Studies on the Growth in Culture of Plant Cells: II. CHANGES IN RESPIRATION RATE AND NITROGEN CONTENT ASSOCIATED WITH THE GROWTH OFACER PSEUDOPLATANUSL. CELLS IN SUSPENSION CULTURE

Abstract

Changes in nitrogen content and in respiration rate have been investigated in cell suspension cultures of Acer pseudoplatanus. Nitrogen content and rate of oxygen uptake rise sharply early in the period of culture, during which there is no significant increase in dry weight and only a small increase in cell number. During the subsequent period of rapid cell division there is a decline in both respiration rate and nitrogen content per mg dry weight or per cell. Pronounced rises in respiration rate and cell nitrogen therefore occur prior to the period of rapid cell division. The strong correlation between nitrogen content and oxygen consumption suggests that the respiration rate is much more closely related to changes in protein content than to changes in cell number, dry weight, or packed-cell volume.