Respiratory behaviour of sea-urchin spermatozoa. II. Sperm-activating substance obtained from jelly coat of sea-urchin eggs

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Abstract
A sperm-activating substance (SAS) was obtained from the jelly coat of sea-urchin ova and its chemical properties were investigated in three seaurchin species. The SAS was partially purified from the jelly coat of pseudocentrotus eggs through several steps of purification by procedures consisting of charcoal adsorption, 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.