spacer gif spacer gif spacer gif spacer gif spacer gif
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


spacer gif
     Home     Help     Feedback     Subscriptions     Archive     Search     Table of Contents    

This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by KILBURN, D. G.
Right arrow Articles by WEBB, F. C.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by KILBURN, D. G.
Right arrow Articles by WEBB, F. C.

Journal of Cell Science, Vol 4, 645-654, Copyright © 1969 by Company of Biologists

Submitted on October 10, 1968

The Energetics of Mammalian Cell Growth

D. G. KILBURN 1, M. D. LILLY 2, and F. C. WEBB 2

1 Biochemical Engineering Section, Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London, England; Department of Microbiology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver 8, B.C., Canada.
2 Biochemical Engineering Section, Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London, England

Data from batch growth curves of mouse LS cells cultivated at controlled dissolved oxygen partial pressures were used to calculate the weight of cells produced per mole of adenosine triphosphate generated (YATP). These values agree well with those reported for bacteria. A theoretical relationship was developed which allowed the biosynthetic and maintenance energy requirements to be estimated. The biosynthesis of LS cells required 1.6 x 10-11 moles of ATP/cell. The maintenance energy, which is a function of growth rate, was 2.9 x 10-11 moles ATP/new cell when the mean generation time was 1.15 days. The proportion of the total energy used for maintenance under these conditions was 65%. This corresponds to a value of less than 10% for bacterial maintenance when the organisms are grown at near their maximum rate. A comparison of biosynthetic energy requirements indicates that bacteria and moulds require about 4 times as much energy as animal cells to generate the same weight of cell material. Possible explanations of this difference are discussed.

Submitted on October 10, 1968






© The Company of Biologists Ltd 1969