NUTRITION OF YEASTS 73 



serve bacteria through several generations while, in other papers, it has 

 been shown that the more complex split products of protein could not. 



Jodin l and Hallier 2 attributed to yeasts the ability to fix at- 

 mospheric nitrogen. Woff and Zimmermann, 3 however, could not con- 

 firm these statements. Zikes 4 isolated a pseudo-yeast, Torula wiesner, 

 to which he attributed the ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen. He 

 isolated this organism from laurel leaves, and secured a fixation of 

 2.3-2.4 mg. per gram of glucose. Lohnis and Pillai 5 secured but 

 slight fixation with a Torula. With Dematium pullulans there was a 

 greater fixation. Lipman 6 found that yeasts and pseudo-yeasts 

 could fix atmospheric nitrogen. The action went better in solutions 

 containing dextrose. Lindner and Naumann 7 could secure no fixa- 

 tion in a solution containing 5 per cent of dextrose, .025 per cent of 

 magnesium sulfate, 0.5 per cent of mono potassium phosphate and .025 

 per cent of asparagin. Such results are in sharp contrast with those 

 of other investigators. Kossowicz 8 reaches the conclusion that while 

 yeasts can live with but a very small amount of nitrogen, they do not 

 have the power to fix atmospheric nitrogen. Other nitrogenous com- 

 pounds may be taken from the air. 



Schwarz 9 made an interesting study on the effect of adrenalin 

 on unicellular organisms. He found that this substance acted on 

 organisms without nerves just as it did on higher organisms. Large 

 quantities of sugars were used, as evidenced by much C02. The 

 ability to utilize non-diffusible substances was acquired (glycogen, 

 casein, alanine). These were changed to fermentable sugars. Fur- 

 ther experiments with glycogen, starch, alanine, and sodium aspar- 

 tate, gave CO2 when adrenalin was present, otherwise not. 



Lindner 10 studied the various sources from which a yeast could 



1 Jodin, Compt. rend. Acad. Sci. 55, 612. 



2 Hallier, Zeit. fur Parasitenkunde. 1, 129. 



3 Woff and Zimmermann. Jahresbericht der Ag. Chemie, 13-15, 169. 



4 Zikes, Sitzungsber. Akad. Wien. mathe. naturw. Kl. 118, 1091. 



5 Lohnis, F. and Pillai. Cent. Bakt. Abt. 2, 20, 799. 



6 Lipman, C. B. Nitrogen fixation by yeasts and other fungi. J. Biol. Chem. 

 10, 169-182. 



7 Lindner, P. and Naumann, C. W. Assimilation of nitrogen of air by yeasts 

 and molds. Wochenschr. Brau. 30, 589-592. 



8 Kossowicz, A. Question of the assimilation of elementary nitrogen by 

 yeasts and mold fungi. Biochem. Z. 64, 82-5. Fixation of elementary nitrogen 

 by saccharomycetes (yeasts) and molds. Z. Garungsphysiologie, 5, 26. 



9 Schwarz, O. The action of adrenalin on the monocellular organism. Wien- 

 klin. Wochenschr. 24, 267-8. Decomposition of nitrogenous substances by yeasts. 

 Biochem. Z. 33, 30-1. 



10 Lindner, P. Results obtained in fermentation and assimilation experiments 

 with yeasts. Chem. Ztg. 34, 1144. 



