Suillus cothurnatus Goose Creek State Park, North Carolina, USA. Collection VC 1822. 13 September 2014. In grass adjacent to mixed forest with Pinus taeda. Photo by H. Van T. Cotter

Suillus cothurnatus

Suillus species are important ectomycorrhizal partners of conifers throughout the northern hemisphere and exhibit interesting patterns of host specificity. Suillus spp. are easily cultured making them excellent model organisms for studying ectomycorrhizae. In their ecological role, they provide conifers with mineral resources and protection against plant pathogens; in turn, the conifer provides Suillus with photosynthetically fixed carbon.

Suillus cothurnatus Singer is native to the Southeast United States in association primarily with 3-needle pines especially Pinus taeda; the fungus now occurs in the southern hemisphere. Better understanding its relationship with pines will provide knowledge of practical value in forestry. Such understanding may also be useful in managing the invasive problem of pines in natural forests of the southern hemisphere. The genome sequence of S. cothurnatus will allow researchers to explore the mechanisms and molecular interaction of fungal-host recognition and specificity, nutrient acquisition and exchange, modulation of host defense systems, and co-evolution of the two ectomycorrhizal partners. Expanding knowledge about this ectomycorrhizal interaction will be of value to the entire scientific community who study plant-microbe interactions of all types.

The Suillus cothurnatus culture used for genome sequencing was VC 1958 isolated from a collection made on 25 October 2014 at Carl Alwin Schenck Memorial Forest in Raleigh North Carolina USA by Marc A. Cubeta and H. Van T. Cotter.