Article,
THE PRESSURE PROBE: A Versatile Tool in Plant Cell Physiology
Annual Review of Plant Physiology, (1999)
Abstract
This review discusses how the pressure probe has evolved from an instrument for measuring cell turgor and other water relations parameters into a device for sampling the contents of individual higher plant cells in situ in the living plant. Together with a suite of microanalytical techniques it has permitted the map- ping of water and solute relations at the resolution of single cells and has the potential to link quantitatively the traditionally separate areas of water relations and metabolism. The development of the probe is outlined and its modi?cation to measure root pressure and xylem tension described. The deployment of the pressure probe to determine and map turgor, hydraulic conductivity, re?ection coef?cient, cell rheological properties, solute concentrations and enzyme activi- ties at the resolution of single cells is discussed. The controversy surrounding the interpretation of results obtained with the xylem-pressure probe is included. Pos- sible further developments of the probe and applications of single cell sampling are suggested.
