Pan Hangkai, Zhou Li, Li Junmin
Zhejiang Key Laboratory for Restoration of Damaged Coastal Ecosystems, School of Life Sciences, Taizhou University, Taizhou, China.
Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation, School of Life Sciences, Taizhou University, Taizhou, China.
Front Plant Sci. 2025 Apr 17;16:1567412. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1567412. eCollection 2025.
spp. (dodders) are parasitic plants that belong to the Convolvulaceae family. In nature, dodder often forms a bridge-like connection between two or more host plants like, which is known as a dodder bridge. Cadmium (Cd) is an important heavy metal ion that affects plant growth. However, it remains unclear whether Cd treatment can directly or indirectly induce transcriptomic changes in plants through dodder bridge.
In this study, a pot experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of Cd treatment on donor plant and neighboring recipient plant connected by dodder bridge. Transcriptome analysis revealed that Cd treatment significantly affected the expression of genes involved in the 'Plant-pathogen interaction', 'phenylpropanoid biosynthesis', and 'isoflavonoid biosynthesis' pathways in both donor and recipient plants at 2, 12, 24, and 48 h. Cd indirectly induced changes in the dodder bridge, which included processes related to oxidation-reduction ('oxidation-reduction process', 'oxidoreductase activity', and 'regulation of transcription') and Ca signaling pathways ('Plant-pathogen interaction', 'MAPK signaling pathway', 'AMPK signaling pathway', 'mTOR signaling pathway'). Additionally, mRNA transfer was observed from soybean to dodder. mRNA, Ca and ROS might play crucial roles in the signal transduction process induced by Cd stress.
Cd treatment could directly and indirectly induce transcriptomic changes in the donor plant and neighboring recipient plant connected by dodder bridge. These results contribute to a better understanding of how plants connected by dodder bridges respond to environmental stresses.
菟丝子属植物是属于旋花科的寄生植物。在自然界中，菟丝子常常在两种或更多宿主植物之间形成类似桥梁的连接，即所谓的菟丝子桥。镉（Cd）是一种影响植物生长的重要重金属离子。然而，镉处理是否能通过菟丝子桥直接或间接诱导植物的转录组变化仍不清楚。
在本研究中，进行了一项盆栽实验，以研究镉处理对通过菟丝子桥连接的供体植物和邻近受体植物的影响。转录组分析表明，在2、12、24和48小时时，镉处理显著影响了供体植物和受体植物中参与“植物-病原体相互作用”、“苯丙烷生物合成”和“异黄酮生物合成”途径的基因表达。镉间接诱导了菟丝子桥的变化，其中包括与氧化还原相关的过程（“氧化还原过程”、“氧化还原酶活性”和“转录调控”）以及钙信号通路（“植物-病原体相互作用”、“丝裂原活化蛋白激酶信号通路”、“腺苷酸活化蛋白激酶信号通路”、“雷帕霉素靶蛋白信号通路”）。此外，观察到mRNA从大豆转移到菟丝子。mRNA、钙和活性氧可能在镉胁迫诱导的信号转导过程中起关键作用。
镉处理可直接和间接诱导通过菟丝子桥连接的供体植物和邻近受体植物的转录组变化。这些结果有助于更好地理解通过菟丝子桥连接的植物如何应对环境胁迫。
