Review
Plant Sciences
Gwendolyn K. Kirschner, Ting Ting Xiao, Muhammad Jamil, Salim Al-Babili, Vinicius Lube, Ikram Blilou
Summary: Parasitic plants invade their host through the formation of haustoria, which is facilitated by the plant hormones auxin and cytokinin.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY
(2023)
Review
Plant Sciences
Songkui Cui, Shoko Inaba, Takuya Suzaki, Satoko Yoshida
Summary: Plants have evolved different strategies to meet their nutritional needs, with parasitic plants using specialized structures to invade host plants and obtain nutrients, and legumes developing nodules to fix nitrogen. The formation of these organs is controlled by plant hormones and environmental factors, demonstrating the plasticity of plant organ development.
CURRENT OPINION IN PLANT BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Lisha Song, Limei Pan, Ni Jiang, Jine Fu, Lingyun Wan, Shugen Wei
Summary: This study isolated and identified endophytic fungi from Taxillus chinensis of different hosts. Five strains of endophytic fungi with high lignocellulosic degradation enzyme activities were screened out, which could promote the dissolution and relaxation of the cell walls between T. chinensis and its host, thus contributing to the parasitism of T. chinensis.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Xi Gu, Ing-Gin Chen, Scott A. Harding, Batbayar Nyamdari, Maria A. Ortega, Kristen Clermont, James H. Westwood, Chung-Jui Tsai
Summary: Nonphotosynthetic holoparasites utilize flexible targeting of phylloquinone biosynthesis for plasma membrane redox signaling, with evidence of biosynthesis in Phelipanche aegyptiaca. This suggests a noncanonical role for phylloquinone in seed germination and haustorium development, with genes coexpressed with oxidoreductases involved in PM electron transport. Similar pathways are present in photoautotrophic taxa, indicating a potential ancient origin of multifunctionality.
Review
Ecology
David M. Watson, Richard C. McLellan, Francisco E. Fonturbel
Summary: This article synthesizes the recent research findings on the responses of parasitic plants to environmental changes and their significant impacts on ecosystems, particularly their interactions with animal communities.
ANNUAL REVIEW OF ECOLOGY EVOLUTION AND SYSTEMATICS
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Luiza Teixeira-Costa, Charles C. Davis
Summary: This review provides an overview of parasitic plant diversity and notable disjunct distributions based on an updated functional classification according to the life cycles of these plants.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Satoshi Ogawa, Songkui Cui, Alexandra R. F. White, David C. Nelson, Satoko Yoshida, Ken Shirasu
Summary: Parasitic plants use strigolactones as chemoattractants to locate and grow towards their hosts. The chemotropism to strigolactones is influenced by ammonium ion-rich conditions, resulting in reduced chemotropic ability. There are noticeable differences in the chemotropism to strigolactones between parasitic and non-parasitic plants in the Orobanchaceae family.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
David C. Nelson
Summary: Strigolactones are chemical signals that play a crucial role in the germination of parasitic plants that rely on hosts for survival. Understanding how parasites sense strigolactones and other host-derived stimulants is important in developing innovative chemical and biological control methods. Recent discoveries of strigolactone receptors in parasitic Orobanchaceae and their signaling mechanism provide valuable insights for further research in this field.
Article
Plant Sciences
Satoshi Ogawa, Takanori Wakatake, Thomas Spallek, Juliane K. Ishida, Ryosuke Sano, Tetsuya Kurata, Taku Demura, Satoko Yoshida, Yasunori Ichihashi, Andreas Schaller, Ken Shirasu
Summary: This study investigated the gene expression in the intrusive cells of the facultative parasite Phtheirospermum japonicum and identified the important role of subtilisin-like serine proteases (SBTs) in haustorium development. The expression of SBT inhibitors inhibited intrusive cell and XB development, indicating the crucial role of subtilase activity in parasite-host interaction.
Article
Plant Sciences
Min-Yao Jhu, Moran Farhi, Li Wang, Kristina Zumstein, Neelima R. Sinha
Summary: Parasitic weeds cause significant agricultural losses each year worldwide. This study investigates the tissue-specific gene regulatory mechanisms at the interface between the parasitic plant and host, providing insights for the development of parasite control strategies. The results reveal potential key regulators involved in parasitic plant haustorium organogenesis and host response, as well as the potential of developing a parasite-resistant system in tomatoes.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Lara M. Koesters, Sarah Wiechers, Peter Lyko, Kai F. Mueller, Susann Wicke
Summary: WARPP is an online resource dedicated to advancing research and development of parasitic plant biology, providing a central hub of curated evolutionary, ecological, and genetic data for researchers to access easily. The project is under active development and relies on the scientific community to populate the web app's database and further the development of new analysis tools.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Sebastian A. Hatt, Duncan D. Cameron, Olwen M. Grace, Nicolas Rocamundi, Andrea A. Cocucci, Carlos Martel, Chris J. Thorogood
Summary: This article introduces the parasitic plant genus Prosopanche from Central and South America, describing its growth characteristics and aspects related to its ecology. The article also emphasizes the need for further research on Prosopanche and discusses its potential as a candidate for studying the evolutionary origin of parasitism in flowering plants.
PLANTS PEOPLE PLANET
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Karsten Fischer, Lena Anna-Maria Lachner, Stian Olsen, Maria Mulisch, Kirsten Krause
Summary: Parasitic plants rely on their hosts for nutrients and have interspecific cell connections, making them a promising system for studying plasmodesmata.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2021)
Review
Plant Sciences
Thomas Bawin, Kirsten Krause
Summary: Plants modulate their growth to forage for resources, even though they are immobile. This is especially important for parasitic plants, which rely on other plants for resources. Some shoot parasites are able to integrate different types of cues for their growth. Understanding how parasitic plants integrate different cues is crucial for studying plant interactions and predicting the spread of parasites.
PLANT CELL AND ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Vishnu Raju, Ashish Agashe, Mushineni Ashajyothi, Kunasekaran Rajarajan, Naresh Kumar, Ayyanadar Arunachalam
Summary: This article discusses the mechanisms of interaction between sandalwood and host plants, highlighting the lack of clear understanding in this area. Observations of sandalwood seedlings' interaction with hosts revealed complex and multifaceted signaling, pointing to a significant knowledge gap in this field.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Shunsuke Miyashima, Pawel Roszak, Iris Sevilem, Koichi Toyokura, Bernhard Blob, Jung-ok Heo, Nathan Mellor, Hanna Help-Rinta-Rahko, Sofia Otero, Wouter Smet, Mark Boekschoten, Guido Hooiveld, Kayo Hashimoto, Ondrej Smetana, Riccardo Siligato, Eva-Sophie Wallner, Ari Pekka Mahonen, Yuki Kondo, Charles W. Melnyk, Thomas Greb, Keiji Nakajima, Rosangela Sozzani, Anthony Bishopp, Bert De Rybel, Yka Helariutta
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Adina Schulze, Marlene Zimmer, Stefan Mielke, Hagen Stellmach, Charles W. Melnyk, Bettina Hause, Debora Gasperini
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Kai Bartusch, Jana Trenner, Charles W. Melnyk, Marcel Quint
Review
Plant Sciences
Kai Bartusch, Charles W. Melnyk
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2020)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Prashanth Ramachandran, Frauke Augstein, Shamik Mazumdar, Thanh Van Nguyen, Elena A. Minina, Charles W. Melnyk, Annelie Carlsbecker
Summary: Plants have the ability to adjust their growth and development in response to environmental conditions, such as water availability. This study demonstrates that ABA plays a key role in regulating various aspects of xylem development in plants, providing molecular insights into how environmental stress can impact plant vascular anatomy.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Gregory Reeves, Anoop Tripathi, Pallavi Singh, Maximillian R. W. Jones, Amrit K. Nanda, Constance Musseau, Melanie Craze, Sarah Bowden, Joseph F. Walker, Alison R. Bentley, Charles W. Melnyk, Julian M. Hibberd
Summary: The study demonstrates that in three groups of monocotyledons, grafting can occur using the embryonic hypocotyl. This overturns the belief that monocotyledons are incapable of forming graft unions, and identifies the hypocotyl as a meristematic tissue that allows this process.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Pawel Roszak, Jung-Ok Heo, Bernhard Blob, Koichi Toyokura, Yuki Sugiyama, Maria Angels de Luis Balaguer, Winnie W. Y. Lau, Fiona Hamey, Jacopo Cirrone, Ewelina Madej, Alida M. Bouatta, Xin Wang, Marjorie Guichard, Robertas Ursache, Hugo Tavares, Kevin Verstaen, Jos Wendrich, Charles W. Melnyk, Yoshihisa Oda, Dennis Shasha, Sebastian E. Ahnert, Yvan Saeys, Bert De Rybel, Renze Heidstra, Ben Scheres, Guido Grossmann, Ari Pekka Mahonen, Philipp Denninger, Berthold Gottgens, Rosangela Sozzani, Kenneth D. Birnbaum, Yrjo Helariutta
Summary: In plant meristems, tissue-wide maturation gradients in coordination with specialized cell networks establish developmental phases for indeterminate growth. Single-cell transcriptomics was used to reconstruct the developmental trajectory of protophloem in Arabidopsis thaliana roots, revealing the role of PHLOEM EARLY DNA-BINDING-WITH-ONE-FINGER (PEAR) transcription factors in lineage bifurcation and differentiation.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ai Zhang, Keita Matsuoka, Abdul Kareem, Madalen Robert, Pawel Roszak, Bernhard Blob, Anchal Bisht, Lieven De Veylder, Catalin Voiniciuc, Masashi Asahina, Charles W. Melnyk
Summary: Wound healing in plants relies on the recognition of cellular damage and the activation of regeneration response. The activation of DNA binding with one finger (DOF) transcription factors is crucial in the process of plant grafting and promotes the expression of vascular and cell-wall-related genes, as well as the wound healing response.
Article
Developmental Biology
Phanu T. Serivichyaswat, Kai Bartusch, Martina Leso, Constance Musseau, Akira Iwase, Yu Chen, Keiko Sugimoto, Marcel Quint, Charles W. Melnyk
Summary: This study reveals the significant impact of temperature on plant grafting and vascular regeneration. The leaves play a crucial role in accelerating vascular regeneration through the regulation of auxin and temperature. The study also finds that elevated temperatures accelerate the formation of inter-plant vascular connections between parasitic plants and hosts.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Anna Kokla, Martina Leso, Xiang Zhang, Jan Simura, Phanu T. Serivichyaswat, Songkui Cui, Karin Ljung, Satoko Yoshida, Charles W. Melnyk
Summary: Parasitic plants obtain nutrients from their hosts. The level of parasitism is regulated by nutrient availability, with nitrogen sufficiency suppressing parasitism in Phtheirospermum japonicum. Nitrogen increases the levels of ABA in P. japonicum, preventing the activation of genes involved in cell cycle and xylem development. Nitrogen also inhibits haustoria formation in Striga hermonthica. These findings suggest that parasitic plants use nitrogen availability in the external environment to regulate the extent of parasitism.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Balkan Canher, Fien Lanssens, Ai Zhang, Anchal Bisht, Shamik Mazumdar, Jefri Heyman, Sebastian Wolf, Charles W. Melnyk, Lieven De Veylder
Summary: Plants have a remarkable ability to regenerate and withstand severe stress conditions. ERF114 and ERF115 have been found to not only activate regeneration, but also regulate developmental growth. Increased activity of ERF114 and ERF115 enhances auxin sensitivity, leading to enhanced wood maturity and lateral root formation. Mechanical cues and cell wall integrity surveillance play a role in regulating the expression of ERF114 and ERF115 under both regenerative and developmental conditions.
Article
Plant Sciences
Martina Leso, Anna Kokla, Ming Feng, Charles W. Melnyk
Summary: The parasitic plant Phtheirospermum japonicum modifies the pectin methylesterification status in its haustoria in a dynamic and tissue-specific manner to allow efficient infection of the host plant.
Article
Plant Sciences
Qiangnan Feng, Marta Cubria-Radio, Tereza Vavrdova, Freya De Winter, Neeltje Schilling, Marlies Huysmans, Amrit K. Nanda, Charles W. Melnyk, Moritz K. Nowack
Summary: Developmental programmed cell death (dPCD) controls various functions in plant growth and reproduction. In the root cap of Arabidopsis, the transcription factor ZINC FINGER OF ARABIDOPSIS THALIANA 14 (ZAT14) acts as a transcriptional repressor in the gene regulatory network of root cap dPCD, along with SOMBRERO/ANAC033 (SMB). ZAT14 induces ectopic cell death and plays a role in specific root cap tissues.
Review
Developmental Biology
Cheng Shi, Pengfei Jiao, Zhiyi Chen, Lan Ma, Siyue Yao
Summary: This review discusses the molecular etiology of congenital craniofacial abnormalities, with a focus on the role and mechanism of noncoding RNAs in regulating craniofacial development. Aberrant expression of noncoding RNAs has been implicated in the pathogenesis of craniofacial abnormalities, providing potential therapeutic targets.
DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2024)
Article
Developmental Biology
Hideru Togashi, Steven Ray Davis, Makoto Sato
Summary: Tile patterns, regulated by cell adhesion molecules, are regular arrangements of cells that play important functional roles in multicellular organisms. The physical constraints and cell adhesion regulate both cell shape and tissue morphogenesis.
DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2024)
Article
Developmental Biology
Armen Khanbabei, Lina Segura, Cynthia Petrossian, Aaron Lemus, Ithan Cano, Courtney Frazier, Armen Halajyan, Donnie Ca, Mariano Loza-Coll
Summary: This article investigates the genetic regulatory mechanisms of Drosophila intestinal stem cells. The study found that most target genes co-regulated by Esg and STAT show a consistent gene expression pattern. However, manipulating these validated targets in vivo rarely replicated the effects of manipulating Esg and STAT, suggesting the presence of complex genetic interactions among the downstream targets of these two master regulator genes.
DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2024)
Article
Developmental Biology
Bayley J. Waters, Zoe R. Birman, Matthew R. Wagner, Julia Lemanski, Barak Blum
Summary: Researchers found that conditional deletion of Robo2 in adult mice led to a significant loss of islet architecture without affecting beta cell identity or function, suggesting that Robo2 plays a role in actively maintaining adult islet architecture. Understanding the factors required for islet architecture maintenance is crucial for developing future diabetes therapies.
DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2024)
Article
Developmental Biology
Rhiannon Clements, Tyler Smith, Luke Cowart, Jennifer Zhumi, Alan Sherrod, Aidan Cahill, Ginger L. Hunter
Summary: Cell protrusions play a crucial role in regulating cell activities during development. By studying the regulation mechanism in fruit fly sensory bristle patterning, it was found that Myosin XV is essential for the dynamics of signaling filopodia and promotes long-range Notch signaling.
DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2024)
Article
Developmental Biology
Margaret Keating, Ryan Hagle, Daniel Osorio-Mendez, Anjelica Rodriguez-Parks, Sarah I. Almutawa, Junsu Kang
Summary: Knock-in reporter (KI) animals are essential for studying gene expression in biomedical research. This study developed a new strategy using minicircle technology and a minimal promoter to enhance knock-in events and establish stable KI transgenic reporter lines. The study also highlighted the importance of selecting the proper KI line due to potential inappropriate influence of genome editing on reporter gene expression.
DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2024)
Article
Developmental Biology
Christian Altbuerger, Meta Rath, Daniel Armbruster, Wolfgang Driever
Summary: This study reveals that Neurog1 and Olig2 transcription factors have differential requirements for the development of dopaminergic neurons, and they integrate local patterning signals and Notch neurogenic selection signaling to specify the progenitor population and initiate neurogenesis and differentiation.
DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2024)