Parasitic weeds of the family Orobanchaceae attach to the roots of host plants via haustoria capable of drawing nutrients from host vascular tissue. Species in this family span the spectrum of host nutrient dependency, allowing comparisons that provide insight into parasite adaptation. A key aspect of this is the relationship between parasite metabolism and the metabolite profile of its host. To what extent does the metabolite profile of the parasite depend on that of the host? Do parasites that differ in host-dependency also differ in their metabolism or do they use common metabolic strategies? These questions were addressed using comparative profiling of primary metabolites to gain insight into carbon and nitrogen assimilation by the obligate holoparasite Phelipanche aegyptiaca and the facultative hemiparasite Triphysaria versicolor. First, metabolite profiles of these parasites and their hosts were compared during the key life stages before and after haustorial attachment. Second, the impact of specific variations in host metabolism was analyzed for P. aegyptiaca growing on Arabidopsis thaliana hosts that had mutations in amino acid metabolism but otherwise identical genetic backgrounds. Comparison of P. aegyptiaca and T. versicolor metabolite profiles identified substantial differences in the stages spanning the transition from pre-haustorial development through post-haustorial feeding. Each parasite species is distinct from the other and from their hosts. For parasites growing on host lines that differ in amino acid content, the size of P. aegyptiaca tubercles decreased when grown on the aap6 mutant line, which has decreased levels of asparagine in the phloem sap compared to the wild type. However, altered amino acid levels in other lines did not impact P. aegyptiaca growth, indicating that this parasite has ability to compensate for variation in host metabolic composition. This research highlights the importance of aspartate and asparagine to early post-attachment metabolism in both P. aegyptiaca and T. versicolor and through host deficiencies possibly associated with decreased growth in P. aegyptiaca. Overall, this work provides insights both into the metabolism of parasitic plants and lays the foundation for the development of new metabolism-based control strategies. / Ph. D. / Parasitic weeds of the plant family Orobanchaceae attach to the roots of host plants via haustoria. Parasite haustoria embed into the host plant and are capable of drawing nutrients from host vascular tissue. Species in this family span the spectrum of the extent to which a parasitic plant may depend on its host for nutrients. This allows comparisons that provide insight into the ways in which parasites adapt. A key aspect of this is the relationship between the metabolite profile of the parasite and the metabolite profile of the host. To what extent does the metabolite profile of the parasite depend on that of the host? Do parasites that differ in host-dependency also differ in their metabolism or do they use common metabolic strategies? These questions were addressed using comparative profiling of primary metabolites to gain insight into carbon and nitrogen assimilation by the obligate parasite Phelipanche aegyptiaca (which cannot perform photosynthesis) and the facultative parasite Triphysaria versicolor (which can perform photosynthesis). First, metabolite profiles of these parasites and their hosts were compared during the key life stages before and after haustorial attachment. Second, the impact of specific variations in host metabolism was analyzed for P. aegyptiaca growing on Arabidopsis thaliana hosts. These hosts had mutations in enzymes related to amino acid metabolism but otherwise identical genetic backgrounds. Comparison of P. aegyptiaca and T. versicolor metabolite profiles identified substantial differences in the stages spanning the transition from pre-haustorial development through post-haustorial feeding. Each parasite species is distinct from the other and from their hosts. For parasites growing on host lines that differ in amino acid content, the size of P. aegyptiaca tubercles decreased when grown on the aap6 mutant line, which has decreased levels of asparagine in the phloem sap compared to the wild type. However, altered amino acid levels in other lines did not impact P. aegyptiaca growth, indicating that this parasite has ability to compensate for variation in host metabolic composition. Overall, this work provides insights both into the metabolism of parasitic plants and lays the foundation for the development of new metabolism-based control strategies.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/86130 |
| Date | 20 November 2018 |
| Creators | Clermont, Kristen Renee |
| Contributors | Plant Pathology, Physiology, and Weed Science, Westwood, James H., Helm, Richard F., Pilot, Guillaume, Collakova, Eva |
| Publisher | Virginia Tech |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Dissertation |
| Format | ETD, application/pdf |
| Rights | In Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
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