Abstract
The soluble protein fraction of the eggs of Arbacia punctulata and Strongylocentrotus purpuratus was investigated by physical methods. This fraction contains only two major ultracentrifugal components, with uncorrected sedimentation constants of 7 and 20 S. The addition of small amounts of calcium ion causes the formation of a gel in these extracts. This gel can be removed from the solution and redissolved by dialyzing off the calcium. Such a redissolved gel solution contains only the 7 S component. Through the use of differential centrifugation and this calcium reaction, the 7 S component was isolated and some of its physical properties determined. At neutral pH the particle has a molecular weight in the range of 3.5 × 10 5 and an asymmetry of approximately 15 to 1. The gelation reaction is not specific for calcium, occurring with other alkaline earth metals. However, the minimum concentration for gelation with calcium is lower than all other ions tested. The large amount of this protein present in the cell plus the calcium reaction suggest that it may be of major importance in the structural organization of the cell.
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