title: Changes in the polysomal pattern after fertilization in Fucus eggs.
abstract: At high potassium concentrations it is possible to isolate largely intact polysomes from fertilized and unfertilized Fucus vesiculosus eggs, and to study the distribution pattern of ribosomal particles in a sucrose gradient. The changes in the ribosomal pattern before and after fertilization reflect the time course of protein synthesis. In the unfertilized egg there is a pool of inactive light polysomes which are fairly resistant to ribonuclease treatment, whilst a heavier polysomal fraction shows some amino-acid incorporation activity. 2 hr after fertilization, the heavy polysome fraction is strongly increased and highly active; the light polysomes disappear. 6 hr after fertilization, when protein synthesis is depressed, new monomeric and possibly dimeric ribosomes are formed; these ribosomes have a very low incorporation activity. The rearrangement of ribosomal particles does not appear to be necessarily linked with the synthesis of new RNA.
authors: Gamete Physiology and Fertilization Research Program, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, Massachusetts.
authors: H F
authors: HF
authors: Linskens