Venus fly trap

I. After the trap has snapped shut, the plant turns it into an external stomach, sealing
the trap so no air gets in or out. Glands produce enzymes that digest the insect, first
the exoskeleton made of chitin, then the nitrogen-rich blood, which is called
hemolyph
II. e OPDA (12-oxophytodienoic acid) initiates the secretion of digestive fluid.

III. Identified proteins secreted during digestion

i. Peroxidases
ii. nucleases
iii. phosphatases
iv. phospholipases
v. glucanase
vi. chitinases
vii. proteolytic enzymes
viii. four cysteine proteases,
ix. two aspartic proteases, and
x. a serine carboxypeptidase
IV. Most abundant pathogenesis proteins
i. Suggesting plants digestive system is also a defence
mechanism.
V. Among the most abundant proteins in the Venus flytrap secretome were homologs
of proteases, chitinases, osmotin-like protein, pathogenesis-related proteins, lipid
transfer proteins, peroxidases, and beta-1,3-glucanase, which all belong to families
of pathogenesis-related proteins

PH

I. Optimum pH for protease activity is 4.3 in the digestive fluid

i. In internal stomach 3.4
ii. Can range from 3.0-7.0 depending on the stage and target in the
digestion mechanism

PROTEASE

II. Protease has a degrading function within the digestive system.

i. Optically active in acidic conditions
III. The digestive fluid present in the VFT is very different to the composition of
digestive fluids made up in animals.
i. As cysteine protease is the most abundant.
ii. These proteases share a common catalytic mechanism that involves
a nucleophilic cysteine thiol in a catalytic triad or dyad.
iii. Hydrolyses peptide bonds by the deprotonation of the thiol, then
nucleophilic attack by the deprotonated, a substrate is released and
histidine amino acid residue is restored.