Do early urchin embryos have cell-cycle checkpoints that monitors DNA replication?
Many early embryonic cells lack the cell cycle controls found in somatic cells. Inhibitors of DNA replication can be used to investigate whether sea urchin embryos contain a checkpoint monitoring DNA replication. Procedure: a. Fertilize a large batch of embryos, as previously described. b. Culture one batch of embryos in ASW containing aphidicolin (an inhibitor of DNA polymerase). c. Culture another batch of embryos in ASW containing hydroxyurea (an inhibitor of ribonucleotide reductase; why would this block DNA replication?). d. Compare the development of embryos treated with inhibitors with that of untreated control embryos. Return to contents…
