Synthesis of heat-shock proteins in developing sea urchins

Abstract

Heating sea urchin embryos at 31°C greatly reduces the synthesis of the bulk proteins, whereas it highly stimulates the synthesis of some new proteins, the main ones being two closely migrating proteins of about 70,000 daltons. The production of heat-shock proteins is obtained only if the embryos are heated after hatching. Stages which produce heat-shock proteins survive heating, whereas earlier stages, not producing heat-shock proteins, do not survive. Heat-shock proteins are not produced in the presence of actinomycin D.