Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 5, 2026
10:10
A Simple Dry Sectioning Method for Obtaining Whole-Seed-Sized Resin Section and Its Applications
Published on: January 23, 2021
4.1K
Membrane organization in soybean seeds during hydration.
V Seewaldt1, D A Priestley, A C Leopold
1Boyce Thompson Institute, Cornell University, 14853, Ithaca, NY, USA.
Planta
|December 5, 2013
Summary
Soybean seed membranes maintain structural integrity when dry. Polar lipids in dehydrated seeds retain a lamellar configuration, crucial for seed survival.
Area of Science:
- Plant biology
- Biophysics
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Seeds exhibit remarkable tolerance to dehydration, suggesting cellular components maintain function in a dry state.
- Cell membranes, composed primarily of polar lipids, are critical for cellular integrity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the structural behavior of polar lipids in soybean seeds during dehydration and rehydration.
- To understand how seed membranes maintain integrity under dry conditions.
Main Methods:
- X-ray diffraction was used to analyze the structure of polar lipids extracted from soybean seeds.
- X-ray diffraction was also applied to intact soybean seed tissue at varying hydration levels.
- Nuclear-magnetic-resonance (NMR) was used to detect the presence of free water within the seed tissue.
Main Results:
- Dehydrated soybean seed polar lipids maintained a lamellar (bilayer) structure.
- Increasing hydration levels caused structural alterations, observed as increased bilayer spacing in both extracted lipids and seed tissue.
- In seed tissue, this structural change occurred at a higher hydration level than in extracted lipids, coinciding with the detection of free water by NMR.
Conclusions:
- Soybean seed polar lipids can form and maintain a stable lamellar structure even when dehydrated.
- The structural integrity of seed membranes is preserved during dehydration due to the properties of polar lipids.
- Cellular components influence water availability and lipid structural transitions in seed tissue compared to isolated lipids.
More Related Videos
06:28Preparation of Intact Tissue for Microscopic Analysis of the Endosperm Cell Layer in Developing and Mature Arabidopsis Seeds
Published on: May 16, 2025
1.3K
13:52Studying the Supramolecular Organization of Photosynthetic Membranes within Freeze-fractured Leaf Tissues by Cryo-scanning Electron Microscopy
Published on: June 23, 2016
11.1K
Related Concept Videos
02:33Seed Structure and Early Development of the Sporophyte
27.7K
Seed structures are composed of a protective seed coat surrounding a plant embryo, and a food store for the developing embryo. The embryo contains the precursor tissues for leaves, stem, and roots. The endosperm and cotyledons—seed leaves—act as the food reserves for the growing embryo.
27.7K
01:14Cell Adhesion in Plants
2.4K
Plants have rigid cell walls that are made up of cell wall polysaccharides that mediate cell-cell adhesion. The primary cell walls of plants consist of two independent and interacting polysaccharide networks: a pectin matrix that embeds the second network comprising cellulose and hemicelluloses.
Pectins are complex heteropolymers mainly composed of negatively-charged α-D-glucopyranosyl uronic acid and some neutral glycosyl residues such as α-L-rhamnopyranose, α-L-arabinofuranose,...
Pectins are complex heteropolymers mainly composed of negatively-charged α-D-glucopyranosyl uronic acid and some neutral glycosyl residues such as α-L-rhamnopyranose, α-L-arabinofuranose,...
2.4K
01:15Cellulose and Pectic Polysaccharides
3.6K
Every plant cell has a cell wall that protects the cell, provides structural support, and gives the cell shape. Cellulose, the main structural component of the plant cell wall, makes up over 30% of plant matter. It is the most abundant organic compound on earth. Cellulose is an unbranched polysaccharide composed of linear chains of glucose molecules linked by β (1→4) glycosidic bonds.
As a cell matures, its cell wall specializes according to its type. For example, the...
As a cell matures, its cell wall specializes according to its type. For example, the...
3.6K
01:26Membrane Fluidity
14.0K
Membrane fluidity is explained by the fluid mosaic model of the cell membrane, which describes the plasma membrane structure as a mosaic of components—including phospholipids, cholesterol, proteins, and carbohydrates—that gives the membrane a fluid character.
Mosaic nature of the membrane
The mosaic characteristic of the membrane helps the plasma membrane remain fluid. The integral proteins and lipids exist as separate but loosely-attached molecules in the membrane. The membrane is...
Mosaic nature of the membrane
The mosaic characteristic of the membrane helps the plasma membrane remain fluid. The integral proteins and lipids exist as separate but loosely-attached molecules in the membrane. The membrane is...
14.0K
01:23Membrane Fluidity
150.1K
Cell membranes are composed of phospholipids, proteins, and carbohydrates loosely attached to one another through chemical interactions. Molecules are generally able to move about in the plane of the membrane, giving the membrane its flexible nature called fluidity. Two other features of the membrane contribute to membrane fluidity: the chemical structure of the phospholipids and the presence of cholesterol in the membrane.
150.1K
00:53Tonicity in Plants
54.0K
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.
54.0K