Ethylene signaling mediates host invasion by parasitic plants.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 33115743.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1126/sciadv.abc2385 and PMC identifier 7608805.
- Licence recorded as CC BY-NC.
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Abstract
Parasitic plants form a specialized organ, a haustorium, to invade host tissues and acquire water and nutrients. To understand the molecular mechanism of haustorium development, we performed a forward genetics screening to isolate mutants exhibiting haustorial defects in the model parasitic plant <i>Phtheirospermum japonicum.</i> We isolated two mutants that show prolonged and sometimes aberrant meristematic activity in the haustorium apex, resulting in severe defects on host invasion. Whole-genome sequencing revealed that the two mutants respectively have point mutations in homologs of <i>ETHYLENE RESPONSE 1</i> (<i>ETR1</i>) and <i>ETHYLENE INSENSITIVE 2</i> (<i>EIN2</i>), signaling components in response to the gaseous phytohormone ethylene. Application of the ethylene signaling inhibitors also caused similar haustorial defects, indicating that ethylene signaling regulates cell proliferation and differentiation of parasite cells. Genetic disruption of host ethylene production also perturbs parasite invasion. We propose that parasitic plants use ethylene as a signal to invade host roots.