INTRACELLULAR DISTRIBUTION OF FREE AMINO ACID POOL IN FROG OOCYTES

A mixture of radioactive amino acids was introduced to ovarian oocytes of Rana pipiens for 2 h. The cells were then frozen and fresh, frozen sections cut in a cryostat. Autoradiographic films were pressed against the frozen sections for 4 days at -10 °C and the resultant autoradiograms observed. It was found that acid-soluble isotope was distributed throughout the cells in a non-homogeneous pattern. Heavy concentrations of labeled amino acids were found in the germinal vesicle, in perinuclear cytoplasm, in the cortex, and in the animal pole cytoplasm. The vegetal half cytoplasm contained relatively little label. This pattern was not qualitatively altered when protein synthesis was stopped with metabolic inhibitors. © 1969.