TY - JOUR AU - Kataev, Anatolii, A. AB - Abstract Determination of pore size of the cell wall of Chara corallina has been made by using the polyethylene glycol (PEG) series as the hydrophilic probing molecules. In these experiments, the polydispersity of commercial preparation of PEGs was allowed for. The mass share (γ p ) of polyethylene glycol preparation fractions penetrating through the pores was determined using a cellular ‘ghost’, i.e. fragments of internodal cell walls filled with a 25% solution of non‐penetrating PEG 6000 and tied up at the ends. In water, such a ‘ghost’ developed a hydrostatic pressure close to the cell turgor which persisted for several days. The determination of γ p , for polydisperse polyethylene glycols with different average molecular mass ( M −) was calculated from the degree of pressure restoration after water was replaced by a 5–10% polymer solution. Pressure was recorded using a dynamometer, which measures, in the quasi‐isometric mode, the force necessary for the partial compression of the ‘ghost’ in its small fragment. By utilizing the data on the distribution of PEG l000, 1450, 2000, and 3350 fractions over molecular mass ( M ), it was found that γ p , for these polyethylene glycols corresponded to the upper limit of ML =800–1100 D (hydrodynamic radius of molecules, rh =0.85–1.05 nm). Thus, the effective diameter of the pores in the cell wall of Chara did not exceed 2.1 nm. Chara, cell wall, pore size, polyethylene glycol, pressure relaxation. Introduction The plant cell wall, in addition to its mechanical function, also functions as a porous network determining the upper size limit for the molecules which the cell may exchange with its external medium. The limit is determined by the diameter of through pores in the cell wall. Despite the importance of the size of those pores, very little information is available concerning the pore diameters in the cell walls of plants. For higher plants, the upper limit of the average molecular mass ( M − L ) of the PEGs found by observing the transition, as the M − is increased in the hyper‐osmotic medium, from the phenomenon of plasmolysis occurring when the polymer passes through the cell wall, to collapse (cytorrhysis) of the whole cell, was 1450–4000 D (average hydrodynamic radius of the molecules is \(\overline{r}_{\mathrm{h}}\) =1.2–2.0 nm [The authors erroneously ascribe the radii \(\overline{r}_{\mathrm{h}}\) =1.9–2.25 nm to those M − values.]) depending on the plant species ( Carpita et al ., 1979 ). Based on the analysis of ion exchange kinetics, it has been suggested that there is a system of pores of less than 10 nm in diameter in the cell walls of Chara australis besides some pores with diameters of greater than 10 nm ( Dainty and Hope, 1959 ). However, using that technique through pores cannot be evaluated, because the entire network of capillaries and cavities in the three‐dimensional structure of the cell wall contributes to ionic exchange. More specific indications of maximum sizes of pores in Characeae, exemplified by Nitella syncarpa , have been presented previously ( Lyalin et al ., 1994 ). Using a portion of a cell wall tied at the ends (a cell ‘ghost’) of the internode filled with a solution of the non‐penetrating PEG 20 000 as an osmotic cell and measuring the change in the hydrostatic pressure, these authors established that only polyethylene glycols with M −<2000 D ( \(\overline{r}_{\mathrm{h}}{=}1.4\)  nm) may pass through the cell wall from the external medium. However, when commercially available polymer preparations are used, problems with M − L evaluation arise due to polymer polydispersity, i.e. due to the presence of fractions with molecular masses differing from the mean ( M −) in the preparation. Surprisingly, that property was not allowed for in most of the papers where aqueous pore diameters were measured using polymers, including measurements of ionic channel diameters in membranes ( Krasilnikov et al ., 1992 ; Ternovsky and Berestovsky, 1998 ; Merzliak et al ., 1999 ). In an earlier paper it has been demonstrated that failure to allow for polymer dispersity leads to an overestimation of ML and pore diameter ( Scherrer and Gerhardt, 1971 ). The authors demonstrated a fractionation of PEG preparations into quasi‐monodisperse fractions. According to their estimates, the limiting pore diameter in Bacillus megaterium cell wall is 2.2 nm ( ML =1200 D). This work aimed to develop a technique for determining through pore sizes in cell walls of Chara corallina using a series of polyethylene glycols with allowance for their polydispersity. Materials and methods Materials Internodal cells of Chara corallina 40–80 mm long were used that had been grown in tanks containing a layer of pond mud. Temperature was kept at 16–18 °C. Tanks were illuminated by 40 W luminescent lamps (day/night rhythm of 14/10 h); The solutes used to determine the pore size range were polyethylene glycols (PEGs) of molecular masses (D) of 300, 400, 600, 1450, 3350 (Sigma, USA), 6000 (Ferak, Germany), 1000 and 2000 (Merck, Germany), all purchased commercially. Solutions of PEGs were prepared in water containing 0.5 mM CaCl 2 , to prevent Ca 2+ desorption from the cell wall ( Taiz, 1984 ) resulting in damage of its porosity ( Lyalin et al ., 1994 ). Fabrication of polyethyleneglycol ‘ghosts’ of the cells Internodes of intact Chara with two nodes were placed on glass plates. A micropipette for cell perfusion with 25% PEG 6000 solution was inserted into one of the nodes. The other node was cut off. Then, cell contents were flushed out until the green colour vanished. After that the cut was rinsed with PEG solution through the micropipette, and the free end was tied up, with a polyester thread. The wall cut was slightly inflated with PEG solution until it acquired a cylindrical shape, the second end was tied up, and the remaining part of the cell was cut off. The cell ‘ghost’ was placed in water where it obtained a turgor close to that of the living cell (0.6–0.8 MPa). Turgor was preserved for several days. Unlike living cells, ‘ghosts’ were permeable to sucrose, which showed, along with the electron microscopy data ( Lyalin et al ., 1994 ) that the plasma membrane had been removed. ‘Ghosts’ used in experiments were exposed for more than 1 h in 0.5 mM CaCl 2 solution to remove low‐molecular weight components of the PEG 6000 solution. A simpler method of filling wall preparations with PEG solution as proposed earlier for Nitella syncarpa ( Lyalin et al ., 1994 ) was not suitable for the Chara ‘ghosts’ used in this study. Measurement of cell and ‘ghost’ pressure (P) To measure the pressure, a method was used based on measuring the force F necessary partially to compress the cylindrical cell or ‘ghost’ over a small region ( Tazawa, 1957 ) (Fig. 1A ). The force F applied to the squeezing plate is equalized by the sum of two forces: the force of the pressure P ( Fp ) on the plate, and the force F1 proportional to the normal components ( Tn ) of the special longitudinal tension, T , of the cell wall from both sides of the plate. Since all the involved forces ( Fp ,  T ) are proportional to the pressure P , the geometry of the deformed region depends only on the value of cell compression, δ. Therefore, when δ=constant (isometric mode) the measured force F will be proportional to P with negligible small allowance for extensibility of a cell wall (Δ D/DP∼ 10 −2  MPa −1 at P <1 MPa, Steudle et al ., 1982 ). The proportionality of F to P at δ=constant have been confirmed by experiments with Chara cells (data not shown) and investigations with Nitella flexilis ( Tazawa, 1957 ). In these osmotic experiments pressure P was varied using a sucrose solution of defined osmolarity. To measure the force continually, a dynamometer has been developed (Fig. 1B ). The vertical displacement of a squeezing plate ( b =2.5 mm) was transmitted with the help of a racking‐shaft (7) to a metal rod (8) of a mechanotron and further was transduced into an electrical signal ( Karpenko et al ., 1991 ). The racking‐shaft (the relation of arm lengths was 1 : 5) was intended for the desensitization of a dynamometer (Δδ/Δ F ) in contrast to the sensitivity of a mechanotron 6MX2 (12 μm cN −1 and 40 μA μm −1 , USSR), up to an indispensable level. The sensibility of the dynamometer was 2 μm cN −1 ensuring that the measurement mode was fairly close to isometric. When necessary, the sensor was calibrated in pressure units using the living cell and sucrose solutions of defined osmolarity. During measurements, cells or ‘ghosts’ were placed in a narrow long canal in plexiglas plate (Fig. 1A ) fixed to the micro‐manipulator table equipped with a micrometric screw for vertical adjustment of the table. The dynamometer itself was rigidly attached to the manipulator base. An automatic pipette was used to change and stir solutions in the canal. Fig. 1. Open in new tabDownload slide Geometry of a cylindrical cell (‘ghost’) at the place of its squeezing by the plate and the acting forces (A) and set‐up for measuring of squeezing force (B). F , squeezing force; Fp , force of hydrostatic pressure; T and Tn , specific longitudinal tension of the wall and its normal component. On the right: transverse section of a canal with a cell (‘ghost’) in it. D  − δ is a thickness of a compressed cell placed under the plate. (B) 1, Movable table of micromanipulator; 2, plexiglass chamber; 3, internode (‘ghost’) of Chara cell; 4, squeezing plate; 5, micrometre screw; 6, elastic diaphragm; 7, racking‐shaft; 8, movable metal rod of a mechanotron; 9, mechanotron 6MX2 (vacuum double diode with one movable anode); 10, steel casing. For further explanations see text. Fig. 1. Open in new tabDownload slide Geometry of a cylindrical cell (‘ghost’) at the place of its squeezing by the plate and the acting forces (A) and set‐up for measuring of squeezing force (B). F , squeezing force; Fp , force of hydrostatic pressure; T and Tn , specific longitudinal tension of the wall and its normal component. On the right: transverse section of a canal with a cell (‘ghost’) in it. D  − δ is a thickness of a compressed cell placed under the plate. (B) 1, Movable table of micromanipulator; 2, plexiglass chamber; 3, internode (‘ghost’) of Chara cell; 4, squeezing plate; 5, micrometre screw; 6, elastic diaphragm; 7, racking‐shaft; 8, movable metal rod of a mechanotron; 9, mechanotron 6MX2 (vacuum double diode with one movable anode); 10, steel casing. For further explanations see text. Determination of effective pore diameter (2r p ) The rp value for the cell wall was determined from the limiting size of the molecules capable of permeating the cell wall. The method was based on analysing the pressure relaxation curve, P ( t ), in response to the changes in the concentration of the tested substance in the external solution ( Steudle and Tyerman, 1983 ). For a penetrating solute, when its concentration was abruptly increased the pressure initially quickly fell to a certain Pmin value, and then returned to the original Po value as the solute entered the cell wall, thus, decreasing the concentration difference (Fig. 3 ). For non‐penetrating substances, the second phase was absent ( P∞ = Pmin ). For a mixture of both types of substances, the pressure P∞ at the end of the second phase had an intermediate value Pmin < P∞ < Po . If it is assumed, in the first approximation, that the pressure change Po−Pmin is proportional to the sum of mass shares of the penetrating and the non‐penetrating fractions of the substance, the value of the mass share of the molecules penetrating through the cell wall (γ p ) will be determined by the following expression: 1 The above supposition assumes that, in the molecular masses ( M ) of PEGs which interest the authors, the value Po − Pmin only slightly depends on M (Fig. 4A ). Commercially available PEG preparations are polydisperse. The mass share of the fractions with different molecular mass M in polydisperse preparations varies around the average molecular mass ( M −) according to the Poisson distribution (Fig. 2 ) ( Morawetz, 1967 ; Grosberg and Khokhlov, 1994 ). It is evident that the passage of a preparation with a definite M recorded in an osmotic experiment should only reflect the permeation of lighter fractions (hatched region under the w ( M ) curve in Fig. 2 ) with M ≤ ML , where ML is the upper limit of the mass of the molecules that freely permeate the cell wall. To evaluate the share of the permeating molecules, integral distribution curves S ( M ) were used for the PEGs tested. The value of ML was found from the S ( M ) curve (Fig. 2 ) for the particular PEG, from the condition SA = S ( ML )=γ p . To construct the S ( M ) curve, detailed chromatography analysis data were used for some PEG samples as reported previously ( Scherrer and Gerhardt, 1971 ). To evaluate aqueous pore diameter in the cell wall using PEGs, literature data were analysed for the average hydrodynamic radius of the molecules ( \(\overline{r}_{\mathrm{h}}\) ) for various PEGs ( Scherrer and Gerhardt, 1971 ; Kuga, 1981 ; Krasilnikov et al ., 1992 ). It was found that, in the PEG 200 to PEG 10 000 range, the dependence of \(\overline{r}_{\mathrm{h}}\) on the average molecular mass ( M −) is well approximated by the expression 2 where \(\overline{r}_{\mathrm{h}}\) and M − are expressed in nm and kDa, respectively. It is commonly assumed that this dependence of the average values is also observed in monodisperse PEG fractions. Fig. 2. Open in new tabDownload slide Characteristic molecular mass distribution, w ( M ), for polyethylene glycols (stroke line) and its integral function, S ( M ) (scale on the right). SA = \({{\sum}_{\mathrm{o}}^{\mathit{M}_{\mathrm{L}}}}\) w ( M )Δ M , overall mass share with M