Dielectric spectroscopy as a novel and convenient tool for the study of the shear sensitivity of plant cells in suspension culture

Abstract

Plant cell suspensions of different species and different age were subjected to hydrodynamic stress while following the decline in the volume fraction of intact cells by measuring the permittivity of the cell suspension at radio frequencies. Results were compared with the fresh weight, dry weight, packed cell volume and cell number of the suspensions. At first a rapid decline is seen as the most shear-sensitive cells are broken up, followed by a slower decline as less sensitive cells are broken up. The sensitivity of the cells to shear stress depended strongly on the cell line used but only slightly on their age, older cells being more sensitive. The dependence of the shear sensitivity on the cell line might be an effect of the species investigated, the culturing conditions of the cell line, or both. It was found that cells that grow in a finely dispersed suspension are much less prone to shear stress than is often assumed.