Skip to main content
Log in

Membrane organization in soybean seeds during hydration

  • Published:
Planta Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The ability of seeds to withstand dehydration indicates that their membranes may maintain structural integrity even when dry. Analysis of polar lipids (the principal lipidic constituents of the membranes) from soybean seeds (Glycine-max (L.) Merr.) by X-ray diffraction indicated that even in the dehydrated state the lipids retained a lamellar (bilayer) configuration. As the degree of hydration was raised, evidence of some structural alteration (apparent as an abrupt increase in bilayer spacing) was obtained from diffraction patterns of both the extracted lipid and particles of seed tissue. In seed tissue this increase in bilayer spacing occurred at a hydration level just above that at which free water could be detected by nuclear-magnetic-resonance analysis. The water content at which the increase in bilayer spacing occurred was higher in the seed tissue than in the extracted polar lipids, probably because other cell components restricted the availability of free water in the seed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

NMR:

nuclear-magnetic resonance

References

  • Crowe, J.H., Clegg, J.S. (1978) Dry biological systems. Academic Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Daubert, B.F. (1950) Other constituents. In: Soybeans and soybean products, vol. 1, pp. 371–381, Markley, K.S., ed. Interscience Publishers, New York London

    Google Scholar 

  • DeGrip, W.J., Drenthe, E.H.S., Van Echteld, C.J.A., De Kruijff, B., Verkleij, A.J. (1979) A possible role of rhodopsin in maintaining bilayer structure in the photoreceptor membrane. Biochim. Biophys. Acta 558, 330–337

    Google Scholar 

  • Engelman, D.M. (1971) Lipid bilayer structure in the membrane of Mycoplasma laidlowii. J. Mol. Biol. 58, 153–165

    Google Scholar 

  • Gulik-Kryzywicki, T., Rivas, E., Luzzati, V. (1967) Structure et polymorphisme des lipides: Étude par diffraction des rayons X du système formé de lipides de mitochondries de coeur de boeuf et d'eau. J. Mol. Biol. 27, 303–322

    Google Scholar 

  • Kates, M. (1972) Techniques of lipidology. North-Holland/Elsevier, Amsterdam New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Lecuyer, H., Derivichian, D.G. (1969) Structure of aqueous mixtures of lecithin and cholesterol. J. Mol. Biol. 45, 39–57

    Google Scholar 

  • Luzzati, V., Husson, F. (1962) The structure of the lipid-crystalline phases of lipid-water systems. J. Cell Biol. 12, 207–219

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McKersie, B.D., Stinson, R.H. (1980) Effect of dehydration on leakage and membrane structure in Lotus corniculatus L. seeds. Plant Physiol. 66, 316–320

    Google Scholar 

  • O'Brien, D.F., Costa, L.F., Ott, R.A. (1977) Photochemical functionality of rhodopsin-phospholipid recombinant membranes. Biochemistry 16, 1295–1303

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Parrish, D.J., Leopold, A.C. (1977) Transient changes during soybean imbibition. Plant Physiol. 59, 1111–1115

    Google Scholar 

  • Priestley, D.A., Leopold, A.C. (1979) Absence of lipid oxidation during accelerated aging of soybean seeds. Plant Physiol. 63, 726–729

    Google Scholar 

  • Priestley, D.A., Leopold, A.C. (1980) The relevance of seed membrane lipids to imbibitional chilling effects. Physiol. Plant. 49, 198–204

    Google Scholar 

  • Raheja, R.K., Kaur, C., Singh, A., Bhatra, I.S. (1973) New colorimetric method for the quantitative estimation of phospholipids without acid digestion. J. Lipid Res. 14, 695–697

    Google Scholar 

  • Simon, E.W. (1974) Phospholipids and plant membrane permeability. New Phytol. 73, 377–420

    Google Scholar 

  • Simon, E.W. (1978) Membranes in dry and imbibing seeds. In: Dry biological systems, pp. 205–224, Crowe, J.H., Clegg, J.S., eds. Academic Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, A.K., Circle, S.J. (1978) Chemical composition of the seed. In: Soybeans: chemistry and technology, vol. 1, 2nd edn., pp. 61–92, Smith, A.K., Circle, S.J., eds. Avi Publ. Co., Westport, Conn

    Google Scholar 

  • Strand, L.L., Rechtoris, C., Mussell, H. (1976) Polygalacturonases release cell-wall-bound proteins. Plant Physiol. 58, 722–725

    Google Scholar 

  • Webster, B.D., Leopold, A.C. (1977) The ultrastructure of dry and imbibed cotyledons of soybean. Am. J. Bot. 64, 1286–1293

    Google Scholar 

  • Wolf, W.J., Briggs, D.R. (1956) Ultracentrifugal investigation of the effect of neutral salts on the extraction of soybean proteins. Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 63, 40–49

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wolf, W.J., Cowan, J.C. (1975) Soybeans as a food source. Chemical Rubber Co. Press, Cleaveland, O., USA

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Seewaldt, V., Priestley, D.A., Leopold, A.C. et al. Membrane organization in soybean seeds during hydration. Planta 152, 19–23 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00384979

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00384979

Key words

Navigation