NaCl Concentration of the Medium on the Potassium Content of Aerobacter aerogenes and on the Inter-relationships between Potassium, Magnesium and Ribonucleic Acid in the Growing Bacteria

Irrespective of the nature of the growth-limiting substance, the potassium content of Aerobacter aerogenes (growing in a chemostat at a fixed dilution rate) increased progressively from about 1.3 % to 4-2 yo of the bacterial dry weight with changes in culture NaCl concentration from o to 40 g./l. Similarly, the potassium content of glycerol-limited A. aerogenes organisms, growing in a low ionic strength medium, varied with growth rate (from 0.9 % to 1.6 yo of the bacterial dry weight with changes in dilution rate from 0.05 to 0.7 hr-l); but this was not related to the small changes in culture NaCl content that occurred simultaneously. These observations are discussed with reference to conflicting views on the particular role of potassium in growing bacteria that accounts for its presence intracellularly in high concentration.