Ultraviolet light and the mitotic cycle in the sea urchin's egg.

The effect of ultraviolet light in delaying certain events in the cell division cycle has been examined. The time to fusion of the egg and sperm nucleus is not affected by doses of ultraviolet that cause considerable delay in other parts of the cycle. The principal delay occurs before anaphase. Between anaphase and cleavage there is only slight delay. The "refractory period" during which the radiation does not delay the immediate cycle of cell division, does not seem to represent complete refractoriness of the mitotic cycle to interference during this period.