How Do You Spell PLASMOLYSE?

1. Plasmolysis is a biological process observed in plant cells when they lose water due to exposure to a hypertonic solution, resulting in the shrinking of the protoplast and subsequent detachment of the plasma membrane from the cell wall. This phenomenon occurs as a consequence of water movement from a region of higher water potential, inside the cell, to a region of lower water potential, outside the cell, across a semi-permeable membrane, namely the plasma membrane.

   During plasmolysis, as the water molecules leave the cell, the vacuole shrinks, the cytoplasm becomes concentrated, and the cell membrane detaches from the cell wall. This detachment occurs because the cell membrane contracts, separating from the rigid cell wall, leading to the characteristic formation of gaps between the cell wall and the plasma membrane. These gaps are referred to as "plasmolysis spaces." The degree or extent of plasmolysis depends on the concentration gradient between the external solution and the cytoplasm of the cell.

   Plasmolysis is a reversible process. When the plant cell is placed back in a hypotonic solution, where the external solution has a lower solute concentration compared to the cell, water re-enters the cell through osmosis. Consequently, the cytoplasm swells, and the plasma membrane reattaches to the cell wall, restoring the normal state of the cell. This process allows the plant cell to survive and adapt to changing environmental conditions.

The word "plasmolyse" originates from the Greek words "plassō" (πλάσσω) meaning "to form" or "to mold" and "lysis" (λύσις) which means "loosening" or "dissolution". In the context of biology, "plasmolysis" refers to the shrinking or contraction of the cytoplasm in a cell due to water loss, often caused by an external hypertonic solution. The term was coined by Hugo von Mohl, a German botanist, in the mid-19th century.

Conjugate verb Plasmolyse