Showing papers on "Coturnix published in 2009"
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TL;DR: Rapid and slower changes in brain aromatase activity match well with the two modes of estrogen action on behavior and provide temporal variations in the estrogens' bioavailability that should be able to support the entire range of established effects for this steroid.
Abstract: In Japanese quail, estrogen's effects on sexual behavior can be divided into three classes based on the underlying mechanisms and time-course of action and release. During embryonic life, the embryonic ovary secretes large amounts of estrogens. In contrast to what is observed in mammals where sexual differentiation essentially proceeds via masculinization of the males, in quail, females are demasculinized by their endogenous ovarian estrogens, an effect that can be blocked by injection of an aromatase inhibitor and mimicked in male embryos by an injection of estradiol. In adulthood, testosterone secreted by the testes is converted into estrogens by the preoptic aromatase. Locally produced estrogens activate male sexual behavior largely through the activation of estrogen receptors resulting in the transcription of a variety of genes, including brain aromatase (genomic effect). Both changes in estrogen production and action are observed within latencies ranging from a few hours to a few days, and are completely reversible. Additionally, brain aromatase activity can be modulated within minutes by calcium-dependent phosphorylations, triggered by variations in glutamatergic neurotransmission. These rapid changes in aromatase activity affect with relatively short latencies (10-15 min) the expression of male sexual behavior in quail and also in mice. Overall, the effects of estrogens on sexual behavior can thus be categorized into three classes: organizational (irreversible genomic action during ontogeny), activational (reversible genomic action during adulthood) and rapid nongenomic effects. Rapid and slower changes in brain aromatase activity match well with the two modes of estrogen action on behavior and provide temporal variations in the estrogens' bioavailability that should be able to support the entire range of established effects for this steroid.
98 citations
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TL;DR: This article showed that Japanese quail and White Pekin duck host jaw muscles acquire quail-like shape and attachment sites due to the presence of quail donor neural crest-derived skeletal and muscular connective tissues.
65 citations
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TL;DR: Detailed methods for generating transgenic quail using high-titer lentivirus are provided, which offer all of the advantages of the classic avian developmental model system, such as the ability to readily produce quail:chick transplant chimeras.
Abstract: The ability to generate transgenic mice has been a powerful tool in studying functional genomics, and much of our knowledge about developmental biology has come from the study of chicken embryology. Unfortunately, the availability of molecular genetic techniques, such as transgenics and knockouts, has been limited for developmental biologists using avian animal models. Efforts to develop a system for the rapid production of transgenic chickens have met with many obstacles, including high animal husbandry costs and long generational times. Recently, the Japanese quail has proven to be an excellent model organism for the production of transgenic avians using lentiviral vectors. The relatively small size of the adults, short time to sexual maturity, and prodigious egg production of the Japanese quail make development of transgenic lines less labor- and space-intensive compared to chickens. The high degree of homology between chicken and quail genomes allows researchers to design highly specific DNA constructs for the production of transgenic birds. In addition, transgenic quail offer all of the advantages of the classic avian developmental model system, such as the ability to readily produce quail:chick transplant chimeras. Finally, Japanese quail are ideal for in ovo imaging of embryos expressing fluorescent reporters introduced from a transgene and/or electroporation. Here, we provide detailed methods for generating transgenic quail using high-titer lentivirus.
59 citations
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TL;DR: Experiments in which mammals and birds were fed with insects which sequester and store cardiac glycosides, and the insensi-tivity of the quail to these substances is recorded are recorded.
Abstract: SYNOPSIS
Notes are given of experiments in which mammals and birds were fed with insects which sequester and store cardiac glycosides, and the insensi-tivity of the quail (Coturnix japonicus Tern.) to these substances is recorded. The variation in predators' reactions to toxic insects is discussed.
32 citations
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TL;DR: Mechanisms used by quails to transform sounds during ontogeny resemble those described in oscines during the sensorimotor phase of song learning, which could shed light on the specificity and evolution of vocal learning.
Abstract: Species-specific behaviours gradually emerge, via incomplete patterns, to the final complete adult form. A classical example is birdsong, a learned behaviour ideally suited for studying the neural and molecular substrates of vocal learning. Young songbirds gradually transform primitive unstructured vocalizations (subsong, akin to human babbling) into complex, stereotyped sequences of syllables that constitute adult song. In comparison with birdsong, territorial and mating calls of vocal non-learner species are thought to exhibit little change during development. We revisited this issue using the crowing behaviour of domestic Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica). Crowing activity was continuously recorded in young males maintained in social isolation from the age of three weeks to four months. We observed developmental changes in crow structure, both the temporal and the spectral levels. Speed and trajectories of these developmental changes exhibited an unexpected high inter-individual variability. Mechanisms used by quails to transform sounds during ontogeny resemble those described in oscines during the sensorimotor phase of song learning. Studies on vocal non-learners could shed light on the specificity and evolution of vocal learning.
31 citations
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TL;DR: It is demonstrated that mothers of precocial birds influence epigenetically the ontogeny of endogenous rhythms of the young they raise, as well as rhythmic phenotypes of quail mothers influence the rhythmicphenotypes of their young.
Abstract: Development involves interactions between genetic and environmental influences. Vertebrate mothers are generally the first individuals to encounter and interact with young animals. Thus, their role is primordial during ontogeny. The present study evaluated non-genomic effects of mothers on the development of rhythms of precocial Japanese quail (Coturnix c. japonica). First, we investigated the influence of mothering on the ontogeny of endogenous rhythms of young. We compared circadian and ultradian rhythms of feeding activity of quail reared with or without adoptive mothers. More brooded than non-brooded quail presented a circadian and/or an ultradian rhythm. Thus, the presence of the mother during the normal brooding period favors, in the long term, expression of rhythms in the young. Second, we investigated the influence of rhythmic phenotype of the mother on the development of endogenous rhythms of young by comparing quail brooded by circadian-rhythmic adoptive mothers (R) to quail brooded by circadian-arrhythmic adoptive mothers (A). More R-brooded than A-brooded quail expressed circadian rhythmicity, and circadian rhythm clarities were greater in R-brooded than A-brooded quail. Ultradian rhythmicity did not differ between R- and A-brooded quail, nor between R and A adoptive mothers. Thus, the rhythmic phenotypes of quail mothers influence the rhythmic phenotypes of their young. Our results demonstrate that mothers of precocial birds influence epigenetically the ontogeny of endogenous rhythms of the young they raise.
25 citations
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TL;DR: The Chinese painted quail does exhibit parthenogenesis and clutch position influences the rate of naturally occurring parthenogenic development, with a steady decline in the percentage of eggs with embryonic development as position in the clutch increased.
23 citations
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TL;DR: Research on quail may not only bring results which are chicken-complementary, but also provide new knowledge because of the proximity of the two genera Coturnix and Gallus.
Abstract: Japanese quail are minor production birds when compared to chickens which have become a leading animal model due to recent breakthroughs in chicken research, such as genome sequence and genetically modified primordial germ cells. It might seem, therefore, that the quail has little to offer that the chicken could not provide, both commercially and scientifically. With examples drawn from recent genetic studies on the quail at INRA, this paper shows that, on the contrary, research on quail may not only bring results which are chicken-complementary, but also provide new knowledge because of the proximity of the two genera Coturnix and Gallus.
23 citations
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20 citations
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TL;DR: A systematic species difference is found in the relative density of D1- vs. D2-like receptors such that the D2/D1 ratio is higher in quail than in rats in areas, known to be important target sites for dopamine action such as striatal regions or the preoptic area, which is also associated with activation of sexual behavior.
Abstract: Evidence has accumulated that the regulation of male sexual behavior by dopamine might not be the same in Japanese quail (and perhaps all birds) as it is in mammals. For example, the non-selective dop
19 citations
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TL;DR: Heterologous cIGY is more efficiently incorporated into quail egg yolks than homologous qIgY, possibly due to a distinctive antibody transport system existing in oocytes, and may provide a new strategy for delivering useful proteinaceous substances into egg yolk in an attempt to produce designer eggs.
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TL;DR: The results suggest that, contrary to the hypothesis, the endogenous production of ADH by water deprivation stimulates qAQP2 mRNA in both loopless and looped nephrons, in both cortical and medullary collecting ducts.
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TL;DR: The CAM model was used to study the differentiation process of embryoid bodies derived from mouse embryonic stem cells influenced by the CAM vascular bed and suggested a connection between existing quail vessels and blood vessels growing inside the TMs as a result of EB differentiation.
Abstract: Avian chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) has been used as a model to explore angiogenesis and to study the microvasculature of transplanted tissues. Because CAM provides a vascular bed, cells can be implanted, and their development can be monitored and modified. We used the CAM model to study the differentiation process of embryoid bodies (EBs) derived from mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) influenced by the CAM vascular bed. After EBs were incubated in CAM for 5 days, they underwent further differentiation and became tissue masses (TMs) of different morphologies from those that grew outside CAM. Immunohistochemical analysis of TMs demonstrated tissue-specific markers such as neurofilament light, CD34, collagen IV, cardiac myosin heavy chain (MHC), and cardiotin. Differentiated mouse blood vessels stained with anti-CD31 were found within the TMs, as well as blood vessels stained positive for QH1 and QCPN, markers for quail endothelial cells and perinuclear quail antigen, respectively. Quail erythrocytes inside mouse blood vessels suggested a connection between existing quail vessels and blood vessels growing inside the TMs as a result of EB differentiation. Therefore, CAM could be a suitable model to trigger and study the differentiation of EBs in close interaction with surrogate quail blood vessels.
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TL;DR: In this paper, Japanese quail lingual glands were investigated by means of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to understand the cytoarchitecture and the subcellular sugar distribution within the different secretory structures.
Abstract: In the present study, as continuation of our previous research, Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) lingual glands were investigated by means of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to understand the cytoarchitecture and the subcellular sugar distribution within the different secretory structures. Indeed, glycosidic residues were visualized by applying an indirect technique of binding and the terminal sialoglycoconjugate sequences were characterized by employing sialidase digestion combined with lectin affinity. The ultrastructural analysis revealed an unusual cytoarchitecture of the caudal portion of anterior lingual gland that was composed of both secretory cells, filled with granules, and non-secretory cells, filled with mitochondria. Conversely, the posterior lingual gland was composed of secretory units of lingual glands only containing mucous cells filled with secretory granules with a variable morphology, including bipartite features characterized by an electron-lucent matrix and one or more electron-dense areas. Actual findings further supported that the quail lingual glands produce sialoglycoconjugates characterized by a heterogeneous composition. In conclusion, the cytological characteristics and the carbohydrate composition of quail lingual glands suggest that, analogously to mammal salivary glands, avian lingual glands could also be involved in several functions that can be correlated with the occurrence of sialic acids.
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TL;DR: This protocol describes how to generate high-titer lentivirus for the production of transgenic Japanese quail, pseudotyped with vesicular stomatitis virus with the envelope G glycoprotein (VSV-g), which gives a broad infectious range and allows concentration of viral supernatants by ultracentrifugation.
Abstract: This protocol describes how to generate high-titer lentivirus for the production of transgenic Japanese quail. The virus is pseudotyped with vesicular stomatitis virus with the envelope G glycoprotein (VSV-g), which gives a broad infectious range and allows concentration of viral supernatants by ultracentrifugation. Using this method, we typically produce titers >1 x 10(8) transforming units (TU)/mL and recommend using a virus with a titer at least this high for in vivo work.
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TL;DR: The results suggest that the brain, but not the liver, was protected from the effects of hypothyroidism, probably by changes in D2 activity at the protein level and/or regulation of TH entry and exit from the brain.
Abstract: Ground-dwelling birds in perchlorate-contaminated areas are exposed to perchlorate ion, a known thyroid disruptor, and might be vulnerable to the developmental effects of perchlorate-induced hypothyroidism. We hypothesized that perchlorate-induced hypothyroidism would alter the expression of thyroid-responsive genes involved in thyroid hormone (TH) regulation and in the development of target organ function. Japanese quail chicks were exposed to 2000 mg/L ammonium perchlorate in drinking water for 7.5 weeks beginning on day 5 posthatch. Hypothyroidism was evident after 2 weeks of exposure as lower plasma THs and lower TH content in exposed chicks than in controls. The degree of hypothyroidism was increased at 7.5 weeks, as indicated by significant thyroid gland hypertrophy and sustained changes in thyroid function. After 2 weeks of exposure, hypothyroidism increased type 2 5'-deiodinase (D2) mRNA level and decreased Spot 14 (SP14) mRNA level in the liver, whereas D2 mRNA and RC3 mRNA levels in brain were not affected. After 7.5 weeks of exposure, mRNA levels in the exposed group did not differ from those in controls in either the liver or brain, suggesting the responsiveness of these genes to THs decreased during development. These results suggest that the brain, but not the liver, was protected from the effects of hypothyroidism, probably by changes in D2 activity at the protein level and/or regulation of TH entry and exit from the brain. We concluded that perchlorate exposure caused hypothyroidism in young Japanese quail and affected the expression of thyroid-responsive genes during early posthatch development.
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TL;DR: This protocol describes how to generate transgenic quail by injecting a lentiviral vector into freshly laid Japanese quail eggs at stage X by infecting primordial germ cells originating in the area pellucida.
Abstract: This protocol describes how to generate transgenic quail by injecting a lentiviral vector into freshly laid Japanese quail eggs at stage X. The lentivirus infects primordial germ cells originating in the area pellucida.
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TL;DR: Tissues of Japanese quails were subjected to electron microscopical study and the physiological effect of the destruction of the littoral cells is discussed.
Abstract: Tissues of Japanese quails were subjected to electron microscopical study. The birds had received 0-8 ppm methylmercury added to their diets for 6 weeks. The ultrastructural changes in the littoral cells of the liver were swollen mitochondria, with dilatation of the endoplasmic reticulum, loss of ribosomes from the rough endoplasmic reticulum and an increase in the number of vesicles in the cytoplasm. The nuclear membrane in some littoral cells became dilated, and the nuclear chromatin was condensed. The physiological effect of the destruction of the littoral cells is discussed.
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TL;DR: Simultaneous administration of Zn and Cd eliminated the immunotoxic effect of Cd on functional activity of phagocytes and lymphocytes, and zinc improved both investigated functional parameters of immune cells.
Abstract: Objective of this study was to investigate changes in biological activity of blood leukocytes in Japanese quails, caused by zinc and cadmium administration. Four groups of Japanese quails were used. Three experimental groups of quails were exposed either to Cd (0.12 mg Cd/quail), Zn (4 mg Zn/quail) or a combination of Cd and Zn (0.12 mg Cd, 4 mg Zn/quail), which were added daily to the drinking water. The fourth group was the control group. The metabolic activity of phagocytes and mitogenic activation of lymphocytes to phytohemaglutinine (PHA) were determined on day 37, 58 and 118 of exposure. The numbers of peripheral blood leukocytes of Japanese quail after cadmium and zinc addition in all groups of birds were without significant differences, however, the functional activities of phagocytes and lymphocytes in the Cd-group of quails were significantly decreased. The metabolic activity of phagocytes decreased significantly at all time points analysed (P < 0.05-0.001) in comparison to the control group and the Cd-Zn group. Similarly, the response of lymphocytes to PHA activation in the Cd exposed group of quails decreased significantly on day 58 and 118 of exposure when compared to the control group (P < 0.05) and Zn-group of quails (P < 0.01). Zn in combination with Cd eliminated the immunotoxic effect of Cd on metabolic activity of phagocytes and improved lymphocyte answer to PHA, when compared to the Cd-group on day 58 and 118 of metal administration. The results of the present study indicate that cadmium caused a significant decrease of metabolic activity of phagocytes and mitogenic activation of lymphocytes in peripheral blood of Japanese quails. Simultaneous administration of Zn and Cd eliminated the immunotoxic effect of Cd on functional activity of phagocytes and lymphocytes, and zinc improved both investigated functional parameters of immune cells.
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TL;DR: An ovalbumin gene was cloned from Chinese quail by RT‐PCR and inserted into the P. pastoris genome under the control of the methanol inducible 5′ alcohol oxidase (AOX) promoter, and the recombinant P. Pastoris strain was demonstrated to be able to efficiently secrete quail ovalbumIn by ELISA analysis using a polyclonal antibody raised against quail Ovalbumin.
Abstract: An ovalbumin gene was cloned from Chinese quail (Coturnix coturnix) oviduct by RT-PCR and then inserted into the P. pastoris genome under the control of the methanol inducible 5' alcohol oxidase (AOX) promoter. The recombinant P. pastoris strain was demonstrated to be able to efficiently secrete quail ovalbumin by ELISA analysis using a polyclonal antibody raised against quail ovalbumin. The results showed that induction by 0.75% methanol for 48 h led to the synthesis of secreted quail ovalbumin up to a yield of 5.45 g l(-1). The recombinant ovalbumin was further purified into homogeneity through ion exchange and gel filtration chromatography and SDS-PAGE analysis revealed that, compared to natural ovalbumin, the recombinant ovalbumin could have been glycosylated to the similar extent by P. pastoris.
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TL;DR: Phylogram constructed on the basis of both nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences revealed similar pattern with the placement of Japanese quail and chicken SLC11A1 in the same clad.