N U C L E I C A C I D S A N D S U L P H Y D R Y L G R O U P S
283
FIG. 10. Same experiment as in Fig. 18, but treated with mercaptoethanol M/3,000;
3 days after sectioning, no regeneration or budding.
C . The Effects of α-Lipoic Acid on Morphogenesis (Amphibian Eggs and
Acetabularia)
D u r i n g t h e course of t h e e x p e r i m e n t s w i t h m e r c a p t o e t h a n o l a n d
dithiodiglycol, we b e c a m e a c q u a i n t e d w i t h t h e previously m e n t i o n e d
w o r k of R . E . E a k i n a n d his collaborators, w h o r e p o r t e d r e m a r k a b l e
inhibitory effects of lipoic acid (thioctic acid) on morphogenesis in
p l a n a r i a n s a n d in Hydra, a t concentrations as low as 5 )ug/ml. I t h a s
been suggested b y E a k i n a n d his colleagues t h a t lipoic acid m i g h t a c t b y
modifying t h e thiol-disulphide equilibrium or b y affecting t h e carboh y d r a t e m e t a b o l i s m inhibition of malic dehydrogenase. I n h i b i t i o n of
tail regeneration in Xenopus tadpoles b y lipoic acid h a s also been
recently described b y L e h m a n n a n d Scholl (1962). W e therefore decided
t o c o m p a r e t h e effects of lipoic acid a n d m e r c a p t o e t h a n o l on various
biological materials (amphibian eggs, chick e m b r y o s , Acetabularia)
t o
283
FIG. 10. Same experiment as in Fig. 18, but treated with mercaptoethanol M/3,000;
3 days after sectioning, no regeneration or budding.
C . The Effects of α-Lipoic Acid on Morphogenesis (Amphibian Eggs and
Acetabularia)
D u r i n g t h e course of t h e e x p e r i m e n t s w i t h m e r c a p t o e t h a n o l a n d
dithiodiglycol, we b e c a m e a c q u a i n t e d w i t h t h e previously m e n t i o n e d
w o r k of R . E . E a k i n a n d his collaborators, w h o r e p o r t e d r e m a r k a b l e
inhibitory effects of lipoic acid (thioctic acid) on morphogenesis in
p l a n a r i a n s a n d in Hydra, a t concentrations as low as 5 )ug/ml. I t h a s
been suggested b y E a k i n a n d his colleagues t h a t lipoic acid m i g h t a c t b y
modifying t h e thiol-disulphide equilibrium or b y affecting t h e carboh y d r a t e m e t a b o l i s m inhibition of malic dehydrogenase. I n h i b i t i o n of
tail regeneration in Xenopus tadpoles b y lipoic acid h a s also been
recently described b y L e h m a n n a n d Scholl (1962). W e therefore decided
t o c o m p a r e t h e effects of lipoic acid a n d m e r c a p t o e t h a n o l on various
biological materials (amphibian eggs, chick e m b r y o s , Acetabularia)
t o