Category: Members

The peptide hormone PjCLE1 stimulates haustorium formation in the parasitic plant Phtheirospermum japonicum

Thomas Spallek •
PjCLE1-model-3

Phtheirospermum japonicum, like most hemiparasitic species in the Orobanchaceae, forms multiple haustoria along its roots when it detects a nearby host. In this PNAS Brief Report, we present the discovery of an endogenous peptide, PjCLE1, which stimulates protohaustorium formation when applied externally. This makes the 12-amino acid-long PjCLE1 peptide the first identified peptidic haustorium-inducing factor […]

Comparative secretome analysis of Striga and Cuscuta species identifies candidate virulence factors for two evolutionarily independent parasitic plant lineages

James Bradley •
Figure 4 from Bradley et al (2024)

Parasitic plants use virulence factors (VFs), including proteins, RNAs and small molecules, to successfully infect a host plant. To reach host cells, VFs must be released from parasite cells. In the case of proteinaceous VFs, one major determinant of secretion is the presence of an N-terminal secretion signal in the peptide sequence. Algorithms that predict […]

Effects of warming and parasitism on root traits and the root economics space

Junmin Li •
Figure

Functional Ecology, 2024, https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.14658 1. Plants infected by parasitic species might be further stressed by climate warming as both factors can influence the host plant’s nutrient acquisition and growth. The root economics space, defined by root functional traits, reflects a plant’s nutrient acquisition strategy. However, the combined effects of warming and parasitism on root functional traits and their positions within […]

Parasitic plants regulate C and N distribution among common mycorrhizal networks linking host and neighboring plants

Junmin Li •
Figure

Ecology, 2024 https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.4418 Common mycorrhizal networks (CMNs) can link multiple plants and distribute nutrients among them. However, how parasitic plants regulate the carbon and nutrient exchange between CMNs and the linked plants is unknown. Thus, we conducted a container experiment with two Trifolium pratense grown in two plastic cores and connected only by CMNs using a 25-μm nylon fabric in […]

Parasitism by Cuscuta gronovii mediated soil legacy effects and the competitive ability of invasive and native plant species by changing soil abiotic and biotic properties

Junmin Li •
Figure

Applied Soil Ecology, 2024 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2024.105583 Parasitic plants can mediate soil conditioning by invasive and native host plant species, but how this may affect the competitive ability of these plants when they later grow in the conditioned soil has never been tested. This study tested whether soil conditioned by three invasive and three native plant species, either parasitized […]

Genome-wide association analysis of grain yield and Striga hermonthica and S. asiatica resistance in tropical and sub-tropical maize populations

Emeline Dossa •
Figure 5-1

Emeline N. Dossa, Hussein Shimelis, and Admire I. T Shayanowako School of Agricultural, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X01, Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg 3209, South Africa This study reports novel QTL and related genes for Striga asiatica and S. hermonthica resistance in maize. No QTL associated with dual resistance was found, suggesting that […]