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Functions of Vitellogenin in Eggs

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Oocytes

Part of the book series: Results and Problems in Cell Differentiation ((RESULTS,volume 63))

Abstract

Our understanding of the functions of vitellogenin (Vtg) in reproduction has undergone an evolutionary transformation over the past decade. Primarily, Vtg was regarded as a female-specific reproductive protein, which is cleaved into yolk proteins including phosvitin (Pv) and lipovitellin (Lv), stored in eggs, providing the nutrients for early embryos. Recently, Vtg has been shown to be an immunocomponent factor capable of protecting the host against the attack by microbes including bacteria and viruses. Moreover, Pv and Lv that both are proteolytically cleaved products of maternal Vtg, as well as Pv-derived small peptides, all display an antibacterial role in developing embryos. In addition, both Vtg and yolk protein Pv possess antioxidant activity capable of protecting cells from damage by free radicals. Collectively, these data indicate that Vtg, in addition to being involved in yolk protein formation, also plays non-nutritional roles via functioning as immune-relevant molecules and antioxidant reagents.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Mr. Xuwen Cao for the preparation of the references. During manuscript preparation, the authors were supported by the grants (U1401211; 31601862) of Natural Science Foundation of China.

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  1. Department of Marine Biology, Ocean University of China, 5 Yushan Road, Qingdao, 266003, China

    Hongyan Li & Shicui Zhang

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  1. Department of Surgery, The Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA

    Malgorzata Kloc

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Li, H., Zhang, S. (2017). Functions of Vitellogenin in Eggs. In: Kloc, M. (eds) Oocytes. Results and Problems in Cell Differentiation, vol 63. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-60855-6_17

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