STUDIES ON THE PHOSPHATE METABOLISM OF SOME UNICELLULAR ORGANISMS
This extract was created in the absence of an abstract.
Excerpt
I. Introduction
It is now widely appreciated that the metabolic significance of phosphate derives from its participation in esterification reactions (phosphorylation) which may be utilized in biochemical processes both for storage of energy and for specific syntheses of cellular components. The formation of phosphate esters is mediated in the living cell by enzymes (phosphoferrases, phosphorylases, phosphatases) which together with a wide variety of phosphate-containing substrates make up a highly organized complex of chemical systems through which a constant flux of metabolites is maintained in the living cell. In resting and mature cells, regulation mechanisms produce a steady state condition in which overall chemical composition is essentially constant. Experimental examination of metabolic reactions in such systems requires use of techniques which serve to distinguish chemical species while no gross changes in chemical composition are occurring, a situation demanding the employment of isotopic tracers. In what follows we will be concerned with...
