Incorporation of sulphate by chick-embryo corium. Nature and products of the process in vitro.

1. The incorporation of sulphate into the trichloroacetic acid-precipitable fraction of 9-day chick-embryo corium, incubated in Krebs-Ringer phosphate buffer, pH7, is dependent on the sulphate concentration of the medium. Uptake of sulphate is linear with time for 3.5-4hr. and is maximal at 37.5 degrees in the presence of air or oxygen. d-Glucose stimulates the incorporation of sulphate but l-glutamine has no effect. 2. Incorporation of sulphate by the chick corium is enzymic and apparently involves the synthesis of active sulphate (adenosine 3'-phosphate 5'-sulphatophosphate) and the transfer of sulphate from adenosine 3'-phosphate 5'-sulphatophosphate to acceptor glycosaminoglycuronoglycan. This proposal on the nature of the process is suggested by the similarity between the energy of activation calculated for sulphate-incorporation in the chick-corium preparation and the energy requirement reported for sulphate-activation with purified yeast enzymes. 3. The 9-day chick-embryo corium is composed principally of fibroblasts; there are no histologically demonstrable mast cells. The young fibroblast is apparently responsible for the incorporation of sulphate into glycosaminoglycuronoglycans tentatively identified as chondroitin sulphate(s), heparan sulphate and heparin-like material.