title: What retains water in living cells?
abstract: Three types of evidence are presented showing that the retention of cell water does not necessarily depend on the possession of an intact cell membrane. The data agree with the concept that water retention in cells is due to multilayer adsorption on proteins and that the maintenance of the normal state of water relies on the presence of adenosine triphosphate as a cardinal adsorbent, controlling the protein conformations.
mesh_terms: D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001001:Anura; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism; D002477:Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D002498:Centrifugation; D003486:Cyanides / Q000494:pharmacology; D004140:Dinitrophenols / Q000494:pharmacology; D007461:Iodoacetates / Q000494:pharmacology; D008954:Models, Biological; D009132:Muscles; D011487:Protein Conformation; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D011894:Rana pipiens; D051381:Rats; D014867:Water / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D003486:Cyanides; D004140:Dinitrophenols; D007461:Iodoacetates; D011506:Proteins; D014867:Water; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate