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Journal of Experimental Biology 60,807-820 (1974)
Published by Company of Biologists 1974

On the Mechanical Properties of the Vitelline Membrane of the Frog Egg

KJELL HANSSON MILD ¹, SøREN LøVTRUP ², and TOMMY BERGFORS ²

¹ Department of Theoretical Physics and Department of Zoophysiology, University of Umed, S-901 87 Umed, Sweden
² Department of Zoophysiology, University of Umed, S-901 87 Umed, Sweden

Cole's method is employed to measure the internal pressure in body cavity eggs of Rana temporaria. In the interpretation of the results the effect of bending resistance is considered.

The internal pressure in the undeformed egg in isotonic solution, at 25 °C, is 30 dyn/ cm², corresponding to a stress resultant, or tension, in the vitelline membrane of 1.5 dyn/cm. In hypotonic solutions substantial increases in the pressure have been recorded.

When the pressure is studied as a function of temperature an anomalous high pressure is found at 16 °C for all the different incubation media employed.

A new method is applied to determine Young's modulus of the membrane. The result obtained is 3.7x10⁵ dyn/cm² at 23 °C.