Sperm penetration and transformation of sperm entry site in eggs of the freshwater teleost Rhodeus ocellatus ocellatus.

Abstract

Eggs of bony fishes are enveloped by an egg envelope (chorion) in which a micropyle is present near the animal pole. Therefore, sperm penetration into the eggs is limited to the sperm entry site (SES), a region of plasma membrane just beneath the micropyle. In rose bitterling eggs, the SES transforms from a tuft of microvilli into a swollen mass (SM) that continues to plug the micropyle after sperm penetration. The present observations using the rose bitterling Rhodeus ocellatus ocellatus were conducted to examine: 1) whether or not sperm penetration is necessary for formation of the SM and 2) whether or not actin microfilaments are involved in the formation of the SM. Water activation without sperm transformed the SES from a tuft of microvilli into the SM, although it took a longer time for the transformation and the SMs were smaller than in the case of inseminated eggs. The SES presumably has the ability to transform into the SM upon activation of eggs in the present species. Cytochalasin B, which acts on actin microfilaments, did not prevent formation of the SM, irrespective of insemination or activation. The present observations suggest that sperm penetration is not necessary for SM formation and actin microfilaments do not participate in SM formation. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.