Metabolism during differentiation in the slime mold Physarum polycephalum

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Abstract
The introduction of growing microplasmodia into a balanced salt solution induces the formation of hard-walled units (spherules) within 24 h to 36 h. The respiration rate was followed throughout differentiation and was found to decrease from a starting value of 62 μl O2/mg protein per hour to 17.5 μl O2/mg protein per hour after 40 h in the salt solution. The use of exogenous glucose and protein catabolism was also studied, and the results indicate that proteins are a major energy source during spherulation. On the basis of the data from this study and the results of other investigators, the process of spherulation has been divided into three developmental periods.

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