L-Glutamine and the Growth of Embryonic Chick Tibiotarsi in vitro

Abstract

IN 1955 ¹ Kieny published an account of the amino-acid requirements of eight-day embryonic chick tibiæ cultivated on various simple mixtures of inorganic salts and amino-acids, including L-glutamic acid. She reported that although the addition of glutamine to the media caused some increase in the length of the bones they also lost weight. In a later paper², however, she concluded that the substance had no effect on the bones. Recently, Biggers, Gwatkin and Heyner³ have described the growth of embryonic chick, rat and mouse tibiæ on a relatively simple medium (denoted BGJb), which does not contain L-glutamic acid. It has been demonstrated in simple total deficiency experiments that L-glutamine is essential for growth in all three species, whether the response is measured in terms of length, wet weight or dry weight.