Abstract
Proteinase activity in the sucrose solution extracts of the membrane of ovarian folliele and the liver from hens with atretic ovaries was measured. The atrophy of ovaries was experimentally induced in the normal laying hens by starving them for 4 days. The effects of starvation and vitellin production on the proteinase activity in the liver were also examined with chicks.
1. Proteinase activity at pH 4.0 in the extracts of the follicular membrane from the atretic ovaries showed remarkably higher level than that from normal ovaries, but there was no significant difference between the levels of the proteinase activity at pH 8.2 in the extracts of the follicular membrane from normal and atretic ovaries.
2. The extracts of the liver from the starved chicks showed higher proteinase activity level at pH 4.0 than that from normal chicks.
3. The extracts of the liver from the chicks induced vitellin production by estrogen injection showed lower proteinase activity level at pH 4.0 than that from normal chicks.
4. Proteinase activity at pH 4.0 in the extracts of the liver from the starved hens with atretic ovaries showed slightly higher level than that from normal, but the difference was not significant.
