Do parasitic Striga species hijack plant signalling pathways to allow successful invasion of host roots?
Striga species are the greatest biological constraint to crop production in sub Saharan Africa. Striga seed germinates and differentiates to form a haustorium which attaches to the host root. The parasite penetrates the host root epidermis, cortex and endodermis resulting in the fusion of parasite and host xylem vessels enabling transfer of water and nutrients from host to parasite. This infection process is critical for the establishment of successful parasitism yet we know little of the signalling pathways involved. Preliminary work in our laboratories using Arabidopsis thaliana as a model system, suggests that the parasite hijacks the auxin signalling pathway that allows lateral roots to emerge from the root pericycle and traverse the root without damaging cells. Prof Bennett has a range of A. thaliana mutants with lesions at each stage of the auxin signalling pathway and plants containing promoter-reporter fusions to allow visualization of auxin gradients and key control points in
