Some Factors Governing Respiration, Glucose Metabolism and Iodoacetate Sensitivity in Tetrahymena pyriformis*

Abstract

SYNOPSIS. The physiologic response of Tetrahymena pyriformis W to glucose, as measured by the respiratory rate in a buffered suspension, was found to be altered by exposure of the culture to this carbohydrate in the peptone‐based growth medium. Glucose‐grown cells had an elevated respiratory rate in the presence of glucose in the Tris‐buffered suspension, while cells not grown with the glucose supplement required sodium and potassium for the response. Orthophosphate elevated the rate of oxygen consumption independently of the glucose effect. The endogenous respiratory of glucose and non‐glucose cultured cells were significantly diffe The 2 types of cells responded differently to the cations, sod and potassium, and were not identical in sensitivity to iodoacet Iodoacetate poisoning was found to be due to inhibition of “uncompetitive” type, potentiated by glucose, orthophosphate, the absence of potassium.