Distribution of radioactivity of 14C-amino acids added to the medium in cells and metabolites in cultures of rumen fungi.

A mixture of L-(U-14C) amino acids was added to cultures of 11 strains of rumen anaerobic fungi belonging to Neocallimastix frontalis, Neocallimastix joyonii, Sphaeromonas communis and Piromonas communis. Fungi were grown in a complex medium with glucose for 4 days. The radioactivity was found in cellular protein (27.7-65.3% of the total radioactivity recovered), lactate (16.9-41.8%), volatile fatty acids (7.4-25.7%) and ethanol (4.6-10.5%). A small amount of radioactivity was recovered in lipids (0.2-1.8%) and CO2 (0.3-1.0%). The results suggest that the assimilation of amino acids by growing fungal cells was quantitatively comparable with their dissimilation to metabolites.