The yolk sac membrane(YSM) of the avian egg supports embryonic development by digesting yolk granules and delivering the digestion products to the embryo via the blood supply. Some of the hydrolytic enzymes of the YSM are serine esterases and protease...
The yolk sac membrane(YSM) of the avian egg supports embryonic development by digesting yolk granules and delivering the digestion products to the embryo via the blood supply. Some of the hydrolytic enzymes of the YSM are serine esterases and proteases, possible targets of the organo-phosphorus (OP) insecticides. We sought to identify these potential targets and determine whether inhibition of them is functionally related to the teratogenic or embryotoxic action of the OP compounds in chick embryos.
The ability of the OP compounds, administered either in ovo or in vitro, to pre-empt binding of [³H]DFP to the non-sedimentable proteins of the YSM cell-free extract was measured. The extract from untreated eggs had three major DFP-binding proteins with electrophoretically determined Mw values of 94, 83 and 72 KD. The physiological roles of these proteins are unknown. The 72 KD protein of the YSM, which ordinarily contains 80-90% of the incorporated [³H]DFP, was very sensitive to the actions of the OP compounds. OP binding of the 83 KD protein was most pronounced with DZN.