Reminiscences of work with Alex Hope: the movement of water and ions in giant algal cells, 1963-1967.

This article, from the Tribute to Alex Hope Symposium at the 2008 Australian Society for Biophysics meeting, represents reminiscences of PhD studies done under my former supervisor, Professor Alex Hope. The studies demonstrated and quantified electroosmosis in giant algal cells of Chara and isolated segments of cell wall by measuring instantaneous current-induced volume flows. The studies also uncovered and modelled an unstirred-layer transport number effect that gave rise to an additional transiently increasing current-induced volume flow component, which could be mistaken for electroosmosis. In addition, action potential induced volume flows and pressure changes were measured in these cells and successfully modelled. An appreciation of the influence of Alex Hope and his laboratory environment, together with some of the further studies that resulted from this work, is also mentioned.