Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 19, 2026

06:43
Functional Assessment of Intestinal Tight Junction Barrier and Ion Permeability in Native Tissue by Ussing Chamber Technique
Published on: May 26, 2021
CONDUCTIVITY AND PERMEABILITY.
1Laboratory of Plant Physiology, Harvard University, Cambridge.
The Journal of General Physiology
|October 30, 2009
Summary
Electrical current in plants splits between cell walls and protoplasm. Calculations confirm that whole tissue resistance studies accurately reflect protoplasm resistance and ion permeability.
Area of Science:
- Plant physiology
- Biophysics
Background:
- Electrical current flow in plant tissues involves both cell walls and protoplasm.
- Understanding ion transport is crucial for plant cell function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To calculate the distribution of electrical current between plant cell walls and protoplasm.
- To determine if whole tissue resistance studies reflect protoplasm properties.
Main Methods:
- Electrical measurements of plant tissue resistance.
- Calculations to partition current flow through cell walls versus protoplasm.
Main Results:
- The relative current flow through cell walls and protoplasm was successfully calculated.
- Results indicated that whole tissue resistance is a valid indicator of protoplasm resistance.
Conclusions:
- Findings from whole tissue resistance studies are applicable to protoplasm resistance.
- This validates the use of tissue-level measurements to infer protoplasm ion permeability.
Related Concept Videos
Electrical Conductivity
In perfect conductors, the electric field inside is always zero due to the abundance of free electrons, which nullify any field by flowing. As a result, any residual charge resides on the surface.
In a practical conductor, an applied electric field may be sustained, causing a flow of electrons, which produce a current. The differential form of the current, the current density, is related to the electric field.
More generally, it is related to the force per unit charge, which involves the...
In a practical conductor, an applied electric field may be sustained, causing a flow of electrons, which produce a current. The differential form of the current, the current density, is related to the electric field.
More generally, it is related to the force per unit charge, which involves the...
Electrical Transport
The electrical transport property of a material is defined by its resistance and conductivity. Resistance is the measure of a material's ability to resist the flow of electric current, while conductivity gauges its ability to allow the current to pass through, depending on the geometry of the measurement cell, such as electrode spacing and area. Conductivity is measured in Siemens (S). There are different types of conductance, including specific conductance, equivalent conductance, and molar...
Resistivity
When a voltage is applied to a conductor, an electrical field is generated, and charges in the conductor feel the force due to the electrical field. The current density that results depends on the electrical field and the properties of the material. In some materials, including metals at a given temperature, the current density is approximately proportional to the electrical field. In these cases, the current density can be modeled as:
Magnetic Susceptibility and Permeability
In linear magnetic materials, like paramagnets and diamagnets, magnetization is proportional to the magnetic field intensity. The constant of proportionality, a dimensionless number, is called magnetic susceptibility. The value of the susceptibility depends on the type of material.
When diamagnetic materials are placed under an external magnetic field, the moments opposite to the field are induced. Hence, the susceptibility for diamagnets has a minimal negative value of 10-5–10-6. Since...
When diamagnetic materials are placed under an external magnetic field, the moments opposite to the field are induced. Hence, the susceptibility for diamagnets has a minimal negative value of 10-5–10-6. Since...
Boundary Conditions for Current Density
Current density becomes discontinuous across an interface of materials with different electrical conductivities. The normal component of the current density is continuous across the boundary.
Susceptibility, Permittivity and Dielectric Constant
When placed in an external electric field, a dielectric material gets polarized. The charge density in the dielectric material is given by the sum of the bound and free charge densities, while the total charge density can also be written in terms of the total electric field. The bound charge density can be measured in terms of polarization, leading to the relationship between electric displacement and polarization.
