LAMPBRUSH CHROMOSOMES IN OOCYTE NUCLEI OF SEPIA OFFICINALIS

The nuclei of the growing oocytes of Sepia officinalis contain lamp-brush chromosomes with clearly demonstrable chromomeres bearing pairs of lateral loops (Fig. 4). Similar to the findings of Callan and Lloyd (1960) in amphibian oocytes the chromosomes of Sepia exhibit some specially organized loops which can be used as landmarkers for recognizing certain chromosomes (Fig. 5). Maximal loop despiralization occurs only in nuclei of follicles during their initial growth phase. The following developmental period is characterized by a successive contraction of loops and chromosome axes (Fig. 7), despite the fact that the diameter of the oocyte nucleus enlarges still three times. In the oldest nuclei hundreds of nucleolus-like granules arise near the chromosomes which later spread over the entire nucleus (Fig. 9). © 1969 Springer-Verlag.