The Respiratory and Glycolytic Enzymes of Sea-Urchin Eggs

A number of workers have studied the carbohydrate metabolism of sea-urchin eggs and have expressed different opinions about the pathway of carbohydrate breakdown in these eggs. The choice has rested between the breakdown of hexose via the 'hexose monophosphate shunt' and a glycolytic mechanism like that in yeast and muscle, followed by oxidation via the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Rothschild (1951) has summarized the evidence on this question. In listing the evidence in favour of the latter view, Rothschild included work reported in the author's Ph.D. thesis (Yčas, 1950). Some of these results are presented in this paper. The evidence for a normal glycolytic and respiratory system has since been greatly extended by Cleland & Rothschild (1952a, b)