Faculty Opinions Recommendation of The Venus Flytrap Trigger Hair-Specific Potassium Channel KDM1 Can Reestablish the K+ Gradient Required for Hapto-Electric Signaling.

Hedrich and colleagues conducted a study on the Venus flytrap, focusing on the ion channels involved in the plant's action potential (AP) necessary for trap closure. They identified the KDM1 gene, which encodes a voltage-gated inward rectifying Shaker-like potassium channel, homologous to the Arabidopsis KAT1 channel. KDM1 was found to facilitate the rapid reuptake of potassium ions into the sensory cells of the trigger hairs during the hyperpolarization phase of the AP, a crucial step for the plant's response to mechanical stimuli. This study highlighted the evolutionary adaptation of KDM1 for its specialized function in the Venus flytrap and suggested potential for further genetic studies using CRISPR/Cas9 technology to explore the roles of other ion channels in this process.