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The site of penetration resistance to water in plant protoplasts

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Summary

The main purpose of this investigation was to determine the primary site of resistance to the penetration of water in the protoplasm of inner epidermal cells of theAllium cepa bulb scale. Since it is known that the tonoplast has a very high water permeability, it was left to decide whether the mesoplasm and/or the plasmalemma is the main barrier. According to a theory ofHöfler, the mesoplasm is the main barrier. Because it is not possible to isolate the plasmalemma, the influence of the mesoplasm was removed by causing rosette systrophy. In rosette systrophy, almost all of the mesoplasm is collected arround the nucleus and the tonoplast and plasmalemma lie adjacent in the greater part of the protoplast.

Cells with and without systrophy are found in the same preparation but show no great difference in water permeability. The systrophied cells have even a lower water permeability constant than the non-systrophied cells. This indicates clearly that the mesoplasm is of no significant importance for water permeability, and that the primary site of penetration resistance to water is the plasmalemma.

It was possible to measure the water permeability constants of tonoplasts. While the 2 Kwo values for protoplasts are approximately 6–8×10−4 cm/sec, those for tonoplasts are about 100 times higher.

The water permeability constants found with glucose solutions were essentially the same as those found in solutions of KCl + CaCl2. Other less inert substances, such as EDTA, give different (higher) values.

Using the method of partial deplasmolysis and plasmolysis, it was possible to change the protoplast volume several times, once until the eight time in K-Ca solutions and until the fifth time in glucose solutions.

The water permeability constants do not change appreciably, neither in the sequential plasmolysis steps nor between deplasmolysis and plasmolysis. Yet there is a small but significant difference between deplasmolysis and plasmolysis values. The deplasmolysis values are slightly higher.

In the K-Ca solutions the tonoplasts which were formed showed a linear expansion which indicates ion permeability. Permeability constants are 0.003–0.006×10−4 cm/sec, about in the same range as those of moderate anelectrolyte permeability.

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Author notes

  1. W. G. Url

    Present address: Pflanzenphysiologisches Institut der Universität Wien, Dr. Karl Lueger-Ring 1, A-1010, Wien, Austria

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  1. Department of Horticultural Science, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA

    W. G. Url

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Url, W.G. The site of penetration resistance to water in plant protoplasts. Protoplasma 72, 427–447 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01289512

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