Abstract
Carnivorous plants growing in nutrient-poor soils have special organs to capture insects, to digest them, and to absorb their nutrients. The genus Nepenthes comprises carnivorous plants that digest insects in pitcher fluid to supplement their nutrients uptake. The ''pitcher'' bud forms at the tip of the leaf and gradually expands to form a pot-shaped trap. The bottom of the trap contains a fluid which includes aspartic proteases (nepenthesin I and II), β-1,3-glucanase, chitinase and thaumatin-like protein (Hatano & Hamada, 2008). These proteins presumably digest prey and inhibit bacterial growth in the pitcher fluid to ensure sufficient nutrients for Nepenthes growth. To identify the role of class IV chitinase (NaCHIT1) from pitcher fluid of Nepenthes alata, we performed Southern and RT-PCR analyses for NaCHIT1 gene and chitinase assays for recombinant NaCHIT1 protein. The NaCHIT1 gene appeared to be single locus gene and the NaCHIT1 mRNA level increased as the pitcher grew. The recombinant NaCHIT1 hydrolyzed chitin oligosaccharides.
Hatano, N. & Hamada, T. (2008) J. Proteome Res. 7, 809-816.
