| Abstract: | In contrast with most other eggs, where the endoplasmic reticulum is mixed with many other organelles, in ascidians, continuous sheets and tubes of endoplasmic reticulum constitute the only prominent organelle in the immediate layer (0.5-1μm) beneath the plasma membrane, and occupies 16–20% of the cortical volume. We took advantage of this unusual stratification of the organelles in the ascidian egg, to carry X-ray microanalysis. Our measurements provide the first estimate of the calcium content of the endoplasmic reticulum network in an egg, and show it is the main calcium store. |
