Determination of the pore size of cell walls of living plant cells

The limiting diameter of pores in the walls of living plant cells through which molecules can freely pass has been determined by a solute exclusion technique to be 35 to 38 angstroms for hair cells of Raphanus sativus roots and fibers of Gossypium hirsutum, 38 to 40 angstroms for cultured cells of A...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 1979-09, Vol.205 (4411), p.1144-1147
Main Authors: Carpita, N, Sabularse, D, Montezinos, D, Delmer, D.P
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cell walls
Dextrans
Hair cells
Mesophyll cells
Molecular weight
Molecules
Plant cells
Plants
Plasmolysis
Solutes
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Summary:The limiting diameter of pores in the walls of living plant cells through which molecules can freely pass has been determined by a solute exclusion technique to be 35 to 38 angstroms for hair cells of Raphanus sativus roots and fibers of Gossypium hirsutum, 38 to 40 angstroms for cultured cells of Acer pseudoplatanus, and 45 to 52 angstroms for isolated palisade parenchyma cells of the leaves of Xanthium strumarium and Commelina communis. These results indicate that molecules with diameters larger than these pores would be restricted in their ability to penetrate such a cell wall, and that such a wall may represent a more significant barrier to cellular communication than has been previously assumed.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.205.4411.1144