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INTRACELLULAR POTASSIUM COMPARTMENTS IN NITELLA AXILLARIS

INTRACELLULAR POTASSIUM COMPARTMENTS IN NITELLA AXILLARIS Three intracellular compartments for potassium exchange have been observed in intact cells of the giant-celled alga, Nitella axillaris . These compartments have been compared with the exchange properties of isolated subcellular structures. The smallest and fastest compartment (apparent half-time, 23 seconds) appears to involve passive absorption on the cell wall. The next largest (apparent half-time, 5 hours) may represent exchange with the cytoplasmic layer through the plasma membrane, the chloroplasts being in rapid equilibrium with the surrounding cytoplasm. The largest and slowest compartment (apparent half-time, 40 days) has been identified with the central vacuole. The vacuolar membrane and the plasma membrane have similar properties with respect to K permeability. Thus, the experimental data from the whole cell can be accounted for by a structural model of the compartments. Cyanide in concentrations up to 10 -3 M causes no net loss of K. The fastest compartment in Nitella and in higher plants is compared, and the ecological significance of the slow rate of potassium transport in Nitella is discussed. Footnotes Submitted: 24 November 1958 http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png The Journal of General Physiology Rockefeller University Press

INTRACELLULAR POTASSIUM COMPARTMENTS IN NITELLA AXILLARIS

The Journal of General Physiology , Volume 42 (5): 1105 – May 20, 1959

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References (15)

Publisher
Rockefeller University Press
Copyright
© 1959 Rockefeller University Press
ISSN
0022-1295
eISSN
1540-7748
DOI
10.1085/jgp.42.5.1105
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Three intracellular compartments for potassium exchange have been observed in intact cells of the giant-celled alga, Nitella axillaris . These compartments have been compared with the exchange properties of isolated subcellular structures. The smallest and fastest compartment (apparent half-time, 23 seconds) appears to involve passive absorption on the cell wall. The next largest (apparent half-time, 5 hours) may represent exchange with the cytoplasmic layer through the plasma membrane, the chloroplasts being in rapid equilibrium with the surrounding cytoplasm. The largest and slowest compartment (apparent half-time, 40 days) has been identified with the central vacuole. The vacuolar membrane and the plasma membrane have similar properties with respect to K permeability. Thus, the experimental data from the whole cell can be accounted for by a structural model of the compartments. Cyanide in concentrations up to 10 -3 M causes no net loss of K. The fastest compartment in Nitella and in higher plants is compared, and the ecological significance of the slow rate of potassium transport in Nitella is discussed. Footnotes Submitted: 24 November 1958

Journal

The Journal of General PhysiologyRockefeller University Press

Published: May 20, 1959

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