The effects of urea on solubility and electrophoretic characteristics of protein from the eye lens nucleus of four shark species and a teleost

Abstract

1. 1. Some adult sharks, like some teleost, have little soluble protein in the lens nucleus. An improved procedure for the extraction of albuminoid from shark lens nuclei was developed, which increased resolution obtained with cellulose acetate electrophoresis. 2. 2. The method involved extracting the lens nuclei in 0·14 g% NaCl and 0·05 M urea and dialyzing the lens macerate and fluid against 0·018 g% NaCl. For the teleost (mullet) the best extracting fluid contained 0·1 M urea and dialysis was unnecessary, confirming Smith (1969). 3. 3. Electrophoretic separation of the solubilized nuclear lens protein produced patterns that demonstrated intraspecific and species specific variation among adult sharks.