檀香（Santalum album L.）为檀香科常绿乔木，素有"绿色黄金"之称。檀香木在雕刻、中药、香水、香料、香熏等方面具有广泛的用途，发展檀香产业可获得比其它林木更高的经济收益。但由于檀香为半寄生植物，目前，对吸器发生及其与寄主植物的互作机制仍不清楚。我们的前期研究表明：在吸器个体发生中结瘤素蛋白（nodulin protein）与转录因子GRAS基因高度表达；细胞壁代谢相关酶在吸器与寄主植物互作中可能扮演重要的角色。本项目拟应用植物细胞学、分子生物学、植物生理学、土壤微生物学，结合组学的研究方法与手段，研究檀香根吸器发生及其与寄主植物的互作机制，全面解析檀香的半寄生机制。通过本项目的实施不仅在檀香半寄生机制的基础研究方面会有所突破，获得原创性的研究成果，研究结果对我国发展檀香种源的无性繁殖栽培、寄主的配置、培育及发展檀香产业具有重要意义。

Santalum album is a green tree in Santalaceae, known as "Green and Gold tree". It is highly valued due to its aromatic heartwood, which contains sandal oil used in perfumes, cosmetics, medicine, aromatherapy, and recently in the prevention of skin cancer. It is a partially parasitic tree that obtains some of its water and simple nutrients by tapping into other plants through the formation of a highly specialized organ called haustorium. To date, little is known about the molecular mechanisms involved in haustorium formation and the underlying interaction between parasite and the host. In our previous study, we found that genes encoding nodulin proteins related and GRAS TFs were highly expressed during haustorium ontogeny in S. album, and enzymes associated with cell wall metabolism may play an important role in the interaction of haustoria and the host. In this project, the mechanisms involved in haustorium ontogeny and the interaction between the parasite and the host will be studied based on plant cyctology,molecular biology, plant physiology, soil microbiology, combined with transcriptomic and proteomic methods and technology. The aim of this study to obtain original research and elucidate the hemi-parasitic mechanisms of S. album, but also offer the basic theories in propagation in vitro, host assembly, and cultivate for S. album and its relative species. It also has important significance in developing Sandalwood industry.