Experimental determination of membrane tension

Range ≈0.1 mN/m
Organism Great pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis
Reference OS. Andersen, "Cellular Electrolyte Metabolism", in Encyclopedia of metalloproteins, eds. Robert H Kretsinger Vladimir N Uversky E A Permi?a?kov, Springer 2013 pp.580-587 p.586 right column 2nd paragraph
Primary Source Dai J, Sheetz MP, Wan X, Morris CE (1998) Membrane tension in swelling and shrinking molluscan neurons. J Neurosci 18: 6681–6692PubMed ID9712640
Method (Primary source abstract:) "[Researchers measured] apparent membrane tension of swelling and shrinking Lymnaea neurons."
Comments "Any transmembrane pressure would be associated with a membrane tension, Tmem, given by Laplace’s law (for a spherical cell of radius r): Tmem=?pXr/2 (eq.19). For r=10µm, a pressure difference of 2.5X10^3Pa would produce a tension of 12.5mN/m which is sufficient to tear the membrane apart (primary source). Experimental determinations of Tmem ˜ 0.1mN/m (primary source), meaning that the total solute concentrations in the two compartments differ by only ~4µM, or ~0.001%. It is reasonable to invoke osmotic balance."
Entered by Uri M
ID 110765