Factors influencing tartrate uptake by Penicillium charlesii

Abstract

The uptake of tartrate by P. charlesii has been studied for cultures that were either aerated by shaking or were kept stationary. Stationary cultures were permeable to tartrate when high concentrations of NH4+ (above 36 mM) and glucose (278 mM) were present. Manganous ion (10−5 M) was required for the uptake of tartrate by stationary cultures containing high concentrations of NH4+. Both stationary and shake cultures were able to remove tartrate from the medium when the glucose concentration was reduced below 278 mM; the process was then no longer dependent upon the presence of Mn2+. The influence of changes in the concentrations of glucose and NH4+ was not related to the biochemical events of spore germination.