Summary
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1.
Existing evidence for the formation of morphological membranes at protoplasmic surfaces in the living plant protoplast is reviewed and judged inadequate.
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2.
Cases from the literature and from the author's work are cited to show that micromanipulation may be employed in the investigation of this problem without perceptible disturbance of the normal condition of the protoplast.
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3.
Investigation of plasmolyzed and unplasmolyzed protoplasts with the microneedle indicates:
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a)
That there is an external layer, or plasmalemma, surrounding the protoplast, which, while fluid, is more elastic and more extensile than the remainder of the cytoplasm.
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b)
That a similar, but less elastic layer, the tonoplast, surrounds the vacuole.
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c)
That the mesoplasm is much less extensile than the tonoplast and plasmalemma between which it lies.
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d)
That the nucleus is surrounded by at least one membrane of either cytoplasmic or nuclear origin. The nuclear material, while highly elastic and showing the properties of a hydrophilic colloid, nevertheless is part of the osmotic system which the entire nucleus constitutes.
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Plowe, J.Q. Membranes in the plant cell. Protoplasma 12, 196–220 (1931). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01618716
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01618716