth and whether these effects depend on bacterial nitrogen metabolism or other helper functions. Together, these experiments will

## Key facts

- **NSF award ID:** 2542340
- **Awardee organization:** University of Minnesota-Twin Cities (MN)
- **SAM.gov UEI:** KABJZBBJ4B54
- **PI:** Devanshi D Khokhani
- **Primary program:** 01003031DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
- **All programs:** CAREER-Faculty Erly Career Dev, Biotechnology
- **Estimated total:** $869,052
- **Funds obligated:** $822,505
- **Transaction type:** Continuing Grant
- **Period:** 06/01/2026 → 05/31/2031

## Primary source

NSF Award Search: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2542340

## Citation

> US National Science Foundation, Award 2542340, CAREER: Integrating the Next Generation into Investigating Cross-kingdom Interactions between Mycorrhizal Fungi and Hyphosphere Bacteria. Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-30 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nsf/2542340. Licensed CC0.

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