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The pressure-dependence of the hydraulic conductivity, the membrane resistance and membrane potential during turgor pressure regulation inValonia utricularis

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Summary

The pressure-dependence of the hydraulic conductivity and of electrical membrane parameters inValonia utricularis are determined over a turgor pressure range of 4 to 4.5 atm by means of a direct measurement of the hydrostatic pressure inside the cell. The dependence of the hydraulic conductivity on pressure is calculated from the volume flows and subsequent changes in the turgor induced by both osmotic and hydrostatic gradients.L p is independent of pressure above 1 atm and equal under osmotic and hydrostatic conditions. Polarity of water movement is not observed. At pressures below 1 atm,L p increases up to 10 times on approaching the point of plasmolysis. This increase is discussed in terms of membrane folding and of the stretching of pores within the membrane. In contrast to this finding the membrane resistance (normally 300 to 500 Ω cm2) increases markedly in response to higher pressures and reaches a maximum value of 1500 Ω cm2 at about 2 atm. Further increase of the hydrostatic pressure reduces the membrane resistance again until the original value is reached at 3 to 4 atm. In the range of the maximum resistance the membrane potential (0 to +15 mV at 1 atm) drops by 10 to 40 mV. At low pressures the membrane potential drops in the dark, while at high pressures and reduced membrane potential an increase of the p.d. is observed. From these results it is suggested that the electrogenic potassium pump postulated by Gutknecht is pressure-dependent and causes the observed changes in membrane resistance. According to this hypothesis, with increasing pressure the potassium influx would be reduced and the potassium efflux accelerated. This means that the electrogenic pump reverses its direction at high pressures.

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  1. Nuclear Research Center, Institute of Physical Chemistry, Jülich, Germany

    U. Zimmermann & E. Steudle

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  1. U. Zimmermann
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  2. E. Steudle
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Zimmermann, U., Steudle, E. The pressure-dependence of the hydraulic conductivity, the membrane resistance and membrane potential during turgor pressure regulation inValonia utricularis . J. Membrain Biol. 16, 331–352 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01872422

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01872422

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