The organization and roles of the cytoskeleton are described for a complex developing system (the early Drosophila embryo) at a time when the basic embryonic plan is mapped out. This type of embryo shows a separation of mitosis from cytokinesis during the early stages of development. Most cells are only formed when a syncytium of approximately 6000 nuclei are present. The functions of the cytos...

From an ext,ensive series of experiments with whole embryos and with tissue mince, Needham and his coworkers (l-7) concluded that in the early chick embryo the phosphorylation route of glycolysis, the Meyerhof-Embden cycle, is imperfectly established. Because glycogen generally failed to be converted to lactic acid, they argued that the enzyme esterifying glycogen was absent or insufficient. Si...