Respiratory behaviour of sea-urchin spermatozoa. II. Sperm-activating substance obtained from jelly coat of sea-urchin eggs.
A sperm-activating substance (SAS) was obtained from the jelly coat of sea-urchin ova and its chemical properties were investigated in three sea-urchin species. The SAS was partially purified from the jelly coat of Pseudocentrotus eggs through several steps of purification by procedures consisting of charcoal adsorption, ion-exchange chromatography on DEAE-Sephadex A-25 column, and gel-filtration on Sephadex G-15 columns. The partially purified SAS was found to contain a ninhydrin-positive material and is inactivated by pronase digestion. The molecular weight of SAS was estimated as about 630 by gel-filtration through Sephadex G-25 and the isoelectric-point of SAS is located at about pH 5.3 by isoelectrofocusing method. The SAS is non-volatile, alcohol-soluble, and labile in a diluted alkaline or acid solution. The origin of SAS is discussed.
D000818:Animals; D002850:Chromatography, Gel; D005260:Female; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008297:Male; D008970:Molecular Weight; D010063:Ovum / Q000032:analysis*; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D012617:Sea Urchins / Q000378:metabolism*; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000378:metabolism*