Progress and prospects of parasitic plant biodiversity genomics
Abstract
Parasitic plants have evolved independently at least a dozen times across angiosperms, yielding some of the most extreme examples of genomic reconfiguration in plants. Comparative analyses of plastid, mitochondrial, and nuclear genomes reveal striking convergence across lineages such as progressive plastid genome reduction with retention of a minimal core gene set, alongside lineage-specific divergences, including unusual mitochondrial genome architectures, rampant horizontal gene transfer, and repeated loss of nuclear gene families. Expanded sampling largely confirms stepwise plastid genome condensation but also uncovers rare losses of presumed essential genes, novel tRNA retention patterns, and extremes in genome size and base composition. Mitochondrial genome sizes largely vary (
Fields of Study & Subjects
Plant Parasitism and Resistance
Insect-Plant Interactions and Control
Chromosomal and Genetic Variations
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Plant and Cell Physiology
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Volume
- 67
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 438–459
- Publication date
- 22 January 2026
- Language
- EN