Molecular elucidation of plant-plant Interactions
K. SHIRASU (1) (1) RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, Japan

Parasitic plants thrive by infecting other plants. Flowering plants evolved parasitism independently at least 12 times, in all cases developing a unique multicellular organ called the haustorium that forms upon detection of haustorium-inducing factors derived from the host plant. This organ penetrates into the host stem or root and connects to its vasculature, allowing exchange of materials such as water, nutrients, proteins, nucleotides, pathogens, and retrotransposons between the host and the parasite. In particular, parasitic plants in the genus Striga (Orobanchaceae family), comm known as witchweeds, cause major crop losses in sub-Saharan Africa and pose a threat to agriculture worldwide. To understand Striga parasite biology, which could lead to agricultural solutions, we have taken two complementary approaches. First, we established the draft genome sequence of Striga asiatica, which provided valuable insights into the evolution of parasitism and a key resource for the future development of Striga control strategies. Second, we have established a new model parasitic plant system, using on Orobanchaceae plant Phtheirospermum japonicum, which enables forward/reverse genetics for functional analysis of plant parasitism. By focusing on the formation and function of the haustorium in P. japonicum, we began to understand how the parasitic plant interacts with the host plant in the molecular level.


Abstract Number: P7-1
Session Type: Plenary