Recruitment of Sugar Transport and Scent Volatile Genes for Prey Attraction in the Nectar Spoon of Heliamphora tatei.

ABSTRACT: Prey attraction is an integral component of the carnivorous syndrome, yet its molecular adaptations have remained largely unexplored. Our study utilized tissue-specific transcriptomic data from the South American marsh pitcher plant, Heliamphora tatei, to explore the molecular and developmental basis of prey attraction. Carnivorous plants often present specialized structures associated with prey attraction and in Heliamphora, that function is carried out by the nectar spoon, a colorful extension of the top of the pitcher that is densely covered in nectaries. Through comparisons of gene expression in the nectar spoon with the rest of the pitcher, we identified a suite of differentially expressed genes that likely contribute to prey attraction, including enzymes involved in volatile synthesi

SUBMITTER: Liu S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12103071 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature