Fig. 1. General properties of diluted and concentrated Xenopus egg extracts: effects on self-organization and cycling.

a Schematic view of protein synthesis and degradation. b Preparation of Xenopus egg extract, 2× concentrated retentate, and protein-depleted filtrate. c Protein concentration in extract, retentate, and filtrate. Concentrations were determined by Bradford assays. Data are from five extracts. Individual data points are overlaid with the means and standard errors. Source data are provided as a Source Data file. d SiR-tubulin staining (left) and SiR-tubulin fluorescence intensity as a function of time (right) in an extract after various dilutions. The starting material was a 1× extract, diluted with various proportions of filtrate, and imaged in a 96-well plate under mineral oil. All fields are shown at equal exposure. The fluorescence intensities shown on the right were quantified from the center 1/9 of the wells. e SiR-tubulin staining (left) and SiR-tubulin fluorescence intensity as a function of time (right) in an extract after various dilutions. The data were collected as in (d) except that the starting material was a 2× extract.