The Chemical Nature of Substances Required for Cell Multiplication

1. Fibroblasts and epithelial cells in pure culture obtain the nitrogen, which they build into protoplasm, from proteoses and possibly other primary derivatives of proteins. These proteoses have been prepared from embryo tissues, egg white, commercial fibrin, rabbit brain, Witte's peptone, etc. 2. The presence in embryo juice of a hormone that stimulates cell division is improbable. 3. Proteoses separated from peptic digests of fibrin by sodium sulfate determine a more abundant and prolonged multiplication of the fibroblasts than is produced by embryo juice. Peptones and the smaller split products appear to furnish some nutrient material, but do not cause the rapid proliferation characteristic of proteoses, and are sometimes toxic for tissue cells. 4. Possibly the effect of embryo juice on fibroblasts and epithelium is due to the splitting of the protein of the juice into proteoses by the cell enzymes, or by other enzymes activated by the presence of living cells.