Host responses to haustorium invasion of the stem parasitic plant, Cuscuta campestris, differ from responses to wounding.

This article investigates the host plant responses to parasitic invasion by the stem parasitic plant *Cuscuta campestris*, focusing on the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying cell division and vascular development in *Arabidopsis thaliana*. The study finds that while parasitic intrusion induces upregulation of wound repair-associated genes such as ANAC071, the regulatory pathways differ from those activated by mechanical wounding. Notably, cell division and vascular development-related genes are upregulated independently of ANAC071, auxin signaling via AUXIN RESPONSE FACTORS (ARFs), and ethylene signaling, contrasting with their roles in wound repair. The parasite may contribute auxin biosynthesis through upregulation of its own YUCCA gene (CcYUC10), and host responses involve other transcription factors like WOX13, TMO6, and HCA2. These findings suggest that *A. thaliana* perceives haustorial invasion differently from wounding, leading to distinct molecular signaling during the establishment of the parasitic connection.