Abstract
Summary
The free amino acids of sea-urchin (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus) eggs and embryos were extracted with 75% ethanol and identified by means of paper chromatography. Extracts of unfertilized eggs contain relatively large amounts of glycine and small amounts of alanine, glutamic acid, valine, threonine, lysine, glutamine, and leucine (or isoleucine) as well as several peptides and unknown ninhydrin-positive substances. The patterns of amino acid and peptide spots on chromatograms of extracts of cleavage stages, blastulae, gastrulae and prism larvae are dissimilar to that of unfertilized eggs.
The author is indebted to Mr. Arthur Karler from the Division of Medical Physics for advice on chromatographic technics.
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