Immunocytochemical evidence suggesting heterogeneity in the population of sea urchin egg cortical granules

Unfertilized eggs of many species of animals contain cortical granules, which are specialized secretory granules that upon fertilization release their contents from the egg. The unfertilized eggs of the sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, contain cortical granules that all display an identical and elaborate internal morphology. It has been assumed that they all contain identical components. In this report we present immunocytochemical data which indicate that the cortical granule population of S. purpuratus eggs is heterogeneous. Two monoclonal antibodies are shown to react to the spiral lamellae region of approximately 20% of the cortical granules, implying that the contents of the reactive granules differ from the contents of the majority of the population. An egg protein of greater than 320 kDa is recognized by the antibody. These antibodies also stain a 130-kDa protein expressed on the surface of primary mesenchyme cells in later development. Both antibodies recognize a post-translational modification of this protein. This suggests that an antigenically similar epitope is present both on the 130-kDa primary mesenchyme cell-specific protein and in the cortical granules. To determine if the primary mesenchyme and cortical granule proteins are related, a fusion protein antibody specific for a region of the 130-kDa protein was used to stain unfertilized eggs. This antibody did not stain cortical granules. Thus, 20% of the cortical granules contain a molecule that has an epitope antigenically similar to the post-translational modification recognized in primary mesenchyme cells by the monoclonal antibodies.