264 



IV. THE PRINCIPLES OF LIFE PHENOMENA 



cell is kept in a solution completely lacking in calcium after its 

 membrane is broken, all the protoplasm flows out of the cell and 

 scatters through the surrounding solution, no new membrane being 

 formed. Again, phosphatases require the presence of magnesium as 

 coenzyme, and pyrophosphatase is optimally active only in the presence 

 of definite ratio of magnesium and calcium ions (13). The action of 

 such coenzym may be based on the ability of the ions to retain the 

 structure of the enzymatic protein in a proper form. 



A great number of evidences have been presented to show that 

 the majority of vitamins behave as various coenzymes, suggesting that 

 vitamins are also substances which have influences upon the structural 

 pattern of proteins, especially that of enzymes. Anderson (74) has 

 found that phage needs amino acids, tryptophan in particular, as co- 

 factors for virus adsorption. These adsorption co-factors appear to 

 combine reversibly with the virus, without them the virus being 

 unable to combine with the bacteria. Presumably a distortion may 

 occur in the virus structure when the amino acids are absent. It is 

 said that D-tryptophan is inactive despite the marked effectiveness of 

 L-tryptophan, indicating that this amino acid is involved in the deter- 

 mination of the "crystal shape." 



The "crystal shape" of protoplasm may be influenced by the 

 presence of various substances especially inorgenic ions, although the 

 shape is, in the main, directed by the genes ; the change in the mixed 

 proportion of the ions will be followed by the alteration in the shape. 

 Since the primary organisms were generated and evolved in the sea 

 water, their protoplasm will retain its normal form only when their 

 body fluid is similar, in the proportion of ions, to the sea water of 

 the primitive age. An alteration of the proportion may, therefore. 



Table 9. 

 The Stabilizing Effect of NaOH upon Red Blood Cells. 



* Figures enclosed by parenthesis indicate the concentrations of NaOH 

 and number of its drops added to 0.5 cc of the blood-cell suspension. 



