PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL COMPARISONS OF UNIVALENT AND MULTIVALENT SEA URCHIN FERTILIZINS

¹ Institute of Molecular Evolution, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida

1. Treatment of multivalent Lytechinus fertilizins with hydrogen peroxide, proteolytic enzymes, or elevated temperatures results in the formation of univalent fertilizin.

2. Electrophoretic behavior showed that univalent fertilizins formed by the different means listed above are not physico-chemically equivalent. During the course of hydrogen peroxide action, forms intermediate to the initial material and final product are realized. Hydrogen peroxide formed univalent material is composed of at least four fractions as demonstrated by metachromatic staining on cellulose acetate. This suggests that degradation of fertilizin by hydrogen peroxide is nonrandom.

3. The main carbohydrate found in hydrolysates of Lytechinus fertilizins was the methyl pentose, fucose. The fucose content of multivalent and hydrogen peroxide formed univalent fertilizins was found to be identical following dialysis. Glucosamine and galactosamine were found to be components of Lytechinus fertilizin.

4. On the basis of sedimentation velocities, electrophoretic behavior, and lowered relative viscosity it is concluded that univalent fertilizin is a fragmentation product of multivalent fertilizin.