Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 1997 Dec;115(4):1461-71.
doi: 10.1104/pp.115.4.1461.

Signal transduction in the carnivorous plant Sarracenia purpurea. Regulation of secretory hydrolase expression during development and in response to resources

D R Gallie  1 , S C Chang
Affiliations

Signal transduction in the carnivorous plant Sarracenia purpurea. Regulation of secretory hydrolase expression during development and in response to resources

D R Gallie et al. Plant Physiol. 1997 Dec.

Abstract

Carnivory in plants has developed as an evolutionary adaptation to nutrient-poor environments. A significant investment of the resources of a carnivorous plant is committed to producing the traps, attractants, and digestive enzymes needed for the carnivory. The cost:benefit ratio of carnivory can be improved by either maximizing the prey capture rate or by reducing the metabolic commitment toward carnivory. Using the pitcher plant Sarracenia purpurea, we have investigated whether the expression of the hydrolytic enzymes needed for digestion is regulated in response to the presence of prey. Expression of protease, RNase, nuclease, and phosphatase activities could be induced in the fluid of nonactive traps by the addition of nucleic acids, protein, or reduced nitrogen, suggesting that hydrolase expression is induced upon perception of the appropriate chemical signal. Hydrolase expression was also developmentally controlled since expression commenced upon opening of a trap, increased for several days, and in the absence of prey largely ceased within 2 weeks. Nevertheless, the traps remained competent to induce expression in response to the appropriate signals. These data suggest that in young traps hydrolase expression is developmentally regulated, which is later replaced by a signal transduction mechanism, and they demonstrate the ability of a carnivorous species to respond to the availability of resources.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Eur J Biochem. 1991 May 23;198(1):1-6 - PubMed
    1. Science. 1992 Sep 11;257(5076):1491-5 - PubMed
    1. Plant Physiol. 1991 Dec;97(4):1402-8 - PubMed
    1. Front Biol. 1975;43(4):525-78 - PubMed
    1. Plant Physiol. 1990 Apr;92(4):970-6 - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources