The lipid-derived jasmonate phytohormones (JAs) regulate a wide spectrum of physiological processes in plants such as growth, development, tolerance to abiotic stresses, and defence against pathogen infection and insect attack. Recently, a new role for JAs has been revealed in carnivorous plants. In these specialized plants, JAs can induce the formation of digestive cavities and regulate enzyme production in response to different stimuli from caught prey. Appearing to be a new function for JAs in plants, a closer look reveals that the signalling pathways involved resemble known signalling pathways from plant defence mechanisms. Moreover, the digestion-related secretome of carnivorous plants is composed of many pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins and low molecular weight compounds, indicating that the plant carnivory syndrome is related to and has evolved from plant defence mechanisms. This review describes the similarities between defence and carnivory. It further describes how, after recognition of caught insects, JAs enable the carnivorous plants to digest and benefit from the prey. In addition, a causal connection between electrical and jasmonate signalling is discussed.
- MeSH
- Cyclopentanes immunology metabolism MeSH
- Drosera metabolism MeSH
- Plant Immunity MeSH
- Oxylipins immunology metabolism MeSH
- Plant Growth Regulators metabolism MeSH
- Sarraceniaceae metabolism MeSH
- Secondary Metabolism MeSH
- Signal Transduction MeSH
- Viridiplantae metabolism MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Review MeSH
Background and Aims: Anaesthesia for medical purposes was introduced in the 19th century. However, the physiological mode of anaesthetic drug actions on the nervous system remains unclear. One of the remaining questions is how these different compounds, with no structural similarities and even chemically inert elements such as the noble gas xenon, act as anaesthetic agents inducing loss of consciousness. The main goal here was to determine if anaesthetics affect the same or similar processes in plants as in animals and humans. Methods: A single-lens reflex camera was used to follow organ movements in plants before, during and after recovery from exposure to diverse anaesthetics. Confocal microscopy was used to analyse endocytic vesicle trafficking. Electrical signals were recorded using a surface AgCl electrode. Key Results: Mimosa leaves, pea tendrils, Venus flytraps and sundew traps all lost both their autonomous and touch-induced movements after exposure to anaesthetics. In Venus flytrap, this was shown to be due to the loss of action potentials under diethyl ether anaesthesia. The same concentration of diethyl ether immobilized pea tendrils. Anaesthetics also impeded seed germination and chlorophyll accumulation in cress seedlings. Endocytic vesicle recycling and reactive oxygen species (ROS) balance, as observed in intact Arabidopsis root apex cells, were also affected by all anaesthetics tested. Conclusions: Plants are sensitive to several anaesthetics that have no structural similarities. As in animals and humans, anaesthetics used at appropriate concentrations block action potentials and immobilize organs via effects on action potentials, endocytic vesicle recycling and ROS homeostasis. Plants emerge as ideal model objects to study general questions related to anaesthesia, as well as to serve as a suitable test system for human anaesthesia.
- MeSH
- Action Potentials drug effects physiology MeSH
- Anesthetics adverse effects MeSH
- Arabidopsis drug effects physiology MeSH
- Chlorophyll metabolism MeSH
- Drosera drug effects physiology MeSH
- Droseraceae drug effects physiology MeSH
- Ether adverse effects MeSH
- Homeostasis * MeSH
- Pisum sativum drug effects physiology MeSH
- Germination drug effects MeSH
- Lepidium sativum drug effects physiology MeSH
- Plant Leaves drug effects physiology MeSH
- Magnoliopsida drug effects physiology MeSH
- Mimosa drug effects physiology MeSH
- Organelles drug effects physiology MeSH
- Reactive Oxygen Species metabolism MeSH
- Transport Vesicles drug effects physiology MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
The carnivorous sundew plant (Drosera capensis) captures prey using sticky tentacles. We investigated the tentacle and trap reactions in response to the electrical and jasmonate signalling evoked by different stimuli to reveal how carnivorous sundews recognize digestible captured prey in their traps. We measured the electrical signals, phytohormone concentration, enzyme activities and Chla fluorescence in response to mechanical stimulation, wounding or insect feeding in local and systemic traps. Seven new proteins in the digestive fluid were identified using mass spectrometry. Mechanical stimuli and live prey induced a fast, localized tentacle-bending reaction and enzyme secretion at the place of application. By contrast, repeated wounding induced a nonlocalized convulsive tentacle movement and enzyme secretion in local but also in distant systemic traps. These differences can be explained in terms of the electrical signal propagation and jasmonate accumulation, which also had a significant impact on the photosynthesis in the traps. The electrical signals generated in response to wounding could partially mimic a mechanical stimulation of struggling prey and might trigger a false alarm, confirming that the botanical carnivory and plant defence mechanisms are related. To trigger the full enzyme activity, the traps must detect chemical stimuli from the captured prey.
- MeSH
- Models, Biological MeSH
- Cyclopentanes metabolism MeSH
- Drosera enzymology physiology MeSH
- Electrophysiological Phenomena * MeSH
- Photochemical Processes MeSH
- Photosystem II Protein Complex metabolism MeSH
- Oxylipins metabolism MeSH
- Plant Growth Regulators metabolism MeSH
- Plant Proteins metabolism MeSH
- Signal Transduction * MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Keywords
- Rorella rotundifolia All., Dewplant (angl.), Rorelle (franc.), rosička, Sonnentau (něm.), Droserae herba,
- MeSH
- Drosera * chemistry adverse effects drug effects MeSH
- Flavonoids MeSH
- Phytotherapy * MeSH
- Homeopathy MeSH
- Lactation MeSH
- Plants, Medicinal MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Naphthoquinones MeSH
- Child, Preschool MeSH
- Peptide Hydrolases MeSH
- Plant Extracts administration & dosage pharmacology contraindications adverse effects therapeutic use MeSH
- Pregnancy MeSH
- Check Tag
- Humans MeSH
- Child, Preschool MeSH
- Pregnancy MeSH
- Female MeSH
UNLABELLED: BACKROUND AND AIMS: It has been suggested that the rate of net photosynthesis (AN) of carnivorous plants increases in response to prey capture and nutrient uptake; however, data confirming the benefit from carnivory in terms of increased AN are scarce and unclear. The principal aim of our study was to investigate the photosynthetic benefit from prey capture in the carnivorous sundew Drosera capensis. METHODS: Prey attraction experiments were performed, with measurements and visualization of enzyme activities, elemental analysis and pigment quantification together with simultaneous measurements of gas exchange and chlorophyll a fluorescence in D. capensis in response to feeding with fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster). KEY RESULTS: Red coloration of tentacles did not act as a signal to attract fruit flies onto the traps. Phosphatase, phophodiesterase and protease activities were induced 24 h after prey capture. These activities are consistent with the depletion of phosphorus and nitrogen from digested prey and a significant increase in their content in leaf tissue after 10 weeks. Mechanical stimulation of tentacle glands alone was not sufficient to induce proteolytic activity. Activities of β-D-glucosidases and N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidases in the tentacle mucilage were not detected. The uptake of phosphorus from prey was more efficient than that of nitrogen and caused the foliar N:P ratio to decrease; the contents of other elements (K, Ca, Mg) decreased slightly in fed plants. Increased foliar N and P contents resulted in a significant increase in the aboveground plant biomass, the number of leaves and chlorophyll content as well as AN, maximum quantum yield (Fv/Fm) and effective photochemical quantum yield of photosystem II (ΦPSII). CONCLUSIONS: According to the stoichiometric relationships among different nutrients, the growth of unfed D. capensis plants was P-limited. This P-limitation was markedly alleviated by feeding on fruit flies and resulted in improved plant nutrient status and photosynthetic performance. This study supports the original cost/benefit model proposed by T. Givnish almost 30 years ago and underlines the importance of plant carnivory for increasing phosphorus, and thereby photosynthesis.
- MeSH
- Chlorophyll analysis MeSH
- Drosera physiology MeSH
- Drosophila melanogaster MeSH
- Nitrogen metabolism MeSH
- Enzymes metabolism MeSH
- Phosphorus metabolism MeSH
- Photosynthesis physiology MeSH
- Plant Leaves physiology MeSH
- Carnivory * MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Check Tag
- Animals MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
Naftochinony představují v přírodě poměrně rozšířené látky, produkty sekundárního metabolizmu některých aktinomycet, hub, lišejníků a vyšších rostlin. Význam těchto látek pro vlastní producenty je díky jejich široké biologické aktivitě stále diskutovaný. Ve většině případů vystupují jako fytoalexiny. V případě hub mohou hrát významnou roli v patogenitě některých plísní – naftochinony interagují s mitochindriemi, mikrozómy a proteiny cytoplazmy, ve formě radikálů se váží k DNA a RNA a poškozují je. Naftochinony jsou látky vysoce cytotoxické, byly pozorovány antimikrobní, antifungální, antivirální a antiparazitální efekty. V tradičních medicínách, zejména v oblasti Asie (Čína) a Jižní Ameriky mají rostliny s obsahem naftochinonů široké uplatnění především v léčbě různých nádorových a parazitárních onemocnění.
Naphthoquinones are relatively widely occurring natural substances, products of secondary metabolism of some actinomycetes, fungi, lichens, and higher plants. The importance of these substances for the producers proper is, due to their wide biological activity, still discussed. In most cases they act as phytoalexines. In the case of fungi, they may play a significant role in the pathogenicity of moulds – naphthoquinones interact with mitochondria, microsomes and cytoplasmic proteins, in the form of radicals they are bound to DNA and RNA, and they do damage to them. Naphthoquinones are highly cytotoxic substances; their antimicrobial, antifungal, antiviral and antiparasitic effects have been observed. In traditional medicines, particularly in some parts of Asia (China) and South America, naphthoquinones–containing plants are widely used primarily in the treatment of various tumoral and parasitic diseases.
- MeSH
- Drosera MeSH
- Research Support as Topic MeSH
- Juglandaceae classification metabolism MeSH
- Shikimic Acid analogs & derivatives metabolism MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Naphthoquinones isolation & purification metabolism therapeutic use MeSH
- Plumbaginaceae classification metabolism MeSH
- Vitamin K analogs & derivatives pharmacology isolation & purification MeSH
- Check Tag
- Humans MeSH
- MeSH
- Medical History Taking MeSH
- Delusions MeSH
- Adult MeSH
- Drosera MeSH
- Homeopathy MeSH
- Middle Aged MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Signs and Symptoms MeSH
- Check Tag
- Adult MeSH
- Middle Aged MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Male MeSH
- Publication type
- Case Reports MeSH
24 s. ; 23 cm
- MeSH
- Drosera MeSH
- Pharmaceutical Preparations MeSH
- Plant Preparations therapeutic use MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Conspectus
- Farmacie. Farmakologie
- NML Fields
- farmacie a farmakologie
8 s. ; 23 cm
- MeSH
- Arteries drug effects MeSH
- Arteriolosclerosis drug therapy MeSH
- Drosera MeSH
- Drug Evaluation MeSH
- Plant Preparations therapeutic use MeSH
- Conspectus
- Farmacie. Farmakologie
- NML Fields
- vnitřní lékařství
- farmacie a farmakologie
- NML Publication type
- brožury
