Broomrape is an obligate root-parasitic weed that acts as a competitive sink for host photoassimilates. Disruption of essential processes for growth of broomrape using host plant-mediated systemic signals can help to implement more specific and effective management plans of this parasite. Accordingly, we tested the possibility of transient silencing three involved genes (PaM6PR, PaCWI, and PaSUS1) in osmoregulation process of broomrape using syringe agroinfiltration of dsRNA constructs in tomato. The highest decrease in mRNA levels, enzyme activity, and amount of total reducing sugars was observed in Phelipanche aegyptiaca when grown on agroinfiltrated tomato plants by PaM6PR dsRNA construct than control. In addition, PaSUS1 dsRNA construct showed high reduction in mRNA abundance (32-fold fewer than control). The lowest decrease in mRNA levels was observed after infiltration of PaCWI dsRNA construct (eightfold fewer than control). While the highest reduction in PaM6PR and PaSUS1 expression levels was detected in the parasite at 3 days post-infiltration (dpi), the maximum reduction in both of the total reducing sugars amount and M6PR and SUS1 activities was observed at 8 dpi. On the contrary, CWI activity, PaCWI expression level, and amount of total reducing sugars in broomrape shoots simultaneously decreased at the day 3 after the dsRNA construct infiltration against PaCWI. On the whole, our results indicated that the three studied genes especially PaM6PR may constitute appropriate targets for the development of transgenic resistance in host plants using silencing strategy.

中文翻译：

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宿主诱导的一些与寄生植物埃及Phelipanche aegyptiaca渗透调节有关的重要基因的沉默。

Broomrape是专性的根寄生杂草，可作为宿主光同化物的竞争性吸收剂。利用寄主植物介导的系统性信号破坏扫帚草生长的基本过程，可以帮助实施该寄生虫的更具体和有效的管理计划。因此，我们测试了在番茄中使用dsRNA构建物的注射器农杆菌渗入法在扫帚的渗透调节过程中暂时沉默三个相关基因（PaM6PR，PaCWI和PaSUS1）的可能性。PaM6PR dsRNA构建体在农杆菌渗入的番茄植株上生长时，在埃及香Ph中观察到了最大的mRNA水平，酶活性和总还原糖减少量，其结果是与对照相比。此外，PaSUS1 dsRNA构建体显示出mRNA丰度大大降低（比对照少32倍）。PaCWI dsRNA构建体浸润后，观察到最低的mRNA水平下降（比对照少八倍）。虽然在渗透后（dpi）3天在该寄生虫中检测到PaM6PR和PaSUS1表达水平的最高降低，但在8 dpi时观察到总还原糖量以及M6PR和SUS1活性的最大降低。相反，在dsRNA构建体针对PaCWI的浸润后第3天，扫帚枝中的CWI活性，PaCWI表达水平和总还原糖量同时下降。总体而言，我们的结果表明，三个研究的基因，尤其是PaM6PR，可能构成使用沉默策略发展宿主植物中转基因抗性的合适靶标。