A biofertilizing fungal endophyte of cranberry plants suppresses the plant pathogen .

Fungi colonizing plants are gaining attention because of their ability to promote plant growth and suppress pathogens. While most studies focus on endosymbionts from grasses and legumes, the large and diverse group of ericaceous plants has been much neglected. We recently described one of the very few fungal endophytes promoting the growth of the Ericaceae (American cranberry), notably the isolate EC4.

Nuclear Genome Sequence and Gene Expression of an Intracellular Fungal Endophyte Stimulating the Growth of Cranberry Plants.

Ericaceae thrive in poor soil, which we postulate is facilitated by microbes living inside those plants. Here, we investigate the growth stimulation of the American cranberry () by one of its fungal endosymbionts, EC4. We show that the symbiont resides inside the epidermal root cells of the host but extends into the rhizosphere via its hyphae.