Plant & Environmental
Biotechnology Laboratory

Plant-Microbe Symbioses: ecology and function

Plant symbioses with soil microorganisms, particularly arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi and nitrogen-fixing rhizobia, are among the most widespread and ecologically significant mutualistic interactions in terrestrial ecosystems.

Our research combines ecological, molecular and applied approaches to understand and exploit these interactions for sustainable agriculture. In the case of AM fungi, we explore the diversity and ecology of AM fungal communities in natural and agricultural ecosystems using advanced molecular approaches, including amplicon sequencing and other genomics-based tools. We also develop and maintain in vitro culture systems for AM fungi to study fungal biology, host colonization processes, and symbiotic functionality under controlled conditions. Particular emphasis is placed on understanding how environmental factors, agricultural practices and host plants shape AM fungal biodiversity and symbiotic performance. Beyond fundamental research, we aim to harness these beneficial microorganisms as sustainable bioinoculants (biofertilizers and biostimulants) for agriculture. Indigenous AM fungi isolated from challenging environments, including saline and drought-prone ecosystems, are evaluated and have shown strong potential for their ability to enhance crop productivity, nutrient-use efficiency, and resilience to biotic and abiotic stresses in tomato and olive plants.

Our research on legume–rhizobium symbioses focuses on the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying host recognition, infection, nodule organogenesis and biological nitrogen fixation. We investigate signaling pathways, genes and regulatory networks that control the establishment and efficiency of nodulation, aiming to unravel the key molecular players that determine successful symbiotic interactions.

In addition, we examine multipartite plant–microbe interactions through co-inoculation studies involving AM fungi, rhizobia and other beneficial microorganisms. These studies seek to understand how different microbial partners interact with each other and with the host plant, and how such bipartite and multipartite associations influence plant nutrition, growth, stress tolerance, and overall ecosystem functioning.

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see also about our work on AM fungi as indicators of soil health in section Environmental Risk, Regulation & Biosafety

Personnel

Dimitrios Karpouzas
, Professor in Enviromental Microbiology & Biotechnology
Kalliope Papadopoulou
, Professor in Plant Biotechnology

Publications

Roshanfekrrad, M., Papadopoulos, C., Calonne-Salmon, M., Schneider, C., Zhang, K., Karpouzas, D.G., Declerck, S. (2025) Development of a high-throughput spore germination test to assess the toxicity of pesticides on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Mycorrhiza 35, 38 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00572-025-01211-w

Papadopoulos C., Roshanfekrrad M., Tsikou D., Papadopoulou K.K., Declerck S., Karpouzas D.G., (2025) Developing a toolbox of tier I tests to assess pesticides toxicity from the asymbiotic to the symbiotic phase of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 303: 118892 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2025.118892 

Solovou, T. G. A., Stravodimos, G., Papadopoulos, G. E., Skamnaki, V. T., Papadopoulou, K., & Leonidas, D. D. (2024). Biochemical and Structural Studies of LjSK1, a Lotus japonicus GSK3β/SHAGGY-like Kinase, Reveal Its Functional Role. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 72(7), 3763–3772. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.3c07101

Valmas, M. I., Sexauer, M., Markmann, K., & Tsikou, D. (2023). Plants Recruit Peptides and Micro RNAs to Regulate Nutrient Acquisition from Soil and Symbiosis. Plants, 12(1), 187. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12010187

Tsikou, D., Nikolaou, C. N., Tsiknia, M., Papadopoulou, K. K., & Ehaliotis, C. (2023). Interplay between rhizobial nodulation and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal colonization in Lotus japonicus roots. Journal of Applied Microbiology, 134(1), lxac010. https://doi.org/10.1093/jambio/lxac010

Tsiknia, M., Skiada, V., Ipsilantis, I., Vasileiadis, S., Kavroulakis, N., Genitsaris, S., Papadopoulou, K. K., Hart, M., Klironomos, J., Karpouzas, D. G., & Ehaliotis, C. (2021). Strong host-specific selection and over-dominance characterize arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal root colonizers of coastal sand dune plants of the Mediterranean region. FEMS Microbiology Ecology, fiab109. https://doi.org/10.1093/femsec/fiab109

Leventis, G., Tsiknia, M., Feka, M., Ladikou, E. V., Papadakis, I. E., Chatzipavlidis, I., Papadopoulou, K., & Ehaliotis, C. (2021). Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi enhance growth of tomato under normal and drought conditions, via different water regulation mechanisms. Rhizosphere, 19, 100394. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rhisph.2021.100394

Tsiknia M., Tsikou D., Papadopoulou KK., Ehaliotis C. (2021) Multi-species relationships in legume roots: From pairwise legume-symbiont interactions to the plant–microbiome–soil continuum. FEMS Microbiology Ecology 97(2): fiaa222 https://doi.org/10.1093/femsec/fiaa222

Solovou, T. G. A., Garagounis, C., Kyriakis, E., Bobas, C., Papadopoulos, G. E., Skamnaki, V. T., Papadopoulou, K. K., & Leonidas, D. D. (2021). Mutagenesis of a Lotus japonicus GSK3β/Shaggy-like kinase reveals functionally conserved regulatory residues. Phytochemistry, 186, 112707. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phytochem.2021.112707

Kavroulakis, N., Tsiknia, M., Ipsilantis, I., Kavadia, A., Stedel, C., Psarras, G., Tzerakis, C., Doupis, G., Karpouzas, D. G., Papadopoulou, K. K., & Ehaliotis, C. (2020). Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus inocula from coastal sand dunes arrest olive cutting growth under salinity stress. Mycorrhiza, 30(4), 475–489. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00572-020-00963-x

Garagounis, C., Tsikou, D., Plitsi, P. K., Psarrakou, I. S., Avramidou, M., Stedel, C., Anagnostou, M., Georgopoulou, M. E., & Papadopoulou, K. K. (2019). Lotus SHAGGY‐like kinase 1 is required to suppress nodulation in Lotus japonicus. The Plant Journal, 98(2), 228–242. https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.14207

Tsikou, D., Ramirez, E. E., Psarrakou, I. S., Wong, J. E., Jensen, D. B., Isono, E., Radutoiu, S., & Papadopoulou, K. K. (2018). A Lotus japonicus E3 ligase interacts with the Nod Factor Receptor 5 and positively regulates nodulation. BMC Plant Biology, 18(1), 217. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-018-1425-z

Funding


Εndophytic fungal progression Pathway in plant roots: spotlight on cellular gates and barriers


Revolutionizing the assessment of the toxicity of pesticides on soil microorganisms: from single species tests to ecosystem approaches.


Symbioses in legume roots: Does the symbiosis with rhizobia affect the symbiosis with mycorrhizal fungi?


Mode of action of endophytic fungi in legume roots, involved in plant defence and development

Our successful story

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