Summary
An ultrastructural study of in vitro maturation of A. punctulata oocytes was undertaken to determine when heavy body formation was initiated. No heavy bodies were seen in germinal vesicle oocytes or in oocytes undergoing germinal vesicle breakdown or polar body formation. Heavy bodies were only observed in ova examined one to two hours after pronuclear formation. Several small heavy bodies were seen in sections of eggs fixed as early as three hours after the pronucleus had formed. The number of these structures in the egg cytoplasm increased with time. Therefore it is concluded that heavy body formation in sea urchin ova is a phenomenon following nuclear maturation.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Afzelius, B. A.: The ultrastructure of the nuclear membrane of the sea urchin oocyte as studied with the electron microscope. Exp. Cell Res. 8, 147–158 (1955)
Afzelius, B. A.: Basophilic structures in cytoplasm of the sea urchin egg. Proc. Stockholm Conference on Electron Microscopy, p. 147–149 (1956)
Afzelius, B. A.: Electron microscopy of the basophilic structures of the sea urchin egg. Z. Zellforsch. 45, 660–675 (1957)
Allen, E. R., Cave, M. D.: Formation, transport, and storage of ribonucleic acid containing structures in Acheta domesticus (Orthoptera). Z. Zellforsch. 92, 477–486 (1968)
Anderson, E.: Oocyte differentiation in the sea urchin, Arbacia punctulata, with particular reference to the origin of cortical granules and their participation in the cortical reaction. J. Cell Biol. 37, 514–539 (1968)
Bal, A. K., Jubinville, F., Cousineau, G. H.: Nuclear activity during oogenesis in sea urchins. II. Fine structural changes and patterns of RNA synthesis during meiotic prophases of Arbacia punctulata oocytes. Z. Zellforsch. 100, 180–188 (1969)
Bal, A. K., Jubinville, F., Cousineau, G. H., Inoué, S.: Origin and fate of annulate lamellae in Arbacia punctulata eggs. J. Ultrastruct. Res. 25, 15–28 (1968)
Brachet, A.: Recherches sur la fécondation prématurée de l'oeuf d'oursin (Paracentrotus lividus). Arch. Biol. (Liége) 32, 205–248 (1922)
Burkholder, G. D., Comings, D. E., Okada, T. A.: A storage form of ribosomes in mouse oocytes. 11th Annual Meeting, Amer. Soc. Cell Biol., Abstracts, p. 41 (1971a)
Burkholder, G. D., Comings, D. E., Okada, T. A.: A storage form of ribosomes in mouse oocytes. Exp. Cell Res. 69, 361–371 (1971b)
Cavanaugh, G. M.: Formulae and methods V of the Marine Biological Laboratory Chemical Room. Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, Mass. (1956)
Chatlynne, L. G.: A histochemical study of oogenesis in the sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus. Biol. Bull. 136, 167–184 (1969)
Conway, C. M.: Evidence for RNA in the heavy bodies of sea urchin eggs. J. Cell Biol. 51, 889–893 (1971)
Conway, C. M.: Characterization of the heavy bodies of sea urchin eggs. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Miami, Coral. Gables, Florida (1972)
Conway, C. M., Metz, C. B.: Cytochemical demonstration of RNA in heavy bodies of sea urchin eggs. J. Cell Biol. 47, 40A (1970)
Conway, C. M., Metz, C. B.: In vitro maturation of Arbacia punctulata oocytes. Biol. Bull. 141, 383–384 (1971)
Delage, Y.: Études expérimentales sur la maturation cytoplasmique et sur la parthénogenèse artificielle chez les Échinodermes. Arch. Zool. exp. gén. 29, 285–326 (1901)
Emerson, C. P., Jr., Humphreys, T.: Ribosomal RNA synthesis and the multiple, atypical nucleoli in cleaving embryos. Science 171, 898–901 (1971)
Ficq, A.: Effets de l'actinomycine D et de la puromycine sur le métabolisme de l'oocyte en croissance. Exp. Cell Res. 34, 581–594 (1964)
Gerin, Y.: Étude par cytochimie ultrastructurale des corpuscles périnucléaires présents dans les jeunes oocytes de Ilyanassa obsoleta Say (Mollusca gastéropode). J. Embryol. exp. Morph. 25, 423–38 (1971)
Gross, P. R., Malkin, L. I., Hubbard, M.: Synthesis of RNA during oogenesis in the sea urchins. J. Mol. Biol. 13, 463–481 (1965)
Guylas, B. J.: The fate of annulate lamellae in the rabbit conceptus. J. Cell Biol. 47, 80A (1970)
Guylas, B. J.: The rabbit zygote: Formation of annulate lamellae. J. Ultrastruct. Res. 35, 112–126 (1971a)
Guylas, B. J.: Nucleolar extrusion in rabbit embryos. Z. Zellforsch. 120, 151–159 (1971b)
Harris, P.: Structural changes following fertilization in the sea urchin egg. Formation and dissolution of heavy bodies. Exp. Cell Res. 48, 569–581 (1967a)
Harris, P.: Nucleolus-like bodies in sea urchin eggs. Amer. Zool. 7, 753–754 (1967b)
Harris, P. J.: Relation of fine structure to biochemical changes in developing sea urchin eggs and zygotes. In: The cell cycle. Gene-enzyme interactions (G. M. Padilla, G. L. Whitson, and I. I. Cameron, Eds.), p. 315–340. New York: Academic Press (1969)
Harvey, E. B.: A simplified electrical method of determining the sex of sea urchins and other marine animals. Biol. Bull. 105, 365 (1953)
Hinegardner, R. T.: The DNA content of isolated sea urchin egg nuclei. Exp. Cell Res. 25, 341–347 (1961)
Hinsch, G. W.: Possible role of intranuclear membranes in nuclear-cytoplasmic exchange in spider crab oocytes. J. Cell Biol. 47, 531–535 (1970)
Kessel, R. G., Beams, H. W.: Nucleolar-extrusion in oocytes of Thyone briareus. Exp. Cell Res. 32, 612–615 (1963)
Longo, F. J., Anderson, E.: Cytological aspects of fertilization in the lamellibranch, Mytilus edulis. I. Polar body formation and development of the female pronucleus. J. Exp. Zool. 172, 69–96 (1969)
Longo, F. J., Anderson, E.: An ultrastructural analysis of fertilization in the surf clam, Spisula solidissima. I. Polar body formation and development of the female pronucleus. J. Ultrastruct. Res. 33, 495–514 (1970)
Luft, J. H.: Improvements in epoxy resin embedding methods. J. Biophys. Biochem. Cytol. 9, 409–414 (1961)
Millonig, G.: The morphological changes of the nucleolus during oogenesis and embryogenesis of echinoderms. 6th International Congress for Electron Microscopy, p. 345 (1966)
Millonig, G.: The structural changes of the nucleolus during oogenesis and embryogenesis of Arbacia lixula. J. Cell Biol. 35, 177A (1967)
Millonig, G., Bosco, M., Giambertone, L.: Fine structure analysis of oogenesis in sea urchins. J. Exp. Zool. 169, 293–314 (1968)
Paspaleff, G.: Über Protoplasmareifung bei Seeigeleiern. Pubbl. Staz. Zool. Napoli 8, 1–70 (1927)
Pasteeis, J. J.: Comparative cytochemistry of the fertilized egg. In: A symposium on the chemical basis of development (W. D. McElroy and B. Glass, Eds.), p. 381–403, Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press, (1958)
Pasteels, J. J., Castiaux, P., Vandermeerssche, G.: Ultrastructure du cytoplasme et distribution de l'acide ribonucléique dans l'oeuf fécondé, tant normal que centrifugé de Paracentrotus lividus. Arch. Biol., Paris 69, 627–643 (1958)
Piatigorsky, J., Tyler, A.: Radioactive labeling of RNAs of sea urchin eggs during oogenesis. Biol. Bull. 133, 229–244 (1967)
Piatigorsky, J., Ozaki, H., Tyler, A.: RNA and protein synthesizing capacity of isolated oocytes of the sea urchin Lytechinus pictus. Develop. Biol. 15, 1–22 (1961)
Runnström, J., Monné, L.: On some properties of the surface layers of immature and mature sea urchin eggs, especially the changes accompanying nuclear and cytoplasmic maturation. Ark. f. Zool. 36A (no. 18), 1–27 (1945)
Sanchez, S.: Effets de l'actinomycine D sur les constituants cellulaires et le metabolise de l'ARN de l'ovocyte d'oursin (Paracentrotus lividus). Étude autoradiographique. Exp. Cell Res. 50, 19–31 (1968)
Sanchez, S.: Mode de formation, ultrastructure et nature chimique de micronucléoles d'un type particulier formés au cours de l'ovogenèse de Paracentrotus lividus (Echinodermes). Compt. Rend. Soc. Biol. 270, 828–830 (1970)
Sanchez, S., Lanet, A.: Distribution des protéines basiques nucléaires et cytoplasmiques dans l'ovocyte en croissance de Paracentrotus lividus. Compt. Rend. Soc. Biol. 160, 145–147 (1966)
Siekevitz, P., Maggio, R., Catalono, C.: Some properties of a rapidly labeled ribonucleic acid species in Sphaerechinus granularis. Biochim. Biophys. Acta, 129, 145–156 (1966)
Spurr, A. R.: A low-viscosity epoxy resin embedding medium for electron microscopy. J. Ultrastruct. Res. 26, 31–43 (1969)
Szollosi, D.: Extrusion of nucleoli from pronuclei of the rat. J. Cell Biol. 25, 545–562 (1965)
Venable, J. H., Coggeshall, R.: A simplified lead citrate stain for use in electron microscopy. J. Cell Biol. 25, 407–408 (1965)
Verhey, C. A., Moyer, F. H.: Fine structure changes during sea urchin oogenesis. J. Exp. Zool. 164, 195–226 (1967)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Contribution No. 222 from the Institute for Molecular and Cellular Evolution. Supported in part by grants from the National Institutes of Health (5-T01-HD00026-09 to the Fertilization and Gamete Physiology Training Program at the Marine Biological Laboratory and predoctoral fellowship 1-F01-GM-36,719-01A1 to C. M. Conway) and the National Science Foundation (GB3899 to C. B. Metz).
The authors are grateful to Drs. A. F. Conway, Giovanni Giudice, and Gertrude W. Hinsch for consultation and criticism of this work.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Conway, C.M., Metz, C.B. In vitro maturation of Arbacia punctulata oocytes and initiation of heavy body formation. Cell Tissue Res. 150, 271–279 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00222175
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00222175