[Lipid composition of the gonads of female Strongylocentrotus nudus sea urchins at different stages of development].

Changes in the content and composition of lipids in the gonads of the Strongylocentrotus nudus females during the annual cycle of their development were studied. The qualitative composition of lipids was shown not to change. There were found cerebrosides, sulfatides, free fatty acids, diphosphatidyl glycerine, phosphatidyl ethanolamine, phosphatidyl choline, phosphatidyl inositol, phosphatidyl serine, lysophosphatidyl choline, lysophosphytidyl ethanolamine, phosphatide acid, sphingomyelin and non-identified phospholipids X1 and X2 in the gonads. The relative content of individual classes of phospholipids suffers marked changes. The similarity in the content of total lipids and their individual classes at the 2nd and 5th stages confirms the existence of two generations of oocytes (Gnezdilova, 1971). The relationship between the lipid composition and the morphological state of the gonads with respect to the stage of development is discussed.