Osmotic water permeability of cell membranes from Mesembryanthemum crystallinum leaves:: effects of age and salinity

The osmotic water permeability (P-os) of cell membranes isolated from leaves of 40-, 50- and 60-day-old Mesembryanthemum crystallinum plants was estimated by measuring light-scattering kinetics using stopped-flow spectrophotometry. The measurements were performed on the plasma membrane (PM), purified tonoplast (TP), and TP-enriched vesicles. The PM and TP-enriched vesicles were obtained by partitioning the microsomal fraction in an aqueous polymer two-phase system, whereas the purified TP vesicles were prepared by microsomal vesicle flotation on a sucrose cushion. The P-os of isolated membranes declined with plant age. The kinetic experiments showed that there was no difference between the P-os of the PM and TP isolated from plants of all ages. A 24-h exposure of plants to 400 mM NaCl caused a decline in the P-os as well. These findings suggest that, during M. crystallinum transition to CAM, which was induced by plant ageing or salinity, plant osmoregulatory responses included changes in the P-os of the leaf-cell membranes. These variations in the P-os are discussed in the context of adaptive mechanisms responsible for the maintenance of the water balance in the common ice plant.