An investigation into plasmolysis in the oomycete Achlya bisexualis reveals that membrane-wall attachment points are sensitive to peptides containing the sequence RGD and that cell wall deposition can occur despite retraction of the protoplast.

The structure and function of membrane-wall attachment sites in walled cells, and how these relate to animal focal adhesions, is an area that is poorly understood. In view of this, we investigated how membrane-wall attachments that form upon plasmolysis, respond to peptides that disrupt animal focal adhesions. The degree of cytoplasmic disruption during plasmolysis was also investigated.