Virginia Tech Scientist Discovers Inter-organism Communication at Molecular Level

Researchers at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University led by Jim Westwood are exploring a new arena of science: inter-organism communication at the molecular level. This gives a new insight on finding ways to fight parasitic weeds that affects crop production globally. 

Westwood examined the relationship between a parasitic plant, dodder, and two host plants (Arabidopsis and tomatoes). Dodder uses an appendage to penetrate the plant and suck the moisture and nutrients. Westwood found that during this parasitic interaction, there is an exchange of thousands upon thousands of messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) between the two species. The RNA translates information passed down from the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), the blueprint of organisms. It was thought that mRNA was very fragile and short-lived, thus transferring it between species was unimaginable.

This discovery could help scientists examine if other organisms such as bacteria and fungi exhibit the same communication process.