Open AccessThe hydrogen-ion concentration and oxidation-reduction potential of the cell-interior before and after fertilisation and cleavage: A micro-injection study on marine eggs
Author(s) -
Joseph Needham,
Dorothy M. Needham
Publication year - 1926
Publication title -
proceedings of the royal society of london. series b, containing papers of a biological character
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2053-9185
pISSN - 0950-1193
DOI - 10.1098/rspb.1926.0007
Subject(s) - fertilisation , spermatozoon , cleavage (geology) , chemistry , andrology , ion , human fertilization , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , anatomy , embryo , medicine , embryogenesis , organic chemistry , reproductive technology , paleontology , fracture (geology)
In our previous communications on this subject we have described experiments dealing with the micro-injection of indicators into single cells. In the conclusion to our paper (10a ) on thep H. andr H of the Amœba, we said, “It is hoped that other biological data will soon be available . . . such problems as the . . . oxidation-reduction potentials of egg-cells before and after fertilisation at once present themselves.” The present paper is devoted to these problems. Warburg (17) and Meyerhof (8), and afterwards other workers, observed an enormous increase in the oxygen-consumption of the egg to take place on fertilisation. Shearer (12) found that this occurred at the moment of contact of the spermatozoon with the egg membrane. In view of the fact that the increase was about 2000 per cent., it was clearly a matter of great interest to determine whether ther H changed at the same time. We have attempted to follow the changes inr H by micro-injection experiments and by staining. The two methods failed to give concordant results for reasons which are discussed in the text.