Swelling of root cell walls as an indicator of their functional state

The swelling capacity of cell walls isolated from different parts of lupine root was investigated. The water content in fragments of intact roots (Q) and swelling coefficient of standardized samples of cell walls (Kcw) were determined, and the dependences of Q and Kcw on the distance from the root tip (L) were plotted. It was shown that the change in Q value along the stretch of the lupine root reaches its maximum at distances of 1.5-6 cm or 7-12 cm from the root tip in 7-day-old and 14-day-old seedlings, respectively, whereas the Kcw value distribution over the root length is virtually invariable. In the radial direction, both the Q and Kcw values in cortex tissues are about twice higher than in the central cylinder. In our opinion, the changes of both Q and Kcw in the radial direction are associated with different degrees of cross-linking between polymer chains in cell wall structures of root cortex and central cylinder. The results of measurement of the Kcw value are consistent with the widely accepted mechanisms of water transport in roots in the radial direction. These data show that water transport through apoplast to the border between the cortex and central cylinder is accompanied by an increase in the resistance to water flow. Among other factors, this increase is due to a greater degree of cross-linking between cell wall polymers in the central cylinder. The results of measurement of the swelling coefficient of standardized cell wall samples in water and in 10 mM KCl at different pH values show that the swelling capacity of root cell walls varies according to the physicochemical properties of synthetic ion exchangers. Cell walls shrink (cell wall volume decreases) as ion concentration in solution increases and pH decreases. This causes an increase in the hydraulic resistance (or a decrease in the hydraulic conductivity) of apoplast. It was concluded that swelling is determined by the physicochemical properties of the cell wall, whereas the change in the swelling capacity induced by variation of external or internal conditions is an element of the mechanism of regulation of volume water flow in roots.