Evidence for Synthesis of Deoxyribonucleic Acid in Enucleated Rana Pipiens Eggs

The large quanti ty of DNA found in the cytoplasm of some eggs raises the question of whether DNA can be synthesized outside the nucleus. Data on the Rana pipiens egg were obtained some time ago and were first ment ioned in a paper by Schultz in 1956 (1). In the enucleated egg of this species, DNA, or a DNA-like molecule, doubles in amount in the first 30 hours after activation. Since the amount present in the whole egg before activation is at least 2000 times the haploid value (2, 3), an amount comparable to this may be synthesized by the cytoplasm.