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SUMMARY:Developing Parasite-Resistant Systems in Tomatoes to Control Infes
 tations of Cuscuta campestris - Dr Min-Yao Jhu\, Sustainable Crop Nutritio
 n Group\, Crop Science Centre
DTSTART:20221103T121500Z
DTEND:20221103T134500Z
UID:TALK184058@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Kumari Billakurthi
DESCRIPTION:Unlike most autotrophic plants\, parasitic plants evolved to h
 ave a heterotrophic lifestyle and to steal water and nutrients from their 
 host through specialized parasitic organs called haustoria. Some species o
 f parasitic angiosperms parasitize major crop plants\, which causes severe
  agricultural losses and threatens food security in many regions. Understa
 nding how host plants sense and resist parasitic plants can reveal the und
 erlying mechanisms of various resistance systems and provide the foundatio
 n for agricultural improvements. Cuscuta species (dodders) are stem holopa
 rasitic angiosperms\, which lack functional leaves and roots. Cuscuta camp
 estris (C. campestris) is one of the most broadly distributed Cuscuta spec
 ies and has a wide host range\, which includes many important vegetable an
 d fruit crops. Domesticated tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is one species o
 f the crop plants that is vulnerable to C. campestris and suffers up to 70
 % yield reduction upon Cuscuta infestation\; however\, some specific Heinz
  hybrid tomato cultivars are resistant to Cuscuta. Understanding the molec
 ular mechanism of C. campestris haustorium formation and the resistance me
 chanism in Heinz hybrid tomato cultivars will assist in parasitic weed man
 agement and the development of parasitic plant-resistant crops. First\, we
  investigated the transcriptome of six C. campestris tissues and identifi
 ed LATERAL ORGAN BOUNDARIES DOMAIN 25 (CcLBD25) as a critical regulator in
  haustorium development. Second\, we explored the underlying mechanism and
  genes involved in the lignin-based defense response in resistant Heinz hy
 brid tomato cultivars. These resistant Heinz cultivars trigger post-attach
 ment lignification in the stem cortex upon C. campestris infection. Third\
 , we focused on the interface between the host and parasite. C. campestris
  haustorial tissue and tomato host tissue immediately surrounding haustori
 a were collected by laser-capture microdissection (LCM) to obtain tissue-r
 esolution RNA-Seq profiles. These profiles were used to identify key genes
  regulating haustorial development and host responses. These results not o
 nly provide an overview of both haustorium development in C. campestris an
 d defense responses in tomato host plants\, but also might contribute to d
 eveloping parasite-resistant crops in agriculture.
LOCATION:Large Lecture Theatre\, Department of Plant Sciences
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