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THE PERMEABILITY OF CELLS FOR OXYGEN AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE FOR THE THEORY OF STIMULATION
1Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole.
The Journal of General Physiology
|October 30, 2009
Summary
Living cells readily absorb oxygen, similar to dead cells, indicating that oxygen
Area of Science:
- Cell biology
- Plant physiology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Cellular respiration relies on oxygen uptake.
- Understanding oxygen permeability is crucial for cellular function.
- Previous studies suggested oxygen availability limits cellular oxidation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the permeability of living cells to oxygen.
- To determine if sudden oxygen influx triggers increased cellular oxidation.
- To elucidate the mechanism behind oxygen-dependent oxidations in plant cells.
Main Methods:
- Utilized an indicator method to assess oxygen permeability.
- Compared oxygen uptake in living versus dead plant cells.
- Exposed living plant cells to high oxygen pressures.
Main Results:
- Living cells exhibit oxygen permeability comparable to dead cells.
- Sudden oxygen admission does not directly increase cellular oxidation.
- High oxygen pressures in living cells did not immediately initiate oxidations seen in dead cells.
Conclusions:
- Cellular oxygen permeability is high, but intracellular phase boundaries maintain separation of reactants (chromogen and oxidase) in living cells.
- Increased oxygen concentration can eventually lead to cellular injury.
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