In previous studies, we have found that negatively charged, but not uncharged, amino acids and sugars block sea urchin fertilization. These studies were developed from modeling work in non-living systems using derivatized agarose beads that suggested that charge-charge bonding may control at least some adhesive interactions. In the present study, the effects of positively charged, negatively charged and uncharged molecules were examined in the sea urchin sperm-egg system in over 300 individual trials. The results indicate that depending on the specific molecules utilized, both sperm and egg are exquisitely sensitive to charged but not uncharged molecules and to pH changes in sea water caused by some of the charged molecules. It is shown that egg activation, as well as sperm motility and sperm-egg interactions, can be affected by charged molecules. One compound, fructose-1-phosphate blocked fertilization in S. purpuratus sea urchins but not in Lytechinus pictus sea urchins. These findings indicate that charge alone cannot explain all the results. In this case, the presence of a ketone instead of an aldehyde group indicates that species-specific components may control fertilization reactions. The present study is a comprehensive survey of the effects of charge, pH and molecular structure on the fertilization activation continuum in a model system of sea urchins.

中文翻译：

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带电的环境：受精反应的主要参与者。

在以前的研究中，我们发现带负电荷但不带电荷的氨基酸和糖会阻止海胆受精。这些研究是通过使用衍生化的琼脂糖珠在非生物系统中进行建模工作而开发的，这表明电荷-电荷键合可以控制至少某些粘合剂相互作用。在本研究中，在300多个单独试验中，在海胆精子-卵子系统中检查了带正电，带负电和不带电分子的作用。结果表明，取决于所使用的特定分子，精子和卵对带电但不带电的分子以及由某些带电分子引起的海水的pH变化都非常敏感。结果表明，带电分子会影响卵子的活化以及精子的活动性和精卵的相互作用。一种化合物果糖-1-磷酸酯可阻止紫癜海胆中的受精，但不能阻止Lytechinus pictus海胆中的受精。这些发现表明，仅凭电荷不能解释所有结果。在这种情况下，酮而不是醛基的存在表明物种特异性组分可以控制受精反应。本研究是对海胆模型系统中电荷，pH和分子结构对施肥活化连续体的影响的全面调查。酮而不是醛基的存在表明物种特异性组分可以控制受精反应。本研究是对海胆模型系统中电荷，pH和分子结构对施肥活化连续体的影响的全面调查。酮而不是醛基的存在表明物种特异性组分可以控制受精反应。本研究是对海胆模型系统中电荷，pH和分子结构对施肥活化连续体的影响的全面调查。