Plasma-membrane H+-ATPases are expressed in pitchers of the carnivorous plant Nepenthes alata Blanco
- PMID: 11525511
- DOI: 10.1007/s004250000455
Plasma-membrane H+-ATPases are expressed in pitchers of the carnivorous plant Nepenthes alata Blanco
Abstract
Nepenthes is a unique genus of carnivorous plants that can capture insects in trapping organs called pitchers and digest them in pitcher fluid. The pitcher fluid includes digestive enzymes and is strongly acidic. We found that the fluid pH decreased when prey accumulates in the pitcher fluid of Nepenthes alata. The pH decrease may be important for prey digestion and the absorption of prey-derived nutrients. To identify the proton pump involved in the acidification of pitcher fluid, plant proton-pump homologs were cloned and their expressions were examined. In the lower part of pitchers with natural prey, expression of one putative plasma-membrane (PM) H+-ATPase gene, NaPHA3, was considerably higher than that of the putative vacuolar H+-ATPase (subunit A) gene, NaVHA1, or the putative vacuolar H+-pyrophosphatase gene, NaV-HP1. Expression of one PM H+-ATPase gene, Na-PHA1, was detected in the head cells of digestive glands in the lower part of pitchers, where proton extrusion may occur. Involvement of the PM H+-ATPase in the acidification of pitcher fluid was also supported by experiments with proton-pump modulators; vanadate inhibited proton extrusion from the inner surface of pitchers, whereas bafilomycin A1 did not, and fusicoccin induced proton extrusion. These results strongly suggest that the PM H+-ATPase is responsible for acidification of the pitcher fluid of Nepenthes.
Similar articles
-
Aspartic proteinases are expressed in pitchers of the carnivorous plant Nepenthes alata Blanco.Planta. 2002 Mar;214(5):661-7. doi: 10.1007/s004250100665. Epub 2001 Oct 16. Planta. 2002. PMID: 11882933
-
Transporters for ammonium, amino acids and peptides are expressed in pitchers of the carnivorous plant Nepenthes.Plant J. 1999 Mar;17(6):637-46. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-313x.1999.00414.x. Plant J. 1999. PMID: 10230062
-
Carnivorous Nepenthes Pitchers with Less Acidic Fluid House Nitrogen-Fixing Bacteria.Appl Environ Microbiol. 2023 Jul 26;89(7):e0081223. doi: 10.1128/aem.00812-23. Epub 2023 Jun 20. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2023. PMID: 37338413 Free PMC article.
-
Vacuolar and plasma membrane proton-adenosinetriphosphatases.Physiol Rev. 1999 Apr;79(2):361-85. doi: 10.1152/physrev.1999.79.2.361. Physiol Rev. 1999. PMID: 10221984 Review.
-
Carnivorous pitcher plants: insights in an old topic.Phytochemistry. 2011 Sep;72(13):1678-82. doi: 10.1016/j.phytochem.2010.11.024. Epub 2010 Dec 22. Phytochemistry. 2011. PMID: 21185041 Review.
Cited by
-
Traps of carnivorous pitcher plants as a habitat: composition of the fluid, biodiversity and mutualistic activities.Ann Bot. 2011 Feb;107(2):181-94. doi: 10.1093/aob/mcq238. Epub 2010 Dec 15. Ann Bot. 2011. PMID: 21159782 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Regulation of enzyme activities in carnivorous pitcher plants of the genus Nepenthes.Planta. 2018 Aug;248(2):451-464. doi: 10.1007/s00425-018-2917-7. Epub 2018 May 16. Planta. 2018. PMID: 29767335
-
Different pitcher shapes and trapping syndromes explain resource partitioning in Nepenthes species.Ecol Evol. 2016 Feb 3;6(5):1378-92. doi: 10.1002/ece3.1920. eCollection 2016 Mar. Ecol Evol. 2016. PMID: 26865951 Free PMC article.
-
Alternative oxidase (AOX) in the carnivorous pitcher plants of the genus Nepenthes: what is it good for?Ann Bot. 2022 Feb 11;129(3):357-365. doi: 10.1093/aob/mcab151. Ann Bot. 2022. PMID: 34922341 Free PMC article.
-
Ion fluxes across the pitcher walls of three Bornean Nepenthes pitcher plant species: flux rates and gland distribution patterns reflect nitrogen sequestration strategies.J Exp Bot. 2010 Mar;61(5):1365-74. doi: 10.1093/jxb/erq004. Epub 2010 Feb 11. J Exp Bot. 2010. PMID: 20150519 Free PMC article.
