NUTRITION OF CELLULAR SLIME MOLDS. III. SPECIFIC GROWTH REQUIREMENTS OF POLYSPHONDYLIUM PALLIDUM.

Hohl, Hans-Rudolf (University of Wisconsin, Madison), and Kenneth B. Raper. Nutrition of cellular slime molds. III. Specific growth requirements of Polysphondylium pallidum. J. Bacteriol. 86:1314-1320. 1963.-Soluble media for the axenic growth of certain strains of Polysphondylium pallidum are described. One of the media, referred to as the complex medium, was composed of 2% tryptose and 4% serum albumin in an inorganic salt solution. Cell densities of up to 10(7) myxamoebae per ml were obtained. Supplementing this medium with amino acids, vitamins, nucleic acid bases, and glucose resulted in growth of strain Pan-17 up to 3 x 10(7) cells per ml with a generation time during the log phase of about 4.5 hr. A defined medium was subsequently developed that allowed growth of strain Fr-47 up to 2 x 10(6) to 5.5 x 10(6) myxamoebae per ml in the presence of 1% serum albumin. The base medium contained the following essential nutrients: six amino acids (glycine, methionine, lysine, isoleucine, tryptophan, and tyrosine), riboflavine, purines and pyrimidines, and a carbohydrate (dextrose) dissolved in an inorganic salt solution containing trace elements.