Nature of the iron requirement for chick embryo cells cultured in the presence of horse serum

Abstract

Chick or bovine transferrin induces proliferation of chick embryo cells cultured in the presence of horse serum, which cannot itself assure their multiplication. Cell growth can also be induced by iron salts and iron complexes such as hemoglobin or hemin, but also by biliverdin which has no iron atom in its molecule.