Seedlings of a parasite plant Cuscuta japonica as a model for studying apoptosis

In our opinion, the seedling of the parasitic dodder plant is an attractive model for studying the molecular mechanisms of growth processes in plants. The article presents the data of cytological and biochemical studies of dodder seedlings. It was concluded that the death of the basal pole occurs along the path of apoptosis, since its typical signs were observed - a decrease in the volume of the cell as a whole, the protoplast itself, the appearance of closed vesicles, DNA fragmentation. The data obtained by us testify in favor of the participation of reactive oxygen species - in particular, O2 - both in the processes of proliferation and in the programmed cell death of the basal pole of the Japanese dodder seedling. The results allow us to propose a new model for the study of growth processes and natural non-induced metabolism of apoptotic plant cells.