The Metabolism of Glucose by the Alga Ochromonas malhamensis.

Abstract

These studies showed that under anaerobic conditions, dark grown, young resting cells produced 1.6 M carbon dioxide, 1.75 M ethanol and traces of lactic acid from each mole of glucose fermented. When glucose-1-C14 (specific activity 13) was fermented, the tracer was found exclusively in the methyl carbon of ethanol (sp. activity 40). Glucose-6-C14 gave similar data. The addition of 2.5 x 10-3M arsenite during dissimilation of glucose caused pyrruvic and lactic acids to accumulate. Pyruvic acid formed during the oxidation of glucose-2-C14 (sp. ac. 18.2) had tracer exclusively in the alpha carbon (sp. ac. 52). Pyruvic acid formed aerobically from glucose-1-C14 (sp. ac. 8.3) was labeled in the methyl carbon (sp. ac. 25). The carbon dioxide arising during these oxidations was unlabeled. These studies indicate that the Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas pathway is the major, if not the sole means, of glucose dissimilation by this organism.