Acid phosphatase activity in the chick ovary during embryonic development.

Acid phosphatase activity was studied in the left and right ovaries of the chick during embryonic development. The cytochemical study indicated that local enzymatic activity is localized mainly in germ and somatic cells. From the results obtained in the study on the specific activity of this acid hydrolase, it can be inferred that the higher concentration of this enzyme in the right ovary would be determined by a decrease of total proteins in the total homogenate and in the cellular fractions of this organ. Besides, a decrease in the enzymatic activity of this ovary is not observed, but it occurs in the left ovary. This finding would indicate a lack of enzymatic segregation that could be related to the phenomenon of ovarian atrophy. Finally, the electrophoretic study indicated that it would apparently exist only one molecular form of the enzyme. Our results support the hypothesis that acid phosphatase would be involved in the atrophic processes of the right ovary during embryonary differentiation.