Maintenance of turgor by rapid sealing of puncture wounds in leaf epidermal cells

When leaf epidermal cells are puncture wounded with a glass microcapillary tip, a small droplet of fluid is discharged and then evaporates, leaving a solid residue on the cell surface. For puncture wounds of about 3.5 micrometers in diameter, this process is complete within 2 to 3 seconds. A second...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Plant physiology (Bethesda) 1991-11, Vol.97 (3), p.907-912
Main Authors: Shackel, K.A. (University of California, Davis, CA), Polito, V.S, Ahmadi, H
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
AGENTES NOCIVOS
ANATOMIA DE LA PLANTA
ANATOMIE VEGETALE
Biological and medical sciences
Cell walls
COMMELINACEAE
COMPOSICION QUIMICA
COMPOSITION CHIMIQUE
Environmental and Stress Physiology
Epidermal cells
EPIDERME
EPIDERMIS
FACTEUR NUISIBLE
FEUILLE
Flood damage
Fluids
Fluorescence
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Glass
Glucans
HERIDAS
HOJAS
PECTINAS
PECTINE
PERIDERME
PERIDERMIS
PLAIE
Plant physiology and development
Plants
POLISACARIDOS
POLYHOLOSIDE
Polysaccharides
TURGENCIA
TURGESCENCE
Turgor pressure
Water and solutes. Absorption, translocation and permeability
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Description
Summary:When leaf epidermal cells are puncture wounded with a glass microcapillary tip, a small droplet of fluid is discharged and then evaporates, leaving a solid residue on the cell surface. For puncture wounds of about 3.5 micrometers in diameter, this process is complete within 2 to 3 seconds. A second puncture wound also exhibits a similar discharge, indicating the persistence of some turgor pressure within the cell, despite damage to the cell wall. Direct measurement of turgor on the large epidermal cells of Tradescantia virginiana L. demonstrated that turgor was substantially maintained (91-96%) after puncture wounding. Anatomical and histochemical evidence suggests that the damaged portion of the cell wall was sealed with an amorphous plug of material comprised of pectinaceous polysaccharides. Rapid sealing of puncture wounds and the maintenance of turgor in epidermal cells may be an important functional component of plant adaptation to physical damage such as that caused by insect feeding
ISSN:0032-0889
1532-2548
DOI:10.1104/pp.97.3.907