Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Osmosis

Osmosis

Approximately 60% to 95% of the weight of living organisms is attributed to water. Therefore, maintaining appropriate water balance within cells is of paramount importance. Osmosis is the movement of water across a semipermeable membrane, such as a cell’s plasma membrane. In living organisms, water plays a crucial role as a solvent—a molecule that dissolves other molecules.

Osmosis

Osmosis

Osmosis is the movement of free water molecules through a semipermeable membrane. The water's concentration gradient across the membrane is inversely proportional to the solutes' concentration. Whereas diffusion transports material across membranes and within cells, osmosis transports only water across a membrane, and the membrane limits the diffusion of solutes in the water. Osmosis is a special case of diffusion.
Water, like other substances, moves from a high concentration of...

Fruit Development, Structure, and Function

Fruit Development, Structure, and Function

Fruits form from a mature flower ovary. As seeds develop from the ovules contained within, the ovary wall undergoes a series of complex changes to form fruit. In some fruits, such as soybeans, the ovary wall dries; in other fruits, such as grapes, it remains fleshy. In some cases, organs other than the ovary contribute to fruit formation; such fruits are called accessory fruits.

Osmosis and Osmotic Pressure of Solutions

Osmosis and Osmotic Pressure of Solutions

A number of natural and synthetic materials exhibit selective permeation, meaning that only molecules or ions of a certain size, shape, polarity, charge, and so forth, are capable of passing through (permeating) the material. Biological cell membranes provide elegant examples of selective permeation in nature, while dialysis tubing used to remove metabolic wastes from blood is a more simplistic technological example. Regardless of how they may be fabricated, these materials are generally...

Tonicity in Plants

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...

Tonicity in Plants

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.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Erratum to "From foodborne to environmental Yersinia enterocolitica: Comparative insights into antimicrobial resistance and virulence for food safety" [Food Res. Int. 238 (2026) 119442].

Food research international (Ottawa, Ont.)·2026

Same author

Tandem Repeat Gene Strategy for High-Yield Production and Functional Evaluation of Bioactive Wheat Oligopeptides.

Applied biochemistry and biotechnology·2026

Same author

The core symptoms of elementary school students' fear of negative evaluation and its network relationship with self-confidence and family atmosphere.

Acta psychologica·2026

Same author

The protective effects and mechanisms of Erucic acid in allergic rhinitis via the MyD88/NF-κB pathway.

European journal of pharmacology·2026

Same author

Antiaging Effects of Mannose-6-Phosphate through Enhanced Mitochondrial Function and Collagen Remodeling.

ACS omega·2026

Same author

Research on Carbonation Resistance of Modified/Non-Portland Cements in Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage-Enhanced Oil Recovery.

Materials (Basel, Switzerland)·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 13, 2025

Colletotrichum fioriniae Development in Water and Chloroform-based Blueberry and Cranberry Floral Extracts

Colletotrichum fioriniae Development in Water and Chloroform-based Blueberry and Cranberry Floral Extracts

Published on: April 12, 2019

A Development-Associated Decrease in Osmotic Potential Contributes to Fruit Ripening Initiation in Strawberry

Kenan Jia¹, Qing Zhang², Yu Xing²

¹College of International Education, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, China.

Frontiers in Plant Science

|August 6, 2020

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Decreased osmotic potential (DOP) during strawberry fruit development triggers ripening initiation. This osmotic shift, linked to molecular changes and osmotin-like proteins, drives key ripening processes.

Keywords:

fruit development fruit ripening osmotic potential osmotin strawberry water potential

More Related Videos

Combining Histochemical Staining and Image Analysis to Quantify Starch in the Ovary Primordia of Sweet Cherry during Winter Dormancy

Combining Histochemical Staining and Image Analysis to Quantify Starch in the Ovary Primordia of Sweet Cherry during Winter Dormancy

Published on: March 20, 2019

Fruit Volatile Analysis Using an Electronic Nose

Fruit Volatile Analysis Using an Electronic Nose

Published on: March 30, 2012

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Dec 13, 2025

Colletotrichum fioriniae Development in Water and Chloroform-based Blueberry and Cranberry Floral Extracts

Colletotrichum fioriniae Development in Water and Chloroform-based Blueberry and Cranberry Floral Extracts

Published on: April 12, 2019

Combining Histochemical Staining and Image Analysis to Quantify Starch in the Ovary Primordia of Sweet Cherry during Winter Dormancy

Combining Histochemical Staining and Image Analysis to Quantify Starch in the Ovary Primordia of Sweet Cherry during Winter Dormancy

Published on: March 20, 2019

Fruit Volatile Analysis Using an Electronic Nose

Fruit Volatile Analysis Using an Electronic Nose

Published on: March 30, 2012

Area of Science:

Plant Physiology
Molecular Biology
Fruit Science

Background:

Fruit ripening involves significant changes in cellular composition, including increased soluble solids.
This leads to a decrease in osmotic potential (DOP), a factor less explored in ripening initiation.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the role of development-associated decrease in osmotic potential (DOP) in initiating strawberry fruit ripening.
To identify molecular mechanisms underlying DOP-induced ripening.

Main Methods:

Analysis of fruit water potential and osmotic potential during ripening.
Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to study molecular changes.
Bioinformatic analysis to identify osmotin-like proteins (OLPs).
Gene expression analysis of OLPs and ripening-associated genes.
Induction of DOP using mannitol or water loss.

Main Results:

Fruit water potential significantly decreases at ripening onset due to DOP.
Catabolism of large molecules and identification of osmotin-like proteins (OLPs) were observed.
Over half of OLP gene expression increased during ripening and responded to DOP.
Induced DOP (via mannitol or water loss) triggered ripening, evidenced by gene expression and physiological changes.

Conclusions:

Development-associated decrease in osmotic potential (DOP) is a key contributor to strawberry fruit ripening initiation.
Osmotin-like proteins (OLPs) are likely involved in osmolyte accommodation during this process.
DOP acts as a trigger for ripening, influencing gene expression and physiological parameters.