Abstract
By comparison with plant–microbe interaction, little is known about the interaction of parasitic plants with their hosts. Plants of the genus Cuscuta belong to the family of Cuscutaceae and comprise about 200 species, all of which live as stem holoparasites on other plants. Cuscuta spp. possess no roots nor fully expanded leaves and the vegetative portion appears to be a stem only. The parasite winds around plants and penetrates the host stems via haustoria, forming direct connections to the vascular bundles of their hosts to withdraw water, carbohydrates, and other solutes. Besides susceptible hosts, a few plants exist that exhibit an active resistance against infestation by Cuscuta spp. For example, cultivated tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) fends off Cuscuta reflexa by means of a hypersensitive-type response occurring in the early penetration phase. This report on the plant–plant dialog between Cuscuta spp. and its host plants focuses on the incompatible interaction of C. reflexa with tomato.
Highlights
Plants live in a world populated by numerous and varied herbivores and microbial pathogens that include insects, nematodes fungi, bacteria, and oomycetes
To establish strategies to control parasite growth and restrict the spread of Cuscuta spp. in crop fields, it is important to learn more about this pest, studying its life cycle, its development, and its molecular mechanisms of infection
Using a next-generation RNA sequencing platform, two very recent articles have focused on expressed genes of Cuscuta during the infection process as well as in growth and development (Jiang et al, 2013b; Ranjan et al, 2014)
Summary
Plants live in a world populated by numerous and varied herbivores and microbial pathogens that include insects, nematodes fungi, bacteria, and oomycetes. This report on the plant–plant dialog between Cuscuta spp. and its host plants focuses on the incompatible interaction of C. reflexa with tomato. Besides describing its life style and mechanisms for infecting susceptible host plants, we will focus on Cuscuta spp. as pathogens.
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