Abstract
THERE is evidence that at least some yolk proteins of vertebrates originate in the liver and are transported to developing oocytes through the circulation, for example in the fish1, frog and chicken2. Marked pinocytotic activity during oocytic yolk accumulation has been noted in a variety of organisms and is probably related to protein uptake3. In view of the apparent ready uptake of yolk proteins by oocytes, we became interested in the responses of phagocytic cells of the reticuloendothelial system (RES) to frog yolk protein and found that yolk of Rana pipiens, labelled with fluorescein and solubilized with sodium chloride, is readily cleared from the blood of mice4. In addition, however, we noted that yolk injected intravenously also seemed to increase the rate of clearance of other materials. We have therefore investigated the opsonic effect of frog yolk.
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RINGLE, D., HERNDON, B. Opsonic Effect of Frog Yolk. Nature 212, 839–841 (1966). https://doi.org/10.1038/212839a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/212839a0
