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Appl Environ Microbiol. 1964 July; 12(4): 321-326
Copyright © 1964 American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Sequential Formation and Accumulation of Primary and Secondary Shunt Metabolic Products in Claviceps purpurea¹

Prairie Regional Laboratory, National Research Council of Canada, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

ABSTRACT

The fungus Claviceps purpurea was grown on a rich and a limited nutrient medium such that alkaloid was produced after 8 days on the former medium and after 3 days on the latter medium. Cultures grown on both were assayed for the primary shunt metabolic products, polyols, trehalose, lipids, ribonucleic acid, and polyphosphate, and the secondary metabolic product, ergot alkaloid. Although differing considerably in composition, the two media nevertheless allowed formation of both primary and secondary shunt products. In both instances, however, the secondary product, ergot alkaloid, did not form until formation and accumulation of the primary products had ceased and the mycelial content of these products was actually decreasing. In both instances, alkaloid formation took place after the total dry weight of the mycelium had begun to decrease but while the dry weight of the residual, or structural portion of the mycelium, was either constant or increasing. The dilution of labeling in mannitol isolated from mycelia grown on rich medium containing 1,6-C¹⁴-labeled mannitol was 2.2. Thus, about half of the mycelial mannitol was actually mannitol which had been taken up directly from the medium.

² Present address: Department of Biology, Texas A & M University, College Station.

¹ Issued as NRC No. 8026.