PubMed · 2026-05-21
Dodder, a parasitic vine that attaches to other plants, doesn't just steal water and nutrients — it also shuttles genetic signals and proteins between its host plants, potentially altering how those hosts grow, defend themselves, and interact with their environment.
Dodder transfers not only water and nutrients but also systemic signals, mRNAs, small RNAs, and proteins bidirectionally between itself and host plants.
Multiple host plants connected by a single dodder plant can exchange biomolecules indirectly through the parasite, forming an interplant signaling network.
Transferred macromolecules have documented functional consequences, altering the physiology and ecology of recipient plants — not merely passing through as inert cargo.
