Nuclear-cytoplasmic relations in the mitosis of sea urchin eggs. 3. Gamma-ray--induced damage to whole eggs and nucleate and anucleate half-eggs.

Sea urchin eggs were cut into halves. The nucleate and anucleate halves and whole eggs were irradiated with gamma-rays and then fertilized with normal sperm. The first mitosis of the diploid half-egg was more delayed than the division of the whole egg. There was a small, but highly significant, delay of the mitosis of the haploid half-egg, thus demonstrating cytoplasmic sensitivity to ionizing radiation. Since the sensitivity of nucleate cells is influenced by cytoplasmic volume, the problem of the role of cytoplasm in repair is considered in relation to these data and other reports in the literature.