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Nutrition of a Hemoflagellate ( Leishmania tarentolae ) Having an Interchangeable Requirement for Choline or Pyridoxal.
Author(s) -
Trager William
Publication year - 1957
Publication title -
the journal of protozoology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.067
H-Index - 77
eISSN - 1550-7408
pISSN - 0022-3921
DOI - 10.1111/j.1550-7408.1957.tb02519.x
Subject(s) - pyridoxine , choline , pantothenic acid , biochemistry , pyridoxal , pyridoxamine , glycine , chemistry , methionine , amino acid , thiamine , nicotinamide , lecithin , alanine , biotin , vitamin , phosphate , enzyme
SUMMARY. Leptomonads of Leishmania tarentolae were grown continuously in a defined medium containing: inorganic salts', glucose, hemin, 17 amino acids, purines and pyrimidines, and a mixture of vitamins of the B group. In this medium the population of organisms reached about 20 to 50 million per ml. alter 1 week at 27°C. Only slightly better growth occurred in a partially defined medium containing bovine plasma fraction V. In earlier experiments, however, omission of the plasma fraction resulted in decreased growth, and under these circumstances cholesterol or lecithin had growth‐stimulating effects. In later experiments in the fully‐defined medium no effect of these lipids could be found. The leptomonads were shown to require at least the following substances: inorganic salts; a source of purines and pyrimidines; tryptophan and the nine other amino acids essential for the growth of rats, glutamic acid, tyrosine, proline, serine, one or more of the group alanine, glycine and aspartic acid; folic acid, biotin, pantothenic acid, nicotinamide, riboflavm, thiamine, and either pyridoxine plus choline or pyridoxal or pyridoxamine. Choline at 2 × 10 −5 m gave optimal growth in the presence of pyridoxine at 1 × 10 −5 m. In a medium with a suboptimal concentration of choline (0.4 × 10 −5 m) the leptomonads grew through nine transfers but they were mostly somewhat rounded and aflagellate.