Role of turgor pressure and solute transport in plant cell growth: Progress report
Year: 1987
Type: report
Abstract: Plant cell expansion requires coordinationion of three distinct processes: wall relaxation and synthesis, water uptake, and solute uptake. Wall relaxation reduces cell turgor pressure and thereby generates the reduced water for water potential needed uptake. Our studies with pea (Pisum sativum L.) and soybean (Glycine max Merr.) seedlings have shown that water uptake is rapid and is not a major control point for growth. Our current focus is on the processes of wall relaxation and solute transport, and how they are influenced by water stress. One major goal of this project is to examine in detail the dependence of wall yielding on turgor pressure. This is being done by detailed measurements of wall relaxation in living cells, using a computer-assisted pressure microprobe and the new pressure-block technique. Our pressure-block results indicate that wall relaxation is more dynamic than expected. Rapid changes in wall yielding appear to compensate for minor fluctuations in cell turgor pressure, thus maintaining stable growth rates. A second major goal of this project is to determine the interrelationship between cell expansion and solute transport into expanding cells. We will selectively block either cell expansion or solute transport, and measure the effect of such blockage on the unblocked process. A third goal is to examine the basis for reduced cell expansion when plants are water stressed. Our results indicate that growth is retarded in part because of reduced turgor pressure, and in part because of reduced cell wall relaxation. The alteration in wall relaxation will be examined by in-vivo relaxation methods. Thus studies will provide insight into the basic cellular and physical processes controlling plant growth, and how they are perturbed by water stress. 8 refs., 1 fig.
DOI: 10.2172/5758129
Author: D.J. Cosgrove
Institution: Pennsylvania State University
Language: English
Subfield: Plant Science
Domain: Life Sciences
SDG: Zero hunger
Open Access status: green
Funder: U.S. Department of Energy
OpenAlex ID: W2297334176