Parasitic plants act like genetic engineers by stealing and remodeling useful genes
Many plant species parasitize other plants by latching on and taking the nutrients their hosts need to survive. But sometimes, plants steal more than nutrients; they take genes.
Parasitic plants, such as dodder, gain genetic material from unrelated species through a process called horizontal gene transfer (HGT). A new study published in Plant Physiology reveals how parasitic dodder remodeled a stolen gene over millions of years, while keeping its original function intact. The CYP81Q gene, originally from the Lamiales order, was transferred to dodder and allowed it to produce sesamin, an antioxidant compound.
After acquiring the gene, dodder underwent structural changes through transposable elements, but the remodeled gene still produced a functional enzyme capable of synthesizing sesamin. This suggests that HGT can lead to further evolutionary changes in plant parasites, providing them with functional genes that continue to evolve after acquisition.
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