Skip to main content
PMC home page
The Journal of Cell Biology logoLink to The Journal of Cell Biology
. 1974 Mar 1;60(3):529–540. doi: 10.1083/jcb.60.3.529

NEW MEMBRANE FORMATION DURING CYTOKINESIS IN NORMAL AND CYTOCHALASIN B-TREATED EGGS OF XENOPUS LAEVIS

II. Electrophysiological Observations

Siegfried W de Laat 1, John G Bluemink 1
PMCID: PMC2109227  PMID: 4824285

Abstract

The electrical membrane potential (Em) and electrical membrane resistance (Rm) were measured continuously during the first cleavage of Xenopus eggs, using intracellular microelectrodes. A sharp hyperpolarization of Em and decrease in Rm can be observed from 6 to 8 min after the onset of cleavage. This moment coincides with the onset of the insertion of new membrane (Bluemink and de Laat, 1973) leading to the formation of the interblastomeric membrane during normal cleavage. Removal of the vitelline membrane or exposure to cytochalasin B (CCB) leads to exposure of the entire surface area of the membrane newly formed during cleavage. These conditions allow for a direct measurement of the permeability properties of the new membrane. It was found that under these conditions Em reaches values about 3 times more negative and Rm reaches values about 1.5–3 times smaller than during normal cleavage. The extent of reduction of Rm can be correlated with the surface area of the newly formed membrane. We conclude that the new membrane has different ionic permeability properties than the pre-existing membrane (most probably a relatively high permeability for K+ ions). Its mean specific resistance is 1–2 kΩ·cm2, as against 74 kΩ·cm2 for the pre-existing membrane. No influence of CCB on the permeability properties of the pre-existing or new membrane could be detected.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (902.3 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Bennett M. V., Trinkaus J. P. Electrical coupling between embryonic cells by way of extracellular space and specialized junctions. J Cell Biol. 1970 Mar;44(3):592–610. doi: 10.1083/jcb.44.3.592. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bluemink J. G. Cortical wound healing in the amphibian egg: an electron microscopical study. J Ultrastruct Res. 1972 Oct;41(1):95–114. doi: 10.1016/s0022-5320(72)90041-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bluemink J. G. Cytokinesis and cytochalasin-induced furrow regression in the first-cleavage zygote of Xenopus laevis. Z Zellforsch Mikrosk Anat. 1971;121(1):102–126. doi: 10.1007/BF00330921. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Bluemink J. G. The first cleavage of the amphibian egg. An electron microscope study of the onset of cytokinesis in the egg of Ambystoma mexicanum. J Ultrastruct Res. 1970 Jul;32(1):142–166. doi: 10.1016/s0022-5320(70)80042-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Bluemink J. G., de Laat S. W. New membrane formation during cytokinesis in normal and cytochalasin B-treated eggs of Xenopus laevis. I. Electron microscope observations. J Cell Biol. 1973 Oct;59(1):89–108. doi: 10.1083/jcb.59.1.89. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Burger M. M., Bombik B. M., Breckenridge B. M., Sheppard J. R. Growth control and cyclic alterations of cyclic AMP in the cell cycle. Nat New Biol. 1972 Oct 11;239(93):161–163. doi: 10.1038/newbio239161a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Hammer M. G., Sheridan J. D., Estensen R. D. Cytochalasin B II: selective inhibition of cytokinesis in Xenopus laevis eggs. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1971 Apr;136(4):1158–1162. doi: 10.3181/00379727-136-35450. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Ito S., Hori N. Electrical characteristics of Triturus egg cells during cleavage. J Gen Physiol. 1966 May;49(5):1019–1027. doi: 10.1085/jgp.49.5.1019. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Kalt M. R. The relationship between cleavage and blastocoel formation in Xenopus laevis. II. Electron microscopic observations. J Embryol Exp Morphol. 1971 Aug;26(1):51–66. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Loewenstein W. R. Permeability of membrane junctions. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1966 Jul 14;137(2):441–472. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1966.tb50175.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Manasek F. J., Burnside B., Stroman J. The sensitivity of developing cardiac myofibrils to cytochalasin-B (electron microscopy-polarized light-Z-bands-heartbeat). Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1972 Feb;69(2):308–312. doi: 10.1073/pnas.69.2.308. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. McDonald T. F., Sachs H. G., Orr C. W., Ebert J. D. External potassium and baby hamster kidney cells: intracellular ions, ATP, growth, DNA synthesis and membrane potential. Dev Biol. 1972 May;28(1):290–303. doi: 10.1016/0012-1606(72)90145-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Palmer J. F., Slack C. Some bio-electric parameters of early Xenopus embryos. J Embryol Exp Morphol. 1970 Nov;24(3):535–553. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Rzehak K. Changes in the pigment pattern of eggs of Xenopus laevis following fertilization. Folia Biol (Krakow) 1972;20(4):409–416. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Selman G. G., Perry M. M. Ultrastructural changes in the surface layers of the newt's egg in relation to the mechanism of its cleavage. J Cell Sci. 1970 Jan;6(1):207–227. doi: 10.1242/jcs.6.1.207. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Tupper J. T. The ionic basis of the membrane potential in the early Asterias embryo. Dev Biol. 1972 Nov;29(3):273–282. doi: 10.1016/0012-1606(72)90067-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Weisenseel M., Jaffe L. F. Membrane potential and impedance of developing fucoid eggs. Dev Biol. 1972 Apr;27(4):555–574. doi: 10.1016/0012-1606(72)90193-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Woodward D. J. Electrical signs of new membrane production during cleavage of Rana pipiens eggs. J Gen Physiol. 1968 Sep;52(3):509–531. doi: 10.1085/jgp.52.3.509. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. ZOTIN A. I. THE MECHANISM OF CLEAVAGE IN AMPHIBIAN AND STURGEON EGGS. J Embryol Exp Morphol. 1964 Jun;12:247–262. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. de Laat S. W., Luchtel D., Bluemink J. G. The action of cytochalasin B during egg cleavage in Xenopus laevis: dependence on cell membrane permeability. Dev Biol. 1973 Mar;31(1):163–177. doi: 10.1016/0012-1606(73)90327-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The Journal of Cell Biology are provided here courtesy of The Rockefeller University Press

RESOURCES