The role of electrogenic pump in Chara corallina

Analysis of the diffusion theory of negative capacitance: the role of K+ and the unstirred layer thickness

The diffusion theory of negative capacitance is extended to take into account potassium transport as well as proton or hydroxyl transport. It is shown that both the capacitance spectrum and the frequency at which the capacitance is zero can be used to experimentally test the theory. The effects of the fraction of potassium current, membrane conductance, NaCl concentration, and unstirred layer thickness on these two characteristics is investigated. Maximum negative capacitance can be obtained when the current flowing through the membrane is mainly carried by protons, the membrane conductance is high, the solution conductivity is low, and the unstirred layer thickness is large. The effect of a dominant hydroxyl transport in place of a proton transport is also discussed. We suggest simple experiments to test the theory on Characeaen plant cells.

Dependence of the membrane potential on intracellular ATP concentration in tonoplast-free cells of Nitellopsis obtusa

The membrane potential of tonoplast-free cells of Nitellopsis obtusa Graves in relation to the intracellulcar concentration of ATP ([ATP])i was measured using either the ordinary microelectrode method or the open-vacuole method (M. Tazawa, M. Kikuyama and S. Nakagawa, 1975, Plant Cell Physiol. 16, 611). The intracellular ATP concentration was modified in the microelectrode method by introducing into the cell ATP-regenerating media composed of phosphoenolpyruvate and pyruvate kinase, and in the open-vacuole method by continuously perfusing the cell interior with media of known ATP concentrations. Plots of the membrane potential against the [ATP]i follow a rectangular hyperbola. Using the microelectrode method, the maximum ATP-dependent potential was about-120-130 mV and the apparent K m about 10-30 μM. When the openvacuole method was used, the maximum ATP-dependent potential was about 100 mV and the apparent K m about 100 μM. The membrane was still excitable when the [ATP]i was 10 μM but not at 1.7 μM [ATP]i. The membrane resistance increased in parallel with a decrease in [ATP]i or membrane depolarization, but decreased again at a very low [ATP]i (1.7 μM).