Investigating host and parasitic plant interaction by tissue-specific gene analyses on tomato and dodder interface at three haustorial developmental stages

Parasitic weeds cause billions of dollars in agricultural losses each year worldwide. Cuscuta campestris (C. campestris), one of the most widespread and destructive parasitic plants in the U.S., severely reduces yield in tomato plants. Reducing the spread of parasitic weeds requires understanding the interaction between parasites and hosts. Several studies have identified factors needed for parasitic plant germination and haustorium induction, and genes involved in host defense responses. However, knowledge of the mechanisms underlying the interactions between host and parasitic plants, specifically at the interface between the two organisms, is relatively limited. A detailed investigation of the crosstalk between the host and parasite at the tissue-specific level would enable the development of effective parasite control strategies. To focus on the haustorial interface, we used laser-capture microdissection (LCM) with RNA-seq. The tomato host tissue immediately surrounding haustoria was collected to obtain tissue-resolution RNA-Seq profiles for C. campestris and tomato at the parasitism interface. The results of this study reveal the tissue-resolution gene regulatory mechanisms at the parasitic plant-host interface and provide the potential of developing a parasite-resistant system in tomatoes.