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Changes in intracellular glycerol content during osmoregulation in unicellular green alga Dunaliella salina

Li Hongping, Jiao Xinzhi

Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology, Academia Sinica. Shanghai

Abstract

Intracellular glycerol content of D. salina increased after hyperosmotic shock and decreased after hypoosmotic shock. The respiration of algal cells was highly stimulated by hypoosmotic shock, oxygen uptake per cell increased by 60% or more. Hyperosmotic shock stimulated the respiration of algal cell much less than hypoosmotic shock. KCN 1 mmol/L and SHAM 2 mmol/L inhibited the change of respiration and the contents of intracellular glycerol, ATP and starch during osmoregulation caused by hypoosmotic shock, but they had more complicated effects on the metabolism during hyperosmotic regulation. It is concluded that during the adaptation to hypoosmotic shock the energy needed for glycerol degradation is supplied by both normal respiration pathway(KCN sensitive) and alternative pathway(SHAM sensitive); while that during the adaptation to hyperosmotic shock is supplied by normal pathway in darkness, and mainly by electron transport chain in light. During hypoosmotic regulation intracellular starch content increased and the glycerol content decreased, during hyperosmotic regulation starch sontent decreased while glycerol content increased.

Key words: Dunaliella salina;Osmoregulation;Glycerol;KCN;Salicylhydroxamic acid

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Citing This Article：

Li Hongping, Jiao Xinzhi. Changes in intracellular glycerol content during osmoregulation in unicellular green alga Dunaliella salina. Acta Physiol Sin 1994; 46 (1): (in Chinese with English abstract).