INCREASED PERMEABILITY TO WATER OF AGING UNFERTILIZED EGGS (ARBACIA PUNCTULATA)

1. Unfertilized Arbacia eggs, subjected to 50, 60, or 80 per cent sea water, at the same temperature, pH, and duration, swelled progressively faster with age. Swelling increased 12.2 to 39.6 per cent. 2. Permeability to water was calculated by the method of Lucké and McCutcheon. For freshly shed eggs from nine different females, permeability varied from 0.078 to 0.124, or 59 per cent. This variation was not due to differences in age nor to physiologic condition but was correlated with size of eggs. 3. About twenty eggs were tested each age to 60 hours after shedding. The permeability rate increased with age in all nine experiments. 4. The total increase ranged from 30 to 69 per cent. 5. The increase was slow but constant or almost constant during early and intermediate ages. 6. The increase began at earliest ages. 7. An increase may not be demonstrable for any short interval but is readily demonstrable for longer intervals (6 or more hours), or, from the entire curve. 8. Permeability increased faster at late ages. For special factors during late ages see text. 9. Injury by experimental procedure was not induced until ca. the 24th hour. Injury by aging was not detectable during the first 6 to 9 hours. It increased progressively between 10 and 24 hours, and very rapidly thereafter. Permeability increased at approximately the same rate during early and intermediate ages. Permeability therefore was not correlated with degree of injury. 10. The troublesome factor in the permeability equation was initial size, or V(o). Several methods were used to obtain this V(o), viz. (a) extrapolations approximating known cyclical change in size, (b) extrapolations approximating control sizes, (c) constant or average of all V(o)'s, (d) maximum V(o) approximating control V(o)'s. Recalculation with these different V(o)'s gave approximately the same permeabilities. 11. The increase in permeability with age was substantially the same whether "approved," or other possible rates or average rates or range of rates be used as criteria of change. 12. When the data were recalculated by integrating the equation of Northrop, the increases in permeability with age were essentially the same as the increases calculated by the graphic method of Lucké.