Evolution of proteins in digestive fluid of carnivorous plants

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Activities of various enzymes have been reported in a digestive fluid of carnivorous plants and several genes coding the enzymes were characterized, although their origin and evolution have not been well studied. We analyzed amino acid sequences of secreted proteins in digestive fluids of three independently evolved pitcher plants Nepenthes alata, Sarracenia purpurea, and Cephalotus follicularis as well as a sundew Drosera adelae. Similarity search of the proteins and phylogenetic analyses showed that non-carnivorous plants have homologous proteins to those in the fluid. This suggests that carnivorous enzymes were co-opted from those used in non-carnivorous plants, including pathogenesis and development.