A re-examination of the minor role of unstirred layers during the measurement of transport coefficients of Chara corallina internodes with the cell pressure probe

Abstract

The impact of unstirred layers (USLs) during cell pressure probe experiments with Chara corallina internodes has been quantified. The results show that the hydraulic conductivity (Lp) measured in hydrostatic relaxations was not significantly affected by USLs even in the presence of high water flow intensities ('sweep-away effect'). During pressure clamp, there was a reversible reduction in Lp by 20%, which was explained by the constriction of water to aquaporins (AQPs) in the C. corallina membrane and a rapid diffusional equilibration of solutes in arrays where water protruded across AQPs. In osmotic experiments, Lp, and permeability (Ps) and reflection (σs) coefficients increased as external flow rate of medium increased, indicating some effects of external USLs. However, the effect was levelling off at 'usual' flow rates of 0.20-0.30 m s-1 and in the presence of vigorous stirring by air bubbles, suggesting a maximum thickness of external USLs of around 30 μm including the cell wall. Because the diameters of internodes were around 1 mm, internal USLs could have played a significant or even a dominating role, at least in the presence of the rapidly permeating solutes used [acetone, 2-propanol and dimethylformamide (DMF)]. A comparison of calculated (diffusion kinetics) and of measured permeabilities indicated an upper limit of the contribution of USLs for the rapidly moving solute acetone of 29%, and of 15% for the less rapidly permeating DMF. The results throw some doubt on recent claims that in C. corallina, USLs rather than the cell membrane dominate solute uptake, at least for the most rapidly moving solute acetone. © 2006 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.