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Thomas Spallek @thomas-spallek.bsky.social · Aug 28

#parasiticplants

Journal of Experimental Botany @jxbotany.bsky.social · Aug 28

🔎 INSIGHT 🔎

🌱 Secure but flexible: temporary adhesion in mistletoe seedlings - Ornelas & Morales-Saldaña

📝 Insight: doi.org/10.1093/jxb/...
🔬 Research: doi.org/10.1093/jxb/...

#PlantScience 🧪

Fig. 1 (shortened, full legend in paper): Simplified representation of attachment stages and seed germination phases in the early life cycle of mistletoes. (A) Seed germination phases in Psittacanthus schiedeanus (Schlecht. & Cham.) G. Don (Loranthaceae) (modified from Ibarra-Laclette et al., 2022 and Ornelas et al., 2024) including the darkening of the embryo at the base (days 1 and 2), seed coat breakdown (days 3–4), cotyledon expansion (days 4–7), and fully expanded cotyledons (days 8–14).

Chromosome level assembly and annotation of Cuscuta campestris Yunck. ("field dodder"), a model parasitic plant - PubMed

Reposted by Thomas Spallek

International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPS @parasiticplants.bsky.social · Aug 21

Announcement of a chromosome-level assembly and annotation of #parasiticplant Cuscuta campestris

Bio news @bionews.bsky.social · Aug 20

Horizontal Gene Transfer: Latest results from PubMed
Chromosome level assembly and annotation of Cuscuta campestris Yunck. ("field dodder"), a model parasitic plant

#NCBI #PubMed #HGT

We present the first chromosome-level genome assembly and annotation for the genus Cuscuta, a twining and leafless parasitic plant of the morning glory family (Convolvulaceae). C. campestris, the study species, is a widely studied model parasite, due in part to its worldwide occurrence as a weed of …

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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Reposted by Thomas Spallek

International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPS @parasiticplants.bsky.social · Aug 21

A close-up of the development of a parasitic endophyte by @l-teixeiracosta.bsky.social and colleagues. #parasiticplants

Annals of Botany @annbot.bsky.social · Aug 14

🎉 Great news! The paper ‘Plant life without leaves, roots or stems: anatomy, development and three-dimensional structure of the endoparasite Pilostyles blanchetii (Apodanthaceae) in Mimosa hosts’ in @annbot.bsky.social by G. Ceccantini and co-authors is now #free for 2 weeks 🧵(1/8)

👉 doi.org/p2bd

Plant life without leaves, roots or stems: anatomy, development and three-dimensional structure of the endoparasite Pilostyles blanchetii (Apodanthaceae) in Mimosa hosts

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Reposted by Thomas Spallek

Schaller lab @as-in-hohenheim.bsky.social · Aug 21

Check out this new story from the Felix lab, with some contribution from us:
Receptor antagonist prevents hyperactivation of the plant immune system
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

A receptor antagonist counterbalances multiple systemin phytocytokines in tomato

Tight regulation of immune activation is crucial for plant health. How plants control the actions of their immunostimulatory phytocytokines is largely…

www.sciencedirect.com

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Thomas Spallek @thomas-spallek.bsky.social · Jun 18

Fantastic news! I hope Amal will return to parasitic plants one day.

Sophien Kamoun @kamounlab.bsky.social · Jun 18

We are excited to welcome Amal Boukteb @AmalBk11 to our team. Amal was previously at INRAT 🇹🇳, where she worked on parasitic plants.

She is one of the pioneers of Tunis R-Users Group @RLadiesTunis You can listen to her seminar by following link below.

kamounlab.tumblr.com/post/7867121...

Kamoun Lab @ TSL

We are excited to welcome Amal Boukteb to our team. Amal was previously based at INRAT (Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique de Tunisie), where she worked on parasitic plants. She is also one...

kamounlab.tumblr.com

Current understanding of the role of the cell wall in Cuscuta parasitism

Thomas Spallek @thomas-spallek.bsky.social · Jun 5

#parasiticplants

German Society for Plant Sciences (DBG) @plantsciencedbg.bsky.social · Jun 5

Since the parasitic processes in Cuscuta are closely linked to their cell wall structures and functions, M. Takagawa and R. Yokoyama have put together current knowledge in a review, you can read #OpenAccess in the Journal #PlantBiology @Wileyplantsci #PlantSci DOI: doi.org/10.1111/plb....

We comprehensively summarise the roles of plant cell wall in key processes of parasitism by the obligate stem parasite Cuscuta.

doi.org

Thomas Spallek @thomas-spallek.bsky.social · May 28

...here is the link to the latest and all previous editions. Consider joining the IPPS @parasiticplants.bsky.social to support your scientific society:
www.parasiticplants.org/haustorium/

Haustorium - International Parasitic Plant Society

Haustorium HAUSTORIUM, Parasitic Plants Newsletter (ISSN 1944-6969) is edited by Chris Parker, Lytton Musselman and Luiza Teixeira-Costa. It is published by the IPPS twice a year and distributed elect...

From Haustorium 87: Lost for 85 years: Sapria himalayana rediscovered in Arunachal’s Eaglenest Sanctuary - International Parasitic Plant Society

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Thomas Spallek @thomas-spallek.bsky.social · May 28

Drawing your attention to this wonderful resource from the IPPS – the Haustorium Newsletter edited by Chris Parker – now in its 87th edition. Chris, who is a few years older than the number of this issue, reviewed recent publications on parasitic plants and commented briefly on most of them (>200).

International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPS @parasiticplants.bsky.social · May 28

Here is a snippet from the latest Haustorium Newsletter - the biannual newsletter on parasitic plants curated by Chris Parker. Follow the link to the IPPS webpage to download the latest issue.
www.parasiticplants.org/2025/05/from...

Last recorded in 1938 near Rupa in the Aka Hills, Arunachal Pradesh, Sapria himalayana has remained one of the most elusive members of the Rafflesiaceae family. Sapria himalayana, the cousin of the wo...

Distribution of haploid chromosomes into separate nuclei in two pathogenic fungi

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Reposted by Thomas Spallek

Maddy Seale @maddyseale.bsky.social · May 16

What's going on in fungi?? Chromosomes are distributed across several different nuclei in Sclerotinia sclerotiorum and Botrytis cinerea

Article in @science.org here: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
And Perspective here: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Nuclei define eukaryotes, enabling macromolecular compartmentalization and cellular regulation. Each nucleus is believed to contain one or more haploid sets of chromosomes (1N). However, we discovered...

www.science.org

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Reposted by Thomas Spallek

International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPS @parasiticplants.bsky.social · Apr 9

Save the date - the WCPP is coming to Brazil in June 2026!
www.parasiticplants.org/2025/04/18th...

18th World Congress on Parasitic Plants - June 2026 - International Parasitic Plant Society

We are excited to share that the 18th World Congress on Parasitic Plants will be held at the Instituto Bahia dos Vermelhos in Ilhabela, Brazil, from June 14 to June 20, 2026. Join us for a week of pre...

publikationen.ub.uni-frankfurt.de

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Thomas Spallek @thomas-spallek.bsky.social · Apr 2

Interessant und dazu passend ist auch folgende Mitteilung aus dem Jahr 1997, erschienen in den Osnabrücker Naturwissenschaftlichen Mitteilungen:
publikationen.ub.uni-frankfurt.de/files/25820/...

Thomas Spallek @thomas-spallek.bsky.social · Apr 2

„Für die einen sind sie Lebensraum, für die anderen der Tod“ – Misteln in der Zeit: www.zeit.de/wissen/2025-...

Misteln: Warum Misteln zum Problem werden

Wenn gerade in den Bäumen grüne Bälle hängen, ist das kein gutes Zeichen: Misteln sind Parasiten. Warum sie sich stark verbreiten und welches Kulturgut nun gefährdet ist.

www.zeit.de

Reposted by Thomas Spallek

Plant & Cell Physiology @plantcellphysiol.bsky.social · Mar 28

Now receiving submissions for our special issue:

'The Biology of Parasitic Plants - Mechanisms, Diversity & Evolution'

Organising Editors:
A. Okazawa @okazawaa.bsky.social
T. Spallek @thomas-spallek.bsky.social
K. Yoneyama
S. Yoshida

Interested? Contact Us 💻
academic.oup.com/pcp/pages/sp...

Ball of mistletoe growing on a tree branch. Photo credit: Pascal Volk, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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Thomas Spallek @thomas-spallek.bsky.social · Mar 21

Thank you, Charles!

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...

Thomas Spallek @thomas-spallek.bsky.social · Mar 18

Please check out our Commentary on the recent PNAS paper from the @charlesmelnyk.bsky.social lab about systemic signals in Phtheirospermum japonicum:
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

PNAS

www.pnas.org

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Reposted by Thomas Spallek

International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPS @parasiticplants.bsky.social · Mar 17

Get ready for some festive parasites! On April 2nd at 1 GMT, our IPPS online seminars are all about mistletoes - one of nature's most iconic parasitic plants. Follow the link to find out more: www.parasiticplants.org/2025/03/ipps...

IPPS Online Seminar on April 2nd, 2025, by Francisco Fontúrbel and Yun-Bing Zhang - International Parasitic Plant Society

First talk: Dr. Francisco Fontúrbel from the Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso in Chile will talk about: “Mistletoe-driven facilitation at the limit of life in Patagonia” Second talk: Dr. ...

March IPPS Seminars by Begoña Pérez Vich and Amal Boukteb - International Parasitic Plant Society

Reposted by Thomas Spallek

NL Institute of Ecology NIOO-KNAW @niooknaw.bsky.social · Dec 2

New publication: The role of #strigolactone structural diversity in the host specificity and control of #Striga, a major constraint to sub-Saharan #agriculture. #microbiome #fungi #parasiticplants #sorghum #sulfotransferase
https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.10549

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Reposted by Thomas Spallek

International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPS @parasiticplants.bsky.social · Mar 4

Happening tomorrow - see you at 1 pm GMT

International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPS @parasiticplants.bsky.social · Feb 19

For our March IPPS seminar, we will have two speakers studying broomrapes in the Mediterranean: Begoña Pérez Vich from Spain and Amal Boukteb from Tunisia: www.parasiticplants.org/2025/02/marc...

First talk: Dr. Begoña Pérez Vich from Spanish National Scientific Research Council will talk about “Genetics of the sunflower – Orobanche cumana parasitic interaction” Second talk: Amal Boukteb, PhD ...

Update of the IPPS history page - International Parasitic Plant Society

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Reposted by Thomas Spallek

International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPS @parasiticplants.bsky.social · Feb 25

24 years (+) of IPPS history on:
www.parasiticplants.org/2025/02/upda...

Thanks to requests from our community after Jim Westwood’s IPPS in January, Jim generously offered to share his incredible collection of past WCPP conference posters, meeting photos, and some fascinat...

Thomas Spallek @thomas-spallek.bsky.social · Feb 7

#ParasiticPlants 😊

Rosemary Mosco @rosemarymosco.com · Feb 7

Botany valentine. Another from years past. New one on Monday!

Beautiful red roses on a pink background with flowing script saying "Roses are red," Violets budding and blooming. "Violets are blue," Hydnora plants opening up looking like terrifying red mouths bursting from the hard sandy soil. "Hydnora are leafless, bizarrely fleshy, and incapable of producing chlorophyll," A splash of cute red and pink hearts. "And so are you. Happy Valentine's Day."

February IPPS Seminars by Salma Shahid and Jiacheng Ji - International Parasitic Plant Society

Reposted by Thomas Spallek

International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPS @parasiticplants.bsky.social · Feb 5

Thank you for the exciting IPPS seminars by Salma Shahid @psaima.bsky.social and Jiacheng Ji
www.parasiticplants.org/2025/02/febr...

The second IPPS online meeting in 2025 featured two excellent presentations on two different parasitic plants. Salma Shahid talked about the fascinating interplay between miRNAs and DNA methylation in...

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Thomas Spallek @thomas-spallek.bsky.social · Feb 1

An amazing #ParasiticPlants - basically a parasitic flower with the host providing all the other plant organs

Chris Thorogood @christhorogood.bsky.social · Feb 1

One of the most spectacular flowers I ever saw was gigantic Rafflesia banaoana, spanning a half-metre. Seen by just a handful of people, it grows only in an inaccessible forest in the Philippines, reached with the help of a tribe, the Banao Indigenous Community. Seeing it in 2022 was life-changing.

IPPS Online Seminar on February 5th, 2025, by Prof. Saima Shahid and Jiacheng Ji - International Parasitic Plant Society

Reposted by Thomas Spallek

International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPS @parasiticplants.bsky.social · Jan 22

We're excited to have Saima Shahid (UK) and Jiacheng Ji (China) as our next speakers at the IPPS seminar:
www.parasiticplants.org/2025/01/ipps...

(1) Prof. Saima Shahid from The University of Sheffield (UK) will talk about: “The interplay of mobile small RNAs and DNA methylation in Cuscuta parasitism” (2) Jiacheng Ji, PhD student, Inner Mongoli...