A comparison of certain isozyme patterns in lobeless and normal embryos of the snail, Ilyanassa obsoleta.

A study was made of the emergence of certain enzymes during the embryogenesis of llyanassa. Lobeless and normal embryos were compared in order to determine the effect of polar lobe removal on subsequent molecular developments. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in capillary tubes, a technique requiring only small numbers of embryos, was used to obtain the isozyme patterns of alkaline phosphatases and of esterases. It was found that lobe removal interfered with the emergence of normal isozyme patterns of alkaline phosphatase and esterase during development. Certain bands of enzyme activity were severely reduced or absent while others appeared to be normal. The results provide further evidence that the influence of the polar lobe on development is of a specific nature.