Summary
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1.
Sperm nuclei within activated eggs of the clam, Spisula solidissima were found to contain a normal haploid amount of DNA while sperm nuclei in inactivated eggs of the same clam contain significantly lower amounts of DNA.
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2.
The DNA content of sperm nuclei within activated eggs increases to approximately the diploid amount during pronuclei formation whereas the DNA content of sperm nuclei in inactivated eggs does not show any increase.
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3.
The amount of DNA in spermatozoa in the testis of Spisula varies from one clam to another. Some clams have predominantly the normal haploid amount of DNA while others show significantly lower amounts of DNA in the spermatozoa in the testis.
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4.
The possible significance of the DNA content of spermatozoa for the activation process of the Spisula egg is discussed.
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Postdoctoral Fellow of the National Cancer Institute, United States Public Health Service.
We wish to thank Professor Franz Schrader and Dr. Sally Hughes-Schrader of Columbia University, New York for their many helpful suggestions and discussions particularly in connection with the cytological aspects of this problem.
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Ito, S., Leuchtenberger, C. The possible role of the DNA content of spermatozoa for the activation process of the egg of the Clam, spisula solidissima. Chromosoma 7, 328–339 (1955). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00329731
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00329731