Related Experiment Videos
Changes in plasma membrane fluidity of Bryonia dioica internodes during thigmomorphogenesis
C Mathieu1, C Motta, M A Hartmann
1U.A. Physiologie Intégrée de l'Arbre Fruitier, INRA-Université Blaise Pascal, Clermont-Ferrand, France.
Biochimica Et Biophysica Acta
|May 4, 1995
Summary
Mechanical stimulation of Bryonia dioica internodes rapidly increases plasma membrane (PM) lipid fluidity, linked to specific phospholipids and fatty acid unsaturation. This effect reverses within 48 hours.
Area of Science:
- Plant cell biology
- Biophysics
- Membrane biophysics
Background:
- Plasma membrane (PM) fluidity is crucial for plant cell function.
- Mechanical stimuli can alter plant cell membrane properties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of mechanical stimulation on plasma membrane fluidity in Bryonia dioica.
- To identify molecular changes associated with altered membrane fluidity.
Main Methods:
- Utilized steady-state fluorescence polarization with 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH) as a probe.
- Isolated native membranes from Bryonia dioica internodes.
- Analyzed lipid and protein content, including phospholipid species and fatty acyl chains.
Main Results:
- Mechanical stimulation rapidly increased bulk lipid fluidity.
- Observed relative enrichment in specific phospholipids (PC, PG, PS) and increased unsaturation index of fatty acyl chains.
- Free sterols and protein content were not implicated; fluidity decreased after 48 hours.
Conclusions:
- Mechanical stress induces rapid changes in plant plasma membrane fluidity.
- Specific lipid compositional changes, particularly in phospholipids and fatty acids, underlie this response.
- The observed fluidity changes are transient, with a return to baseline or lower fluidity after prolonged stimulation.