Heterolactic giycolysis in the segmenting amphibian egg

Bufo arenarum segmenting eggs have been found to exhibit, under anaerobic conditions, a glycolytic process of the heterolactic type, synthesizing 1.49 moles of lactic acid and 0.46 moles of alanine per molecular of glucose broken down. These results would account for the lack of stoichiometry between glucose consumed and lactic acid synthesized reported by other authors. Experiments with radiocactive glucose showed that the radioactivity recovered in alanine/radioactivity recovered in lactic acid ratio amounts to 6.2 when incubating after 3- hour anaero-biosis, and to 3.8 when eggs are incubated with radioactive glucose before submission to anaero-biosis. Results are discussed.