Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
2052556 | FEBS Letters | 2005 | 5 Pages |
Abstract
Carnivorous plants usually grow in nutrient-deficient habitats, and thus they partly depend on insects for nitrogen and phosphate needed for amino acid and nucleotide synthesis. We report that a sticky digestive liquid from a sundew, Drosera adelae, contains an abundant amount of an S-like ribonuclease (RNase) that shows high amino acid-sequence similarity to S-like RNases induced by phosphate starvation or wounding in normal plants. By giving leaves an RNase “coat”, D. adelae seems to achieve two requirements simultaneously to adapt itself to its specific surroundings: it obtains phosphates from insects, and defends itself against pathogen attack.
Keywords
Related Topics
Life Sciences
Agricultural and Biological Sciences
Plant Science
Authors
Takahiro Okabe, Yoshimoto Iwakiri, Hitoshi Mori, Tomohisa Ogawa, Takashi Ohyama,