Study of mycorrhizae by means of fluorescent antibody

Abstract

The fluorescent antibody technique was found to be highly promising as a new approach to the study of mycorrhizae. Fluorescent antibodies prepared against two mycorrhizal fungi, Thelephora terrestris and Pisolithus tinctorius, were effective and specific as microscopic stains for those fungi and their corresponding mycorrhizae. Thelephora terrestris antibody gave zero, and P. tinctorius antibody gave five cross-reactions of moderate intensity, in tests with 31 diverse nonmycorrhizal fungi. Armillaria mellea reacted nonspeciflcally with several fluorescent antibodies.