The Role of the Nucleic Acids in the Processes of Induction, Regulation and Differentiation in the Amphibian Embryo and the Unicellular Alga, Acetabularia Mediterranea

Abstract

The rôle of nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) during cleavage and differentiation in amphibian eggs is discussed, with spécial emphasis on the mechanisms of DNA sjTithesis in normal embryos and lethal hybrids, and on the RNA distribution during development. The importance of the cell nucleus for RNA and protein synthesis in the unicellular alga Acetabularia mediterranea is discussed on the basis of récent experiments: it is suggested that ribosomal RNA lies xmder a much doser nuclear control than transfer and chloroplastic RNA's. A hypothesis oonoeming the rôle of messenger and ribosomal RNA in morphogenesis is presented.