From: Treseder KK, Lennon JT. 2015. Fungal traits that drive ecosystem dynamics on land. Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews 79:243-262.
Extracellular phosphatase. Organic P represents one of the more common sources of P in soil (Barrow 1961, Walker and Syers 1976). In many soil organic P compounds, P is bound to C via an ester linkage (C-O-P) (McGill and Cole 1981). Fungi can use extracellular phosphatases to cleave the ester bond, releasing phosphate for uptake (Sinsabaugh 1994). In this way, fungi contribute to mineralization of P in soils. The production of extracellular phosphatases has been documented broadly among arbuscular and ectomycorrhizal fungi (e.g., Gianinazzi et al. 1979, Ho and Zak 1979, Dighton 1983, Read et al. 2004), and in model taxa such as the free-living filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa (Nelson et al. 1976, Han et al. 1987), and the yeast Pichia pastoris (Payne et al. 1995).
Fungal genes for extracellular phosphatase
The capacity to produce extracellular phosphatases varies most at the phylum/subphylum levels:
Phylogenetic distribution of phosphatase genes:
Extracellular phosphatase genes are most abundant in yeasts and free-living filamentous fungi:
Barrow, N. J. 1961. Phosphorus in soil organic matter. Soils and Fertilizers 24:169-173.
Dighton, J. 1983. Phosphatase production by mycorrhizal fungi. Plant Soil 71:455-462.
Gianinazzi, S., V. Gianinazzi-Pearson, and J. Dexheimer. 1979. Enzymatic studies on the metabolism of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhiza. III. Ultrastructural localisation of acid and alkaline phosphatase in onion roots infected by Glomus. New Phytol 82:127-132.
Han, S. W., E. Nahas, and A. Rossi. 1987. Regulation of synthesis and secretion of acid and alkaline phosphatases in Neurospora crassa. Current Genetics 11:521-527.
Ho, I. and B. Zak. 1979. Acid phosphatase activity of six ectomycorrhizal fungi. Can J Bot 57:1203-1205.
McGill, W. B. and C. V. Cole. 1981. Comparative aspects of cycling of organic C, N, S, and P through soil organic matter. Geoderma 26:267-286.
Nelson, R. E., J. F. Lehman, and R. L. Metzenberg. 1976. Regulation of phosphate metabolism in Neurospora crassa: Identification of the structural gene responsible for repressible acid phosphatase. Genetics 84:183-192.
Payne, W. E., P. M. Gannon, and C. A. Kaiser. 1995. An inducible acid-phosphatase from the yeast Pichia pastoris— characterization of the gene and its product. Gene 163:19-26.
Read, D. J., J. R. Leake, and J. Perez-Moreno. 2004. Mycorrhizal fungi as drivers of ecosystem processes in heathland and boreal forest biomes. Can J Bot 82:1243-1263.
Sinsabaugh, R. L. 1994. Enzymatic analysis of microbial pattern and process. Biol. Fertil. Soils 17:69-74.
Walker, T. W. and J. K. Syers. 1976. Fate of phosphorus during pedogenesis. Geoderma 15:1-19.