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Abstract
SUMMARY: The substrate of basal respiration of conidia of Fusarium culmorum (W. G. Smith) Sacc. was found to be a mixture of triglycerides. The rate of utilization of this substrate increased when the conidia germinated. One of the main products of glucose metabolism in the germinating conidium was glucosamine which was a major constituent of the hyphal and conidial walls. The conidia fixed atmospheric carbon dioxide primarily into one compound, probably glutamine. Experiments on the conditions necessary for the swelling of the conidia indicated that metabolic pathways are involved, possibly terminating in the formation of glucosamine as the compound which initiates swelling. The use of tritiated water eliminated a theory of selective permeability as the mechanism for swelling; a theory based on a change in the elasticity of the conidial wall is now proposed.
- Accepted:
- Published Online: