A NEW ROTATION PHENOMENA OF CELLS INDUCED BY HOMOGENEOUS ELECTRIC-FIELD

When at least two plant protoplasts are located close to each other under homogeneous electric field, almost all of the cells rotate in the vicinity of its frequency of 10 kHz and specific cells in the vicinity of 10 MHz. The first rotation occurs in the plane constituted by the connecting line between two cells and the applied electric field line. This angular velocity increases with the square of the field strength. On the other hand, the second rotation or new rotation occurs in any plane and its angular velocity complicatedly depends on the field strength. Furthermore, when two cells are arranged in such a way that their connecting line is parallel to the applied field, the second rotation occurs but the first does not. The distinctive feature of the second rotation can be explained by the anisotropic dielectric in the cell due to the shape of its vacuole. © 1990 The Japan Society of Applied Physics.