Aberrant protein phosphatase 2C leads to abscisic acid insensitivity and high transpiration in parasitic Striga.

Abstract

Striga parasitizes major crops in arid regions, depriving the host crop of nutrients through the transpiration stream and causing vast agricultural damage. Here, we report on the mechanism underlying how Striga maintains high transpiration under drought conditions. We found that Striga did not respond to abscisic acid, the phytohormone responsible for controlling stomatal closure. Protein phosphatase 2C of Striga (ShPP2C1) is not regulated by abscisic acid receptors, and this feature is attributable to specific mutations in its amino acid sequence. Moreover, Arabidopsis transformed with ShPP2C1 showed an abscisic acid-insensitive phenotype, indicating that ShPP2C1 functions as a dominant negative regulator of abscisic acid signal transduction. These findings suggest that ShPP2C1 interrupts abscisic acid signalling in Striga, resulting in high transpiration and subsequent efficient absorption of host nutrients under drought conditions.