Parasitic plants act like genetic engineers by stealing and remodeling useful genes

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Many plant species parasitize other plants by latching on and taking the nutrition their host needs to survive.

But sometimes, plants steal more than nutrients; they take genes.

A new study shows how one such “stolen” gene was not simply preserved after entering the genome of the parasitic dodder (Cuscuta spp.). Instead, the parasite remodeled the gene over millions of years while keeping its original function intact.

The gene is taken by a process known as horizontal gene transfer (HGT). Unlike ordinary inheritance, in which genes pass from parent to offspring, HGT allows genetic material to move between unrelated organisms.