PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL COMPARISONS OF UNIVALENT AND MULTIVALENT SEA URCHIN FERTILIZINS

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Abstract
The egg jelly (multivalent fertilizin) of Lytechinus variegatus was converted to univalent forms by treatment with H2O2, pronase or chymotrypsin, and "spontaneously". Physical and chemical comparisons of parent multivalent and univalent fertilizins were carried out. The carbohydrate and amino acid moieties of multivalent fertilizin and univalent fertilizin formed by H2O2 treatment appeared identical. The sedimentation velocity of H2O2, formed univalent fertilizin was found to be 3.05 compared to 8.60 for the multivalent form. Electrophoretically the multivalent form did not migrate on cellulose acetate; the H2O2 formed univalent fertilizin was resolved into at least 4 metachromatic bands; the enzymatically and "spontaneously" formed univlent fertilizins migrated, yielding a diffuse area. It was concluded that univalent fertilizin is a degradation product of the multivalent form. Similarities to the formation of univalent antibodies were discussed.