Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
The egg cell or ovum (pl.: ova) is the female reproductive cell, or gamete, [1] in most anisogamous organisms (organisms that reproduce sexually with a larger, female gamete and a smaller, male one). The term is used when the female gamete is not capable of movement (non- motile ).
Recent inventions have allowed for the egg cracking industry to separate the eggshell from the eggshell membrane. The eggshell is mostly made up of calcium carbonate and the membrane is valuable protein. When separated both products have an array of uses. [citation needed]
Eggshell membrane is the clear film lining the chicken eggshell displayed. Eggshell membrane or shell membrane is the clear film lining eggshells, visible when one peels a boiled bird egg. Chicken eggshell membranes are used as a dietary supplement. Eggshell membrane is derived commercially from the eggshells of industrial processors.
The zona pellucida is an extracellular matrix that surrounds the plasma membrane of the egg cell. It helps protect the egg, and has an essential role in fertilization by sperm. It is surrounded by the corona radiata. The corona is composed of cells that care for the egg when it is emitted from the ovary. [1]
Mesolecithal eggs have comparatively more yolk than the microlecithal eggs. The yolk is concentrated in one part of the egg (the vegetal pole), with the cell nucleus and most of the cytoplasm in the other (the animal pole). The cell cleavage is uneven, and mainly concentrated in the cytoplasma-rich animal pole. [3]
The egg cell is generally asymmetric, having an animal pole (future ectoderm). It is covered with protective envelopes, with different layers. The first envelope – the one in contact with the membrane of the egg – is made of glycoproteins and is known as the vitelline membrane (zona pellucida in mammals).
Get AOL Mail for FREE! Manage your email like never before with travel, photo & document views. Personalize your inbox with themes & tabs. You've Got Mail!
Phosphatidylcholine is a major constituent of cell membranes and pulmonary surfactant, and is more commonly found in the exoplasmic or outer leaflet of a cell membrane. It is thought to be transported between membranes within the cell by phosphatidylcholine transfer protein (PCTP). [3]