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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America logoLink to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
. 1989 Jan;86(2):520–523. doi: 10.1073/pnas.86.2.520

Membrane phase transitions are responsible for imbibitional damage in dry pollen

John H Crowe *,†, Folkert A Hoekstra *,‡, Lois M Crowe *
PMCID: PMC286503  PMID: 16594011

Abstract

We have found that the most probable cause of the leakage seen when dry cells or organisms such as seeds, pollen, or yeast cells are plunged into water is a gel to liquid crystalline phase transition in membrane phospholipids accompanying rehydration. By using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy we have recorded infrared spectra of CH2 stretching vibrations in dry and partially hydrated intact pollen grains of Typha latifolia. The vibrational frequency changes abruptly as phospholipids pass through the gel to liquid crystalline phase transition. Below the apparent transition, viable pollen shows low germination and high leakage when placed in water, but above the transition germination increases and leakage decreases. The apparent transition temperature falls with increasing water content, much as in pure phospholipids. By using this phenomenon, it was possible to construct a hydration-dependent phase diagram for the intact pollen. This phase diagram has immediate applications since it has high predictive value for the viability of the pollen when it is placed in water.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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