2007/05/01 by Alexander G. Volkov, Tejumade Adesina, Emil Jovanov · 2 citations
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Neuroscience · #Plant and Biological Electrophysiology Studies #Magnetic and Electromagnetic Effects #Photoreceptor and optogenetics research #Biology #Stimulation #Venus #Closing (real estate) #Cell biology #Neuroscience #Astrobiology
paper · pdf · doi:10.4161/psb.2.3.4217
openalex publication_date 2007/05/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
Electrical signaling and rapid closure of the carnivorous plant Dionaea muscipula Ellis (Venus flytrap) have been attracting the attention of researchers since XIX century, but the exact mechanism of Venus flytrap closure is still unknown. We found that the electrical stimulus between a midrib and a lobe closes the Venus flytrap leaf by activating motor cells without mechanical stimulation of trigger hairs. The closing time of Venus flytrap by electrical stimulation of motor cells is 0.3 s, the same as mechanically induced closing. The mean electrical charge required for the closure of the Venus flytrap leaf is 13.6 microC. Ion channel blockers such as Ba(2+), TEACl as well as uncouplers such as FCCP, 2,4-dinitrophenol and pentachlorophenol dramatically decrease the speed of the trap closing. Using an ultra-fast data acquisition system with measurements in real time, we found that the action potential in the Venus flytrap has a duration time of about 1.5 ms. Our results demonstrate that electrical stimulation can be used to study mechanisms of fast activity in motor cells of the plant kingdom.