Vegetalization Induced by Procaine and Tetracaine in Sea Urchin Embryos |
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Authors: | Akiko Fujiwara Kenji Kataoka Kaori Mikami-Takei Eigoro Tazawa Ikuo Yasumasu |
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Institution: | Department of Biology, School of Education, Waseda University, 1-6-1 Nishiwaseda Shinjuku, Tokyo 160, Japan;;Biological Institute, Faculty of Literature and Science, Yokohama City University, 22-2 Seto, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama 236, Japan. |
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Abstract: | Vegetalization of sea urchin embryos was induced by the treatment with procaine and tetracaine, inhibitors of Ca2+mobilization, for 3 hr starting 3–5 hr after insemination at 20°C. The treatment starting 7 hr after insemination sometimes produced similar type of vegetalized embryos. The pulse treatment starting at the other stages hardly yielded vegetalized embryos. The stages at which these compounds were effective to produce vegetalized embryos were almost the same to those for Li+to make embryos vegetalized. On the basis of known inhibitory effects of tetracaine, procaine and Li+on Ca2+mobilization, we postulate that Ca2+dependent reactions participate in the process of cell determination at these stages. Inhibitory effects of procaine, tetracaine and Li+on Ca2+dependent induction of fertilization membrane formation, found in the present study, indicate that these compounds block Ca2+mobilization in sea urchin eggs. |
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