The hatching substance of the barnacle, balanus balanoides (L.)

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Abstract
Hatching substance has been extracted from the barnacle, Balanus balanoides, and partly purified by thin layer chromatography. Several lines of evidence indicate that hatching substance is a prosta-glandin. First, the compound is extracted by a prostaglandin extraction procedure. Secondly, a fraction isolated from the dried cortex of the gorgonian coral, Plexaura homomalla, which stimulates barnacle eggs to hatch, co-migrates with hatching substance on thin layer chroma­tography plates. Acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin), which blocks the enzymic production of prostaglandins, prevents the formation of hatching substance. In contrast, indomethacin, which is a potent inhibitor of the mammalian cyclo­-oxygenase, is without effect on the biosynthesis of hatching substance. Dopamine mimics the effect of hatching substance between the concentrations of 2.5 x 10-3 M and 8.4 x 10-5 M. Although dopamine is not the hatching substance per se, it is possible that this compound is implicated in the hatching process.