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Carotenoid pigments in the optic cushion of Marthasterias glacialis (L.)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 May 2009

Norman Millott  and
H. G. Vevers
Norman Millott
Affiliation:
Department of Zoology, University College of the West Indies, Jamaica, B.W.I.
H. G. Vevers
Affiliation:
The Plymouth Laboratory
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Summary

The optic cushion of Marthasterias glacialis is seen to contain yellowish orange and reddish orange pigments. The former occurs throughout the cushion, the latter is confined to the wall of the optic cups and a few scattered, irregular patches. Both pigments occur in the cytoplasm of long and narrow or irregular cells, some in the form of granules or vacuoles.

Optic cushions yield an orange extract in methanol which decomposes in light.

The behaviour of methanolic extracts after partitioning, saponification, chromatographic separation and spectrophotometric examination indicates the presence of β-carotene and esterified astaxanthin.

The significance of the results in relation to previous findings and their possible bearing on photoreception is discussed.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 34 , Issue 2 , June 1955 , pp. 279 - 287
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 1955

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