Venus Flytrap: How an Excitable, Carnivorous Plant Works.
Trends Plant Sci
; 23(3): 220-234, 2018 03.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-29336976
ABSTRACT
The carnivorous plant Dionaea possesses very sensitive mechanoreceptors. Upon contact with prey an action potential is triggered which, via an electrical network - comparable to the nervous system of vertebrates - rapidly closes its bivalved trap. The 'hunting cycle' comprises a constitutively activated mechanism for the rapid capture of prey, followed by a well-orchestrated sequence of activation of genes responsible for tight trap closure, digestion of the prey, and uptake of nutrients. Decisions on the step-by-step activation are based on 'counting' the number of stimulations of sensory organs. These remarkable animal-like skills in the carnivore are achieved not by taking over genes from its prey but by modifying and rearranging the functions of genes that are ubiquitous in plants.
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Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Droseraceae
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2018
Tipo de documento:
Article