5-Bromodeoxyuridine does not affect development of the sea urchin, Arbacia punctulata
Abstract
Development of Arbacia punctulata embryos in the presence of bromodeoxyuridine (BUdR) was investigated under conditions which allowed about 20% substitution of BUdR for thymidine residues in DNA. Development was essentially normal from fertilization to the feeding larva. There appeared to be no restricted stretches of DNA which failed to incorporate BUdR. Even very early stages were permeable to BUdR, which entered all the nuclei. The failure of BUdR substitution to block development in Arbacia is discussed in the light of evidence that this analogue blocks the onset of differentiative product synthesis in many cellular systems.