Summary
We have carried out calorimetric determinations of the overall metabolism ofAmoeba proteus. There was no significant difference in metabolic activity between cells that were starved 3, 4, and 5 days. After 7 and 10 days a significantly lower metabolism was found (p < 0.05).
The mean value of heat production rate (thermal power) for the cells after 3 days starvation was found to be 0.84 ± 0.14 nW/cell. Optimal number of cells in the ampoule (1,500–4,800) was accompanied by a steady-state power-time curve. With higher cell concentrations (> 5,000) the power-time curve showed an initial peak. The fall in heat production after about 1 hour varied between 30–60%. The decrease in power value was much larger than expected from cell mortality during the calorimetric experiment.
Increasing number of cells (range 1,500–10,000) in the calorimetric ampoule caused a decrease of heat production rate per cell. The correlation coefficient was r=−0.85(p < 0.001). The coefficient of variation of the method was found to be 4.8 %. It seems that the use of microcalorimetric technique can be valuable in recording metabolic events in protozoes.
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Nässberger, L., Monti, M. Assessment of overall metabolism inAmoeba proteus measured by a microcalorimetric method. Protoplasma 123, 135–139 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01283583
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01283583