Some features of the medium surrounding the mechano- and electroreceptors of the acousticolateral system of the ray Raja clavata.

The degree of binding of K ions has been investigated and the contents of free Ca ions and of glycosaminoglycans have been determined in the medium surrounding the mechano- and electroreceptors of the acousticolateral system of the ray Raja clavata; in addition, electrical phenomena in solutions of K hyaluronate in solutions of the media investigated have been studied. A comparison of the results of electrometric and chemical analysis has shown that the proportions of bound K ions as percentages of the total amounts of these ions are 36.4 in the endolymphatic jelly, 39.6 in the ampullar jelly, and 21.9 in the liquid of the lateral canals. The amount of Ca ions in the media investigated is 3.6-4.4 meq/liter and is close to the concentration of these ions in sea water--3.4 meq/liter. In the endolymphatic jelly the amount of glycosaminoglycans is 0.30+/-0.022% of the wet weight, in the liquid of the lateral canals 0.21+/-0.026%, and in the jelly of the ampullae of Lorenzini 2.79+/-0.28%. Some characteristics of the "displacement potentials" of solutions of K hyaluronate and solutions of the jelly of the ampullae of Lorenzini have been determined, and some hypotheses have been put forward on the possible role of these potentials in the activity of the ampullar formations of the systems of organs of the lateral line.