Dielectric Behavior of Yeast Cells Treated with HgCl2 and Cetyl Trimethyl Ammonium Bromide

The change in dielectric properties caused by the destruction of the transport barrier of yeast cells has been investigated. Dielectric measurements were made over the frequency range of 1 kc to 2 Mc by using “leaky” yeast cells prepared by treatments with HgCl₂ or CTAB (cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide). The Hg-treated cells were observed to give smaller dielectric constants and lower critical frequencies as compared with that of the intact cells, while the CTAB-treated cells gave no clear-cut dielectric dispersion. These observations are interpreted on the basis of Maxwell-Wagner's theory as indicating the changes in the intracellular conductivity, the membrane capacitance and the membrane conductance.