The chemical composition of earthworm cuticle

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Abstract
Earthworm cuticles were isolated from Lumbricus sp. in a form which yielded reproducible chemical analyses. The analyses show that approximately 80% of the cuticle consists of a protein component, which contains a high proportion of hydroxyprolyl and glycyl residues, but not hydroxylysyl residues. The remainder of the cuticle is chiefly composed of polysaccharide, which when hydrolyzed yields galactose and small amounts of both pentoses and hexosamines. A gelatin fraction was isolated from the cuticle and submitted to chemical analysis.
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