author's abstract of this paper issued 

 by the bibliographic service, june 24 



STUDIES ON THE PHYSIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF 



CERTAIN PRECIPITATES FROM THE EGG 



SECRETIONS OF ARBACIA AND ASTERIAS 



ALVALYN E. WOODWARD 

 Simmons College, Boston, Massachusetts 



TWO CHARTS AND THREE FIGURES 



CONTENTS 



I. Introduction 459 



II. Concerning the factual basis of the fertilizin theory 461 



A. Concerning egg secretions in general 462 



B. Concerning the secretions of Asterias and Arbacia in particular.. 464 



1. Physiological analysis 464 



2. General chemical properties 471 



3. Precipitation of specific elements from the egg secretions 



and their properties 475 



C. Concerning inhibitors 479 



1. Removal of fertilizin 479 



2. Combination with 'sperm receptors' 479 



3. Combination with the 'spermophile group' (agglutinin) of 



fertilizin 480 



4. Combination with the 'ovophile group' (lipolysin) of fertilizin 480 



5. Combination with ' egg receptors' 482 



6. Unclassified inhibitors 484 



III. Concerning activators — particularly lipolysin — and theories of activa- 



tion 484 



A. Artificial activation 485 



B. Activation by sperm 494 



IV. Summary 495 



V. Literature cited 497 



I. INTRODUCTION 



A new phase in the physiology of fertiHzation practically began 

 in 1912 when F. R. Lillie discovered the effect of egg extracts and 

 secretions on sperm. He found that sea-watel* in which Arbacia 

 eggs had been standing caused sperm of the same species to be 

 activated, directed, reversibly agglutinated, and finally paralyzed. 

 If a drop of this egg-sea-water is introduced, by means of a 



459 



