Macromolecular Components of Normal Embryonic and Adult Brain Tissue

Abstract

Embryonic and adult brain tissue of man, rabbit and chick were chilled and ground with sand or in a Ten Broeck grinder or in the Waring Blendor, extracted in distilled water for 48 hrs., centrifuged, and extract filtered with celite, ultracentrifuged for 30 mins. and the resulting pellets dissolved and stored in distilled water. Analysis of human tissue indicated material essentially protein in nature, containing nucleic acid of the desoxy-pentose type. Chick embryo tissue was wholly different from human tissue, and somewhat similar to chick embryo body component. Rabbit embryo brain tissue gave good sedimentation diagrams. Adult as compared with embryo tissue showed diffuse sedimentation diagrams, similar sedimentation velocity and a yield of product approx. 1/5 that of the embryo.