000K utf8 1100 $c2024 1500 eng 2050 urn:nbn:de:gbv:8:3-2025-00368-4 2051 10.3390/jof10070487 3000 Kollath-Leiß, Krisztina 3010 Freund, Anna Sophia 3010 Kempken, Frank 3010 Repnik, Urska 3010 Winkelmann, Heinrich 3010 Winter, Hannes 4000 $hMDPI AG [Kollath-Leiß, Krisztina] 4000 The First Observation of the Filamentous Fungus Neurospora crassa Growing in the Roots of the Grass Brachypodium distachyon$hMDPI AG [Kollath-Leiß, Krisztina] 4030 $nMDPI AG 4209 The model organism Neurospora crassa has been cultivated in laboratories since the 1920s and its saprotrophic lifestyle has been established for decades. However, beyond their role as saprotrophs, fungi engage in intricate relationships with plants, showcasing diverse connections ranging from mutualistic to pathogenic. Although N. crassa has been extensively investigated under laboratory conditions, its ecological characteristics remain largely unknown. In contrast, Brachypodium distachyon, a sweet grass closely related to significant crops, demonstrates remarkable ecological flexibility and participates in a variety of fungal interactions, encompassing both mutualistic and harmful associations. Through a comprehensive microscopic analysis using electron, fluorescence, and confocal laser scanning microscopy, we discovered a novel endophytic interaction between N. crassa and B. distachyon roots, where fungal hyphae not only thrive in the apoplastic space and vascular bundle but also may colonize plant root cells. This new and so far hidden trait of one of the most important fungal model organisms greatly enhances our view of N. crassa, opening new perspectives concerning the fungus' ecological role. In addition, we present a new tool for studying plant-fungus interspecies communication, combining two well-established model systems, which improves our possibilities of experimental design on the molecular level. 4950 https://doi.org/10.3390/jof10070487$xR$3Volltext$534 4950 https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:gbv:8:3-2025-00368-4$xR$3Volltext$534 4961 https://macau.uni-kiel.de/receive/macau_mods_00005899 5051 580 5550 Brachypodium Distachyon 5550 Endophytic Lifestyle 5550 neurospora crassa 5550 Plant–fungus Interaction