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Biol Bull 127: 132-153. (August 1964)
© 1964 Marine Biological Laboratory
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ON SOME PROPERTIES OF THE JELLY COAT IN OOCYTES AND MATURE EGGS OF SEA URCHINS. A STUDY OF PHASE-DEPENDENT CHANGES OF METAPLASMIC LAYERS IN THE CELL SURFACE

J. RUNNSTRÖM 1

1 Wenner-Gren Institute, Norrtullsgatan 16, Stockholm V A, Sweden

1. The spermatozoa are able to depolymerize the jelly coat of mature eggs of sea urchins (Psammechinus microtuberculatus, Ps. miliaris, Paracentrotus lividus, Arbacia lixula,) whereas that of resting oocytes or oocytes in meiosis is resistant. As follows from a survey of previous work (see Introduction) the depolymerizing action of the spermatozoa is probably of enzymatic nature. The mechanical resistance of the jelly coat was studied by filtration of the female gametes through gauze of appropriate mesh width. The jelly coats of the oocytes proved to be more resistant than those of mature eggs.

2. The state of the jelly coat does not change abruptly at the conclusion of the meiotic divisions but a transition state prevails for a varying length of time. This is the state of cytoplasmic underripeness, the duration of which depends on exterior conditions and probably also on the species. The ripe state involves a maximum rate of fertilization and—as may be inferred from Borei's work (1948)—a minimum rate of respiration.

3. Basic dyes (toluidine blue and brilliant cresyl blue) and protamin sulfate cause a strong precipitation and contraction of the jelly coat of fertilized egg. The effect is less pronounced in unfertilized mature eggs and very weak in resting oocytes and oocytes in meiosis. It is inferred that in the oocytes there is a masking of the acid groups of the jelly coat. The masking declines only gradually according to the rate of cytoplasmic ripening that is connected with a release of certain substances from the egg cytoplasm. These influence the jelly coat. Particularly a change of the jelly coat occurs concurrently with the smoothing of the fertilization membrane. There is a parallelism between the masked state in the oocytes described above and their lack of reactivity with anti-jelly serum that was found by Perlmann (1956, 1957, 1959). He stated that the precipitating effect of the anti-jelly serum had a maximum when the eggs were in their highest state of ripeness (maximum rate of fertilization).

4. If basic dyes precipitating the jelly coats are reduced, a swelling of the jelly coats occurs. Eggs subjected to basic proteins before fertilization have a less normal development than eggs treated by the same dose of basic proteins after fertilization.






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Copyright © 1964 by the Marine Biological Laboratory.