title: Lack of appreciation of the role of osmotically unresponsive water in cell volume regulation.
abstract: The osmotic responsiveness of cell water has been re-evaluated of reports on the osmotic behaviour of cells. In seven animal cell types, the osmotically unresponsive water (OUR) fraction values ranged from 0.75 to 2.41 g water/g dry mass (g/g), and from 25 to 92% of the total cell water. Protein confirmation, aggregation and crowding play a major, but under-recognised, role in determining the extent of OUR and the regulation of cell volume. Volume regulation studies that do not take into account the role of OUR must be judged incomplete.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cellular and Structural Biology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, 78229-3900, USA.
authors.forename: Ivan L
authors.initials: IL
authors.lastname: Cameron
authors.forename: Gary D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Fullerton
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002463:Cell Membrane Permeability / Q000502:physiology; D048429:Cell Size; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D006198:Hair Cells, Auditory / Q000502:physiology*; D009994:Osmolar Concentration; D009995:Osmosis / Q000502:physiology*; D011894:Rana pipiens; D014867:Water / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D014867:Water
keywords: cells; osmosis; volume regulation; water