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Injection of a soluble sperm fraction into sea-urchin eggs triggers the cortical reaction

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Summary

Fertilization membranes from around unfertilized sea-urchin eggs after microinjection of a soluble spermatozoa fraction isosmotic with seawater. This demonstrates that the spermatozoon contains a chemical that triggers an increase in cytosolic calcium, leading to exocytosis of cortical granules. It also demonstrates that the triggering mechanism does not require an externally-activated egg-membrane process. Further experiments show that the chemical trigger is not calcium.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Biophysics, NINCDS, National Institutes of Health, 20205, Bethesda, Maryland, USA

    B. Dale, L. J. DeFelice & G. Ehrenstein

  2. Department of Anatomy, Emory University, 30322, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

    B. Dale, L. J. DeFelice & G. Ehrenstein

  3. Marine Biological Laboratory, 02543, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, USA

    B. Dale, L. J. DeFelice & G. Ehrenstein

Authors
  1. B. Dale
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  2. L. J. DeFelice
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  3. G. Ehrenstein
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Dale, B., DeFelice, L.J. & Ehrenstein, G. Injection of a soluble sperm fraction into sea-urchin eggs triggers the cortical reaction. Experientia 41, 1068–1070 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01952148

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01952148

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