Nitrogen represses haustoria formation through abscisic acid in the parasitic plant Phtheirospermum japonicum

Anna Kokla, Martina Leso, Xiang Zhang, Jan Simura, Phanu T. Serivichyaswat, Songkui Cui, Karin Ljung, Satoko Yoshida and Charles W. Melnyk ()
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Anna Kokla: Linnean Center for Plant Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Martina Leso: Linnean Center for Plant Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Xiang Zhang: Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Grad. School. Sci. Tech., Ikoma
Jan Simura: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Phanu T. Serivichyaswat: Linnean Center for Plant Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Songkui Cui: Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Grad. School. Sci. Tech., Ikoma
Karin Ljung: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Satoko Yoshida: Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Grad. School. Sci. Tech., Ikoma
Charles W. Melnyk: Linnean Center for Plant Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences

Nature Communications, 2022, vol. 13, issue 1, 1-14

Abstract: Abstract Parasitic plants are globally prevalent pathogens that withdraw nutrients from their host plants using an organ known as the haustorium. The external environment including nutrient availability affects the extent of parasitism and to understand this phenomenon, we investigated the role of nutrients and found that nitrogen is sufficient to repress haustoria formation in the root parasite Phtheirospermum japonicum. Nitrogen increases levels of abscisic acid (ABA) in P. japonicum and prevents the activation of hundreds of genes including cell cycle and xylem development genes. Blocking ABA signaling overcomes nitrogen’s inhibitory effects indicating that nitrogen represses haustoria formation by increasing ABA. The effect of nitrogen appears more widespread since nitrogen also inhibits haustoria in the obligate root parasite Striga hermonthica. Together, our data show that nitrogen acts as a haustoria repressing factor and suggests a mechanism whereby parasitic plants use nitrogen availability in the external environment to regulate the extent of parasitism.

Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-30550-x

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