Permeability coefficients of the egg-case membrane ofScyliorhinus canicula L.

Summary The cleidoic egg-case of the dogfish appears to have a highly porous and permeable outer membrane, the pore radius being computed to be 13.6 Å. It does not present any physiological barrier to small molecules and therefore constitutes an open ionic and osmotic system for the embryo. Being a porous protein membrane it may be of value as a model for molecular transport mechanisms.