CONDITIONS OF LIFE OF THE BUDDING FUNGI. 517 



allied to that of the proteids. More recently an albu- 

 minoid material has been obtained from the yeast cells 

 by boiling with dilute hydrochloric acid and precipi- 

 tating with rock salt; this material is termed myco- 

 protein, and plays an important role in the composition 

 of the fission fungi. The amount of myco-protein has 

 not as yet, however, been ascertained in the case of 

 yeast (Nencki*). If the material remaining after the 

 action df potash lye is treated with acetic acid and 

 water, a substance is obtained, which, on analysis, gives 

 44*9 per cent. C, 6*7 per cent. H, 0*5 per cent. N 

 (according to later analyses by Nageli and Low 41*4 

 per cent. C, and 6*6 per cent. Hf), and thus it seems to 

 be fairly pure cellulose. These substances can be 

 transformed, by boiling with sulphuric acid, into 

 fermentescible sugar, and do not dissolve in ammoniacal 

 oxide of copper, being therefore somewhat different 

 from ordinary cellulose. StutzerJ found in yeast 

 which had been extracted with alcohol and then dried 

 by means of sulphuric acid, 8*648 per cent, of total 

 nitrogen, 5*519 per cent, of proteid nitrogen and 2*257 

 per cent, of nuclein nitrogen. 



The amount of water in fresh yeast which is able 

 to grow is 40 to 80 per cent. If there is a greater 

 or less quantity of water the yeast is no longer intact 

 or capable of multiplication. 



The mode in which the relation between non-nitro- Eolation be 

 genous cellulose-like constituents and the proteid sub- 

 stances undergoes alteration, as compared with the 

 mould fungi, is worthy of note ; in yeast we find 

 37 per cent, of cellulose, and 47 per cent, of albuminous 

 materials ; in the mould fungi there is about 50 per 

 cent, of cellulose, and 29 per cent, of albuminous 

 materials. However, it is not quite correct to reckon 

 the quantity of nitrogen found as belonging entirely to 

 albumen ; part of it belongs to other substances, such 

 as leucine and tyrosine, which can be obtained in 



* Nencki, Beitrage zur Biologie der Spalfpilze, 1880, S. 48. 



f Journ.furprakt. Cftem., No. 5, vol. 17. 



Stutzer, Zeitschr.f.physiol Chemie, vol. vi., p. 572. 



