Actin in Xenopus yolk platelets: a peculiar and debated presence

Abstract

Our previous work showed that Xenopus yolk platelets exhibited, when reacted with actin antibodies or fluorescent DNase 1, a shiny halo of fluorescence, which revealed an external actin cover around the platelets themselves. This structure was named the ‘actin-shell’. Now we have demonstrated the actin-containing coat of Xenopus yolk platelets by agglutination tests, using anti-Xenopus-muscle-actin rabbit serum, and by indirect immunofluorescence microscopy, when the platelets reacted with antibodies directed against DNase 1. We chose these procedures to minimize the difficulties of the techniques used previously and to confirm the data obtained.