Relating to the yolk (or yolk sac) of an egg or embryo, or to yolk-producing organs.
‘the vitelline arteries’
‘At the second stage, when the sperm cell reaches the vitelline envelope, other recognition molecules allow bindin of the correct species to attach the sperm tightly to the egg.’
‘From these observations and following experiments involving membrane removals, the authors concluded that the vitelline and embryonic membranes are essential to osmoregulation during development.’
‘The ventral follicle cells produce proteins, like pipe, that are only deposited in the ventral vitelline envelope.’
‘In abalones, the eggs are enclosed by a vitelline envelope, and sperm must penetrate this envelope to fertilize the egg.’
‘It functions as glue between the acrosomal process and the glycoprotein bindin receptors of the vitelline layer of the egg.’
Origin
Late Middle English (in the sense ‘colored like egg yolk’): from medieval Latin vitellinus, from vitellus (see vitellus).
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