Growth of chilomonas paramecium in mass cultures

✍ Scribed by Hutchens, John O.

• Publisher: Wiley (John Wiley & Sons)
• Year: 1948
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 481 KB
• Volume: 32
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0095-9898
• DOI: 10.1002/jcp.1030320202

✦ Synopsis

Following the original observations of Mast and Pace ('33) various workers '38 ; Bowen, '40 ; Smith, '40 : IIntcbens, '40, '41) confirmed the fact that Chiloinanas parnnzecitm could be grown ia solutions to wllich only the following were known to hare been added: NH,T, Na+, Kt, Mgft, C a r , CH,COO-, Cl-, PO,---, arid SO,--. Of these, only Burrows and Hutchens used maps eultiires, the others growing the organisms in small drops on ilepression slides. Both workers using mass cultures described the following sequence of events: Increase in cell numbers to ca. 5,000 cells/ml in 48 hours ; maximal population, maintained at this level, from tlie 2nd to 4th clay; and, firially, cluniping arid death of the cells on the 4th and 5th days.

This scqaencc of events can be avoided and much greater populations of Cliilomonas obtained if thiamin is added to the hasic solution. Lwoff and Dusi ('38) have sliowii that C'h iZo.1.lzonas requires thiamin or the pyrimidine and thiaaole components f o r abundant growth. This 71-m conlirmed by Hutchens ('41) wlio also sho~ved that chilomonads grown in the ostensilnly iron free media described above contain cyto-'The work reported here was begun i n 1939-1940 in the Department of Biologiral Chcmistry, Harvaid Nedicnl School mhile the author was B National Research Fellow arid continued in 1940-1941 a t the Johns Hopkins University where thr author was Johnston Scholar. The work was then interrupted by tlie war.