In order to investigate the control of the onset of postecdysial mineralization of the cuticle of the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus Rathbun, EDTA-soluble proteins and glycoproteins were analyzed at short intervals after ecdysis by SDS-PAGE. Gels were either stained with silver, blotted to polyvinylidene difluoride membranes and stained with periodic acidlschiff reagent (PAS), or blotted to nitrocellulose membranes and probed with a variety of lectins [particularly the mannose-binding lectins concanavalin A (Con A) and GaZanthus niualis agglutinin (GNAjI.Pieces of cuticle were also tested for their ability to nucleate calcite in vitro. A major change occurred in the biochemistry of the cuticle between 1 and 3 hr after ecdysis. This change, which we term the post-ecdysial cuticle alteration (PECA), involved 1) loss of a major 66 kDa glycoprotein band, 2) decrease in Con A binding by a 79 kDa protein band, 3) complete loss of PASreactivity of both 66 and 79 kDa proteins, 4) gain in Con A affinity of an existing band a t 73 kDa, and 5) an increase in the intrinsic ability of cell-free cuticle pieces to mineralize, as measured by the in vitro calcite crystal nucleation assay o 1995 WiIey-Liss, Inc.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.