Browsing by Author "Bellis,Emily S."

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    Transcriptome Atlas of Striga Germination: Implications for Managing an Intractable Parasitic Plant
    (ppp, 2023) Irafasha,Gilles; Mutinda, Sylvia; Mobegi,Fredrick; Hale,Brett; Omwenga,George; Wijeratne, Asela J.; Wicke,Susann; Bellis,Emily S.; Runo,Steven
    Societal Impact StatementWitchweeds, parasitic plants of the genus Striga, are nicknamed “cereal killers”because of their devastating destruction of Africa's most staple cereals, includingmaize, sorghum, millets, and upland rice. The parasite relies on biomolecules emittedfrom the host roots to germinate and therefore initiate its infectious lifecycle. Somesorghum varieties have evolved to not produce effective germination stimulants,making them resistant to the parasite. Here, the genetic factors that underpin Strigagermination were assessed, followed by a discussion of how such knowledge can beused to develop new Striga management strategies through the disruption of host–parasite communication exchange.Summary• Seeds of the parasitic plant Striga are dormant. They only germinate in responseto biomolecules emitted from the host's root exudate, strigolactones (SL). But it isnow emerging that Striga germination is a much more complex process regulatedby crosstalk of hormone signaling pathways.• To further understand the genetic basis of the communication exchange betweenStriga and its host sorghum, we performed a comparative transcriptomic analysis.We sought to identify major transcriptomic changes that define the germinationprocess in Striga and a set of genes that may contribute to the differences in ger-mination rates.• Results showed that germination proceeds immediately after SL perception and ismarked by a wave of transcriptional reprogramming to allow for metabolic pro-cesses of energy mobilization. Cluster analysis using self-organizing maps revealeda time-phased and genotype-differentiated response to germination stimulation.The variation in germination was also a function of hormonal crosstalk. The earlygermination stage was associated with significant repre....