Polarity of sperm entry in the ascidian egg.

We have investigated the point of sperm entry in denuded eggs of the ascidian Phallusia mammillata. In contrast to what is generally believed, the sperm show a strong tendency to enter the animal hemisphere rather than the vegetal hemisphere. After entry, the sperm nucleus is carried toward the vegetal pole of the egg during the cortical contraction which occurs within a few minutes after fertilization. This polarity of sperm entry is abolished and the entry point is randomized by pretreating the eggs with cytochalasin D. We suggest that cytochalasin may act by randomizing components needed for sperm attachment or fusion, or structures needed for sperm entry.