The Oxidation of 14C-labelled Glucose by Chlorella vulgaris: 1. The Time Course of 14CO2 Production

Glucose, either uniformly labelled with¹⁴C, or specificallylabelled in the I, 2, or 6 position, was added to C. vulgaris.Radio-active carbon dioxide was produced initially ten timesfaster from glucose-I-¹⁴C than from glucose-6-¹⁴C. This differencewas found with carbohydrate-starved cultures, exponentiallygrowing cultures, and cultures assimilating ammonia or nitraterapidly. A similar difference was also found with C. pyrenoidosaand Ankistrodesmus. 37 per cent. of the ¹⁴C added as glucose-¹-¹⁴Cto exponentially growing cells was recovered as carbon dioxidebut generally the recovery was less than this. Only 5 per cent.of ¹⁴C added as glucose-6-¹⁴C was recovered as carbon dioxide.The specific activity of the carbon dioxide produced was considerablylower than that of the carbon in the added glucose.     

Enzymes of the Embden-Meyerhof and Pentose Phosphate Pathways in Polyporus brumalis Extracts

The Paper describes the detection of enzymes of the Embden–Meyerhofand pentose phosphate pathways by spectrophotometric and fluorimetricassays of cell-free extracts of the Basidiomycete Polyporusbrumalis.     

The Oxidation of 14C-labelled Glucose by Chlorella vulgaris: 2. The Fate of Radioactive Carbon

Most of the ¹⁴C added as glucose to carbohydrate-starved cellsof Chlorella Vulgaris can be recovered as alcohol-soluble compoundsor as polysaccharide. Only 5–I6 per cent., depending onthe position of ¹⁴C in the glucose supplied, is released ascarbon dioxide. Similar results were obtained with Chlorellapyrenoidosa and Ankistrodesmus. The labelled alcohol-solublecompounds in Chlorella vulgaris include amino-acids, particularlyglutamic acid, aspartic acid, and alanine, and, when glucose-I-¹⁴Cis metabolized, the amount of ¹⁴C recovered in these amino-acidsis about the same as that recovered as carbon dioxide. Degradationof the glucose incorporated into polysaccharide shown that theC₁ and C₆ atoms of glucose rapidly interchange when in the cells.The bearing of these results on attempts to estimate the relativeimportance of different pathways of glucose breakdown is discussed.     

Observations on the Regulation of Glutamate Dehydrogenase Activity in Coprinus lagopus

Extracts of the mycelium of Coprinus lagopus (sensu Buller)contain two glutamate dehydro-genases with different optimumpH values. One is assayed with nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide(NAD-GDH) and the other with nicotinamide adenine dinucleotidephosphate (NADP-GDH). Changes in specific activity of the enzymeswere investigated during the growth of both a monokaryon (H9)and a dikaryon (H9 x TC) in different media and after the transferof mycelium from one growth medium into another. In the lattercase the magnitude of the changes in enzyme activity could bealtered by modification of either the carbon or the nitrogensource in the transfer medium. It is concluded from the resultsobtained that neither glutamate nor the ammonium ion seems toregulate directly the synthesis of either enzyme. However, someof the results are in accordance with the view that a productof glucose metabolism represses the synthesis of the NAD-GDHand derepresses or induces that of the NADP-CDH and evidencethat this regulator is 2-oxoglutarate was obtained. It is alsoconcluded that the complete system of regulation must involvemore than one molecule.