Silencing specific genes can make tomatoes less attractive to parasites
Crop Improvement
If you've ever pulled up a tomato plant with gnarled, knotted roots, that's root-knot nematodes responding to chemical signals the plant itself releases, and this research shows those signals can be dialed down.
Scientists used a technique that temporarily switches off specific genes to figure out how tomato roots 'call out' to parasitic worms called nematodes through chemicals they release into the soil. They also silenced a gene in a leafless, vine-like parasitic plant called dodder, which stopped it from growing properly and making its normal pigments. Together these experiments reveal genetic weak points that could someday be targeted to protect crops from parasites without chemical pesticides.
Key Findings
Root-expressed transporter proteins and Ethylene Response Factor genes in tomato shape the composition of root exudates, affecting nematode attraction and egg hatching.
Silencing the Phytoene Desaturase gene in the parasitic plant Cuscuta campestris (dodder) impaired its growth, branching, and carotenoid pigment production.
A novel Virus Induced Gene Silencing platform was developed and validated for studying both host plant and parasite genes simultaneously in plant-parasite interactions.
chevron_right Technical Summary
A doctoral thesis used gene-silencing tools to show that tomato plants' root chemistry can be tweaked to influence whether parasitic nematodes find and infest them, and that blocking a key pigment gene in a vampire-like parasitic plant stunts its growth. The work points toward new ways to disrupt crop pests and parasites without pesticides.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
The use of reverse genetics to investigate plant-parasite interactions
This thesis demonstrates the development and use of a novel Virus Induced Gene Silencing platform to investigate the interactions of plants and parasites. Host and parasite genes are targeted using...
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
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