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Related Concept Videos

Tonicity in Animals01:16

Tonicity in Animals

Tonicity describes the amount of solute in a solution. The measure of the tonicity of a solution, or the total amount of solutes dissolved in a specific amount of solution, is called its osmolarity. Three terms—hypotonic, isotonic, and hypertonic—are used to relate the osmolarity of a cell to the osmolarity of the extracellular fluid that contains the cells. In a hypotonic solution, such as tap water, the extracellular fluid has a lower concentration of solutes than the fluid inside the cell,...
Tonicity in Animals00:59

Tonicity in Animals

The tonicity of a solution determines if a cell gains or loses water in that solution. The tonicity depends on the permeability of the cell membrane for different solutes and the concentration of nonpenetrating solutes in the solution within and outside of the cell. If a semipermeable membrane hinders the passage of some solutes but allows water to follow its concentration gradient, water moves from the side with low osmolarity (i.e., less solute) to the side with higher osmolarity (i.e.,...
Tonicity in Plants00:53

Tonicity in Plants

Tonicity describes the capacity of a cell to lose or gain water. It depends on the quantity of solute that does not penetrate the membrane. Tonicity delimits the magnitude and direction of osmosis and results in three possible scenarios that alter the volume of a cell: hypertonicity, hypotonicity, and isotonicity. Due to differences in structure and physiology, tonicity of plant cells is different from that of animal cells in some scenarios.Plants and Hypotonic EnvironmentsUnlike animal cells,...
Tonicity in Plants01:20

Tonicity in Plants

Plant cells maintain appropriate osmotic balance in extreme conditions. For instance, plants in dry environments store water in vacuoles, limit the opening of their stoma, and have thick, waxy cuticles to prevent unnecessary water loss. Some species of plants that live in salty environments store salt in their roots. As a result, water osmosis occurs in the root from the surrounding soil.
Tonicity
Tonicity describes the capacity of a cell to lose or gain water depending on the solute...
Enlargement of the Plasma Membrane01:22

Enlargement of the Plasma Membrane

Cell division and enlargement are processes that require precise control. The control ensures that cell division cannot proceed unless the cell has grown to a specific size. A spherical, dividing cell requires an approximately 1.6X increase in its surface area to double its volume. The secretory pathway also has a significant role in cell membrane enlargement. Secretory vesicles that bud off from the Golgi apparatus and later fuse with the plasma membrane during exocytosis are a major source of...
Cytotoxic Edema: Pathophysiology01:21

Cytotoxic Edema: Pathophysiology

Cytotoxic edema is a form of cerebral edema characterized by intracellular swelling of neurons, astrocytes, and other glial cells. It develops when the mechanisms responsible for maintaining ionic gradients across the cell membrane become impaired. Under normal physiological conditions, the sodium–potassium ATPase actively transports sodium ions out of the cell and potassium ions into the cell, preserving osmotic balance and enabling electrical signaling. This pump requires a continuous supply...

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Updated: Jul 14, 2026

Monitoring the Effect of Osmotic Stress on Secretory Vesicles and Exocytosis
08:08

Monitoring the Effect of Osmotic Stress on Secretory Vesicles and Exocytosis

Published on: February 19, 2018

Membrane reserves and hypotonic cell swelling.

Nicolas Groulx1, Francis Boudreault, Sergei N Orlov

  • 1Research Centre, Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal-Hôtel-Dieu, 3850 Saint-Urbain, Montréal, Québec, Canada.

The Journal of Membrane Biology
|June 29, 2007
PubMed
Summary

Animal cells expand surface area (SA) and volume (V) using membrane reserves to prevent rupture during swelling. Moderate volume increases rely on existing reserves, while extreme swelling requires endomembrane insertion.

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Monitoring the Effect of Osmotic Stress on Secretory Vesicles and Exocytosis
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Measuring the Osmotic Water Permeability Coefficient (Pf) of Spherical Cells: Isolated Plant Protoplasts as an Example
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Membrane Remodeling of Giant Vesicles in Response to Localized Calcium Ion Gradients
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Membrane Remodeling of Giant Vesicles in Response to Localized Calcium Ion Gradients

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Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Biophysics
  • Membrane Dynamics

Background:

  • Animal cells must manage volume (V) and surface area (SA) changes during osmotic stress.
  • The sources and extent of cellular membrane reserves for accommodating swelling are not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To quantify the surface area and volume changes in various cell types during hyposmotic swelling.
  • To determine the contribution of membrane reserves and exocytosis to cell volume regulation.

Main Methods:

  • Reconstruction of 3D cell topology from light microscopy images.
  • Inducing hyposmotic swelling in various cell lines (A549, 16HBE14o(-), CHO, NIH 3T3).
  • Inhibition of exocytosis using N-ethylmaleimide or low temperature.

Main Results:

  • Cells demonstrated significant membrane reserves, increasing SA up to 3.6-fold and V up to 10.7-fold.
  • Blocking exocytosis reduced SA and V increases during extreme swelling but not moderate swelling.
  • Moderate volume increases (<2-fold) are primarily accommodated by shape changes and existing surface reserves.

Conclusions:

  • Mammalian cells possess substantial membrane reserves to maintain membrane tension during swelling.
  • Endomembrane insertion is crucial for accommodating extreme volume increases, while moderate increases utilize existing surface reserves.
  • Large membrane reserves may explain the difficulty in activating mechanogated channels under acute stress.