Influence of Temperature on Glutamate Catabolism and Glycogen Production by Organisms of the Genus Chlamydia 1

Abstract

Summary

The amount of ¹⁴CO₂ produced enzymatically by purified suspensions of 3 strains of Chlamydia psittaci from randomly labeled glutamic acid was markedly increased by raising the incubation temperature of the reaction mixtures in 4 degree increments between 32° and 44°. The rate of ¹⁴CO₂ release during the NAD-dependent reaction was increased 350% over the 12-degree range by one chlamydial strain and 130 and 136%, respectively, for the other two strains. Temperature also influenced the rate of production of iodine-positive intracellular microcolonies of the Nigg mouse pneumonitis strain of C trachomatis in cell cultures. Up to 3 times as many positive microcolonies appeared in infected cell cultures incubated at 39° for 24 hr than those at 37°. Differences in colony counts tended to even out after 48 hr however.