STUDIES ON THE ACROSOME. IV. THE ACROSOME REACTION IN SOME BIVALVE SPERMATOZOA

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Abstract
1. In twelve species of bivalve molluscs, it has been found that the spermatozoa undergo a reaction of the acrosome similar to that found among echinoderms. In all the species the spermatozoa react thus to the presence of unfertilized eggs; in some species egg-water and contact with glass surfaces are effective. 2. This reaction is characterized by the complete disappearance of the acrosome and the extrusion of a slender filament, the length of which varies considerably among the members of the group. 3. In the large Mytilus acrosome, three differentiated regions can be distinguished, consisting of a basal structure which seems to be concerned with the extrusion of the filament; a distal region containing what is believed to be an egg-membrane lysin; and an axial structure which appears to be a tubular sheath, possibly surrounding a precursor of the filament. The same regions can be seen in the spermatozoa of Petricola, Spondylus and Mactra. In the smaller acrosomes of Lithophaga, Chama, Zirfaea and Crassostrea, only two regions can be distinguished, and the acrosome of Trapezium is too small to show any clear differentiation.

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