Biology Department Seminar

Parasitic plants have the capability of taking up a variety of resources from their angiosperm hosts. These include nutrients, water and photosynthate, but also defense chemicals and phytohormones, with implications for plant physiological activities and defense against herbivores. We are working on understanding the transfer of hormonal signals between host and parasite and the resulting effects on defense distribution and upregulation. Our work at BNL has included the use of 11C to track bulk movement of isotopically-labeled methyl jasmonate between host and parasite, and the use of FT-IR microspectroscopy to identify the pathway of transfer between the plants. Parasitic plants are also known to use cell wall degrading enzymes, including pectin methylesterases and cellulases, to invade host tissue. Recent interest in cellulosic technology for production of ethanol from woody tissue has caused a surge of interest in cellulases. We'll end by discussing ways in which parasitic plants may provide clues for improved methods of cellulose degradation.