society soil science sari

Glomalin is a glycoprotein produced abundantly on hyphae and spores of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in soil and in roots. Shortly after we Sara Wright and I collaborated on development of a monoclonal antibody specific for Paraglomus occultum, we attempted to produce monoclonal antibodies against other AM fungi. With more recent species (e.g. Glomus intraradices), antibody cell lines were broader in specificity but restricted to Glomeromycota. Using these cell lines, Sara Wright and co-workers discovered they reacted specifically against glomalin. These antibodies then became a tool to detect and quantify glomalin associated with fungal biomass and in a wide range of soils