Syntheses Carried Out in Vivo by Isolated Pea Roots: I

Abstract

There has long been interest in the mechanisms by which chemical reactions take place in vivo, and numerous techniques have been applied to the study of this problem. A precise interpretation of purely analytical results is, however, often difficult or impossible, particularly if the reactions in question have been allowed to take place in the intact organism. It is desired to present in the present paper a few of the results obtained with the aid of a new experimental approach to the problem of physiological syntheses. A single relatively simple organ has been cultivated in vitro under conditions which have been closely controlled both as to external environment and as to nutrient supply, and the metabolism related to a single well defined and readily determinable substance has been investigated.