Biophysical Journal 63: 663-672 (1992)
© 1992 the Biophysical Society

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Pools of water in anhydrobiotic organisms

A thermally stimulated depolarization current study

Fabio Bruni ^*  and A. Carl Leopolo 

Section of Plant Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853 USA
Boyce-Thompson Institute, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853 USA

ABSTRACT

The ability to survive the removal of water in anhydrous biosystems is especially remarkable as a departure from the manifold structural and functional dependences on the presence of H₂O molecules. Identifiable pools of water present in dry soybean axes were investigated by means of the thermally stimulated depolarization current method. Samples were examined in the temperature range 100-340 K and over water contents (h, in gram H₂O per gram sample dry weight) ranging from h = 0.05 to 0.30 g/g. Three water-dependent relaxation mechanisms were detected; one attributed to dipolar reorientation of H₂O molecules hydrogen-bonded to other water molecules, one to reorientation of CH₂OH groups, and one to a glass transition in sugar-water domains. These glassy domains can protect intracellular components against destruction in the dehydrated state. Interestingly, protecting glassy domains were not found in dehydration intolerant seeds, supporting the hypothesis that the ability to withstand dehydration is associated with intracellular glass formation. A model for the state of cell water at interfaces is proposed.

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