Wave of stiffness propagating along the surface of the newt egg during cleavage

In the eggs of the newt, Cynops (Triturus) pyrrhogaster, change in stiffness of the cortex was measured in various regions at the time of the cleavage. Measurements were performed by Mitchison and Swann's cell elastimeter method with a modification, in which two fine pipettes were attached to the surface of one egg at the same time, in order to compare the rigidity of two regions. The stiffness of the cortex changed very little before the start of the first cleavage. However, just before the appearance of the first cleavage furrow, the stiffness increased rapidly at the animal pole region, which later returned to the former level. As the cleavage furrow progressed, a wave of high stiffness travelled meridionally as a belt along the surface from the animal pole region toward the vegetal region. At second cleavage, the cycle of change in stiffness was repeated.