Linear increase in glycolytic activity through the cell cycle of schizosaccharomyces pombe

Abstract

The glycolytic activity of 3 different synchronous system in S. pombe was studied. Synchronous cultures were produced by a selection procedure, by cyclic heat treatment, or by cloning cells from an exponentially multiplying culture. In all experiments a complex medium with 3% glucose was used. The glycolytic activity was recorded with a gasometric method, the gradient diver. A single cell in exponential growth or a small number of synchronized cells were placed in ampulla divers in which the cells progressed undistrubed through a number of cycles. An ampulla diver is in principle a narrow pipette by which a single or a few cells are removed from the mother culture. It serves next as an axenic growth chamber and at the same time as a gasometer. The divers were placed in linear saline density gradients and the gaseous exchanges taking place in the divers resulted in migration of the divers. The migration rate is a measure of the glycolytic activity of the cells. Our results show that the glycolytic activity increases in a linear fashion between sucessive divisions. The rate of increase doubles at each division. This true in all 3 synchronous systems, and we take this as an indication that the cell cycles of heat-synchronized cells do not deviate seriously from the normal.