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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1994

Visual pigments in the pineal complex of the Japanese quail, Japanese grass lizard and bullfrog: immunocytochemistry and HPLC analysis.

We investigated localization of visual pigments in the pineal complex of Japanese quail, Japanese grass lizards and bullfrogs immunocytochemically by use of the antiserum against bovine rhodopsin (Rh-As) and monoclonal antibodies against chicken iodopsin (Io-mAb). We also analyzed retinoids, chromophores of visual pigments, by a high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The outer segments and cell membranes of some photoreceptor cells in the pineal organ of the Japanese quail exhibited immunoreactivity to Rh-As, but there are also many immunonegative cells. The number of immunoreactive cells among individuals varied. Immunoreactivity to Io-mAb was weak or did not exist. The HPLC analysis revealed peaks of 11-cis and all-trans isomers of retinal in the oxime extracts of the pineal organ of Japanese quail and chickens. In the pineal of Japanese grass lizards, the outer segments of some cells were immunopositive to Io-mAb, but there were no cells immunoreactive to Rh-As. The parietal eye exhibited a well-developed lens and photoreceptor cells, but the outer segments of photoreceptor cells were immunonegative to both Rh-As and Io-mAb. In bullfrogs, three types of cells were identified in both the pineal and frontal organ; (1) immunopositive to Rh-As, (2) immunopositive to Io-mAb and (3) immunonegative to either of the antibodies. In the pineal organ of bullfrogs, 11-cis and all-trans retinal and 11-cis 3-dehydroretinal were detected, and 11-cis and all-trans retinal were also detected in the frontal organ. We detected 11-cis and all-trans retinal in the ventral part of diencephalon including the hypothalamus. Thus, the chromophore is the same between the retinal and pineal visual pigments, but the expression of opsins is different between the retina and pineal complex, which probably reflects the different function of each organ.

Animals↗

PubMed1999

Effect of divergent selection for total plasma phosphorus on plasma and yolk very low density lipoproteins and plasma concentrations of selected hormones in laying Japanese quail.

Japanese quail lines were divergently selected over 32 generations for laying hen plasma yolk precursor, as measured by total plasma phosphorus (TPP). The high (HP) and low (LP) lines were developed from a randombred control population (R1) that was maintained without conscious selection. The purpose of the present study was to characterize the composition of very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) in laying Japanese quail hens (VLDLy) and the concentration of selected hormones in laying hens from the HP, LP, and R1 lines. The changes in TPP because of genetic selection in the Japanese quail lines were associated with large alterations in plasma VLDLy concentration (HP > R1 > LP), but only minor changes in lipid composition and size (HP > LP = R1; P< or =0.01) of plasma VLDLy particles. Basal plasma levels of hormones associated with reproduction and lipid metabolism were also different among lines, with luteinizing hormone (LH) ranking HP >R1 = LP and triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4), and 17beta-estradiol ranking HP > R1 > LP (P< or =0.05). The results suggest possible increased rates of hepatic lipogenesis, hepatic VLDLy assembly and secretion, and plasma VLDLy concentration in association with increases in concentrations of plasma LH, T3, T4, and 17beta-estradiol. Concentrations of total lipids in yolk VLDL were not different among lines, and only minor line differences in the concentration of different classes of yolk VLDL neutral lipids were detected. The data indicate a preferential uptake of a specific plasma VLDLy subpopulation into rapidly growing ovarian follicles, resulting in a constant composition of yolk VLDL of laid eggs among lines of Japanese quail with large differences in plasma VLDLy concentration.

Animals↗

PubMed1996

Experimental Chlamydia psittaci infection of Japanese quail.

Japanese quail were used for the infection model of avian chlamydiosis. One-day-old Japanese quail were highly susceptible to lethal infection by a Chlamydia psittaci strain of budgerigar origin upon inoculation via the air sac route with 10(4.1) FFU of the organism, showing an acute and lethal course with chlamydial propagation. In contrast, 7-day-old quail developed resistance to the infection as shown by the lack of lethal effect with the same dose. The resistance of 7-day-old birds was abolished by immunosuppressive treatment with cyclophosphamide. Upon inoculation with a sublethal dose of 10(2.1) FFU, latent infection was established in 1-day-old birds with a minimum number of the organism. The latent infection in the birds was converted to the lethal form by treatment with cyclophosphamide along with chlamydial propagation and suppression of antibody production.

Aging↗

PubMed1994

Experimental Borrelia garinii infection of Japanese quail.

Japanese quail inoculated subcutaneously with Borrelia garinii responded to infection. B. garinii was reisolated mainly from skin and randomly from several organs between 7 and 56 days postinoculation. Skin lesions were occasionally observed in association with spirochete recovery. All birds were positive for antibody at 53 to 56 days postinoculation. These results suggest that the Japanese quail is a model for experimental infection with B. garinii and that birds are reservoirs for Lyme disease spirochetes.

Animals↗

PubMed1999

Testosterone modulates stimulation-induced calling behavior in Japanese quails.

Japanese quails have a variety of calling patterns depending on sex and age. Sexually mature adult males emit a characteristic crow which has a frequency-modulated acoustical trill element. Recently we reported that the intercollicular nucleus of the mesencephalon is the vocal neural system for producing the distress call in untreated chick and the crowing vocalization in testosterone-treated chick in Japanese quails. We postulated that the intercollicular nucleus could mediate this testosterone action on vocal behavior. The present study showed histologically that the intercollicular nucleus neurons of adult males have many more dendrites than those of females. The adult males produced the call with trill element with electrical stimulation of the intercollicular nucleus alone. Females produced the simple call, which has no frequency modulation, with electrical stimulation; 4 days after the testosterone treatment together with electrical stimulation, they also produced the call with trill element, the characteristic call of males. We suggest that the vocal neural system in the intercollicular nucleus is modulated by testosterone during development and produces the crow in males, and the intercollicular nucleus neurons in adults mediate the action of testosterone on vocal behavior. The crow of adult males could therefore be due to effects of testosterone on the neural mechanism in the intercollicular nucleus.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

The Bh (black at hatch) gene that causes abnormal feather pigmentation maps to chromosome 1 of the Japanese quail.

Japanese quail embryos normally have longitudinal black and brown stripes formed by colored feather buds on their back whereas an autosomal dominant mutation, black at hatch (Bh), disrupts this pigmentation pattern by causing overall black and brown coating in heterozygotes and homozygotes, respectively. These phenotypes of the Bh mutant embryos suggest that the Bh locus plays an important role in the pigment pattern formation of plumage, but its genetic origin, including cloning of the responsible gene, has been insufficiently studied. In this study, we adapted genetically directed representational difference analysis with elimination of excessive clones (GDRDA-WEEC) to Bh quails and isolated two genetic markers linked to the Bh locus as DNA fragments. Cytogenetic study by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) of the DNA fragments used as probes demonstrated that the marker loci were located in the same region on the long arm of chromosome 1. Close genetic linkage between the Bh and the marker loci, and the chromosomal location of the latter suggested that the Bh locus is located on the long-arm of chromosome 1 of the Japanese quail.

Animals↗

PubMed1992

Experimental Salmonella enteritidis phage type 4 infection and egg transmission in Japanese quails.

Japanese quails were inoculated orally with 1 x 10(10) colony-forming units of Salmonella enteritidis phage type 4 isolated from chicks to obtain information concerning S. enteritidis infection and egg transmission. The inoculation resulted in a bacteraemic infection with seeding of the liver, spleen, intestine, peritoneum, ovule, ovary and oviduct. Some infected birds showed diarrhoea, ruffled feathers, depression, loss of appetite and death. However, most infected birds remained clinically normal with normal egg production. Salmonella enteritidis was isolated from the albumen of 7, yolk of 15, shell of 13, and shell membrane of 15 of 164 eggs. The experiment suggests that S. enteritidis phage type 4 is invasive for Japanese quails and the infected eggs laid by S. enteritidis infected quails are probably the result of transovarian infection.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1990

The effects of different iodide availabilities on thyroid function during development in Japanese quail.

Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) were used to study the effects of different egg iodide (I) availabilities on thyroid function during development. Low (less than 50 micrograms 1/kg feed in the maternal diet) and high (1200 micrograms 1/kg feed) I availability were compared to control levels (800 micrograms 1/kg feed), a standard supplementation for game bird feed. We measured thyroid gland content of I, triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4), plasma concentrations of T3 and T4, hepatic 5' monodeiodinase (5'-D) activity, and the response of the thyroid gland to thyrotrophin (TSH) stimulation. Embryos, on day 14 of the 16.5-17 day incubation period, and 1-day chicks were used for most studies but thyroid gland hormone content and plasma hormone concentrations were determined for more stages. With high I, thyroidal I content was elevated but thyroidal T4 and T3 were not different from controls. Plasma T3 and T4, the thyroid gland response to TSH stimulation, and hepatic 5'-D activity did not differ between control and high I. Reduced body weight occurred with high I. In general, thyroid gland weight was not altered, but some high I birds exhibited thyroid hypertrophy and altered thyroid gland function. With low I availability, thyroid gland contents of I and T4 were reduced but thyroidal T3 content was maintained. The thyroid gland response to TSH stimulation, plasma thyroid hormone concentrations, and the developmental patterns of plasma thyroid hormones, hepatic 5'-D activity, body weight and thyroid weight were not different between control and low I groups. Developing Japanese quail exhibit excellent ability to adjust thyroid function over a wide range of I availabilities. Regulation appears to occur at the level of thyroid hormone synthesis in the thyroid gland, which allows most aspects of thyroid dynamics to remain unchanged in the maintenance of circulating thyroid hormone concentrations.

Animals↗

PubMed1986

Does behavior contingent stimulus movement enhance filial imprinting in Japanese quail?

Japanese quail chicks were exposed for 2.5 hrs to either a white or a normal stuffed adult conspecific (= model). During this period the model was either nonmoving or it moved for short periods. This movement could be contingent or noncontingent upon distress calls of the chicks. In each condition, exposure led to a significant preference for the familiar model over the nonfamiliar one during a 10-min choice test. Chicks exposed to a nonmoving model had the weakest preference for the familiar model, whereas this preference was strongest in chicks exposed to the contingent moving model; the preference of the chicks exposed to the noncontingent moving model was in between. The results indicate that the extend to which stimulus movement enhances filial imprinting depends on the relation between the chicks behavior and the timing of the stimulus movement. However, it is not clear yet whether the effect arose because the chicks perceived the contingency between the stimulus movement and their behavior or by another mechanism.

Animals↗

PubMed1985

Injection of diethylstilbestrol on the first day of incubation affects morphology of sex glands and reproductive behavior of Japanese quail.

Japanese quail eggs were injected with DES (0.9-1,000 micrograms) dissolved in 50-microliter of corn oil on day 1 of incubation. Higher doses of DES (250-1,000 micrograms) reduced hatchability to 37-33% compared to 61% for corn oil-injected controls. Lower doses of DES (0.9-125 micrograms) had no effects on hatchability. In a second study, eggs were injected with 0.9 or 1.9 micrograms of DES and the survivors were assessed up to 12 weeks posthatch. DES did not affect hatchability, but did increase mortality during the first 4 weeks posthatch. Females were affected more than males. At 10 days of age, open-field activity of some birds was examined. The acquisition and reversal of a visual discrimination task was studied at 6 weeks of age. DES had no effect on these measurements. Ten females from each group were chosen randomly to determine egg production over a single 28-day period beginning at 6 weeks of age. Exposure to DES blocked egg production in these birds. The oviduct weights of 12-week-old females were decreased by 50%, but ovarian weights were not affected. Testicular weights were not affected. In a third study reproductive behaviors and social-dominance behaviors of males were markedly attenuated in birds exposed to 0.48 or 1.9 micrograms DES in ovo.

Animals↗

PubMed1978

The modifying effect of multiple generation selection and dietary cadmium on methyl mercury toxicity in Japanese quail.

Japanese quails were exposed to dietary methyl mercury chloride in graded amounts from 2--8 ppm through a series of multiple-generation experiments with the experimental periods lasting from 6--12 weeks, starting with the experimental diets when the birds were 6 weeks old. Cadmium chloride was added to diets with and without mercury and fed to groups in three of the five experiments. Hatchability was depressed at 8 ppm mercury. The mortality of chicks from 8 ppm exposed parents was 100% in the first two generations, while chick mortality at the 4 ppm level in the same experiments was 54--63%. After six generations mortality in chicks hatched in 8 ppm group was reduced to about 50%. Cadmium supplementation at a level of 5 ppm counteracted the mercury-induced toxicity but failed to be effective in preventing the effects of mercury toxicity when added at 15 ppm level. Significant toxic effects of cadmium alone did not occur until the level was raised to 60 ppm. The morphology of mercury-induced encephalopathy was similar to the brain lesions reported in other bird species, with the injuries predominantly being localized to the cerebellar cortex and medulla.

Animals↗

PubMed1983

In vivo aromatization of [3H]testosterone in high and low mating lines of Japanese quail.

Japanese quail selected bidirectionally for adult mating frequency were utilized to study in vivo aromatization of testosterone (T) in relation to masculine copulatory behavior. Functionally castrated high (HM) and low mating (LM) line quail were injected with 75 microCi of [3H]T. One hour after the injection, all radioactivity recovered in telencephalic-diencephalic brain tissue was in the form of T, dihydrotestosterone (DHT), or estradiol (E2). Neither the total 3H nor the [3H]T metabolite radioactivity differed between the two genetic lines. Of all [3H]T metabolic radioactivity, [3H]E2 represented 45 +/- 6 % in the HM line and 46 +/- 6% in the LM line, indicating that the line difference in mating frequency was not due to a corresponding difference in aromatase activity. Inasmuch as both the HM and LM line birds actively converted T to E2, these results implicate a neural mechanism involving E2-receptor interactions as the cause of the behavioral differences between the HM and LM lines.

Animals↗

PubMed1975

Hematological and biochemical effects of chronic CO exposure on the Japanese quail.

Japanese Quail were exposed to a concentration of 300 to 350 ppm CO to maintain an equilibrium carboxyhemoglobin concentration of 30% for a period of 4 weeks. Compared to a control group of birds maintained in an identical chamber, the CO-exposed quail demonstrated increases in hematocrit ratio and hemoglobin concentration. At the end of the exposure period, the CO-exposed quail had significantly larger plasma and blood volumes, slight but significant right ventricular hypertrophy and higher fasting plasma glucose concentrations than the control birds. Cardiac and skeletal muscle carbohydrate stores were not affected by chronic CO exposure.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

Hormonal and social modulation of cloacal muscle activity in female Japanese quail.

Japanese quail are an important model for the discovery of neuroendocrine mechanisms of sexual behavior. In common with most birds and many other vertebrates, there are no genitalia of the mammalian kind (no phallus or vagina). Instead, close contact between the cloacal openings of the male and female is critical for successful mating. Prior research has shown that males produce distinctive rhythmic movements of the foam gland portion of the cloacal sphincter muscle (RCSMs) in response to social stimuli (presentation of a conspecific female or male). These RCSMs enhance the male's fertilization success. Females, unlike males, do not show cloacal sphincter movements to social stimuli (Experiment 1) and female cloacal sphincter muscle activity immediately following copulation does not predict fertilization success (Experiment 2). Females implanted with testosterone propionate (TP), however, show large numbers of male-typical RCSMs in response to social stimuli (Experiment 3). The results of Experiment 3 show that rhythmic movements of the cloacal sphincter muscle shown by TP-treated females are regulated by distal (visual) stimuli and therefore by the brain. They also show that the absence of socially modulated RCSMs in normal females is an activational hormone phenomenon (a sex difference produced by adult hormonal dimorphism), rather than a reflection of prior hormonal organization. These results add to an understanding of the hormonal basis of sex differences in motor mechanisms of sexual behavior in non-mammalian species.

Anal Canal↗

PubMed1976

Effects of dietary dilution with fibre on the food intake and gut dimensions of Japanese quail.

Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) were fed on either a conventional diet (low-fibre) or the same diet diluted with 200 g oak sawdust/kg (high-fibre). The lengths of the colo-rectum, small intestine, two caeca combined and empty gizzard weight were measured at 10 and 20 weeks of age. Food intake and rate of passage were measured and an approximate measure of digestibility was also made. 2. There were separate effects of dietary fibre, sex and age on gut size. It was larger in birds fed on high-fibre diet, in females and in older birds. 3. Increased dietary fibre caused increased food intake, but had no obvious effect on the rate of passage. 4. When quail were fed on the low-fibre diet or the same diet diluted with 200 or 400 g cellulose powder/kg gut size at 20 weeks of age was greatest when the most fibrous diet was fed and decreased concomitantly with dietary fibre concentration. 5. It appeared that differences in gut size between dietary treatments were more a reflection of variations in food intake than of fibre per se, and that the effects of sex and age on gut size were probably similarly explained.

Animal Feed↗

PubMed1984

Responses to thyrotropin during development in Japanese quail.

Japanese quail, a species with a precocial pattern of development, were used as a model for studying the ontogeny of thyroid responses to TSH. Thiourea was administered to embryos early in incubation, and the effects were assessed by measuring thyroid 32P uptake, serum thyroid hormones, thyroid weights, and body weights. Thyroid stimulation after thiourea treatment indicated that maturation of thyroid-pituitary negative feedback occurs between days 9 and 10 of the 16.5-day incubation period. Since thyroid function continues to increase faster than thyroid size, hypothalamic or higher control of the pituitary appears to dominate over thyroid-pituitary feedback effects for the remainder of the embryonic period. TSH administration to embryos and chicks resulted in similar time-course and dose-response characteristics, as judged by the thyroid 32P uptake response. Single injections of TSH into 14-day-old embryos resulted in parallel increases in serum T3 and T4, with essentially no change in the T3 to T4 ratio. In contrast, the posthatching response of both 1-day-old chicks and adults to TSH involved significant increases in only T4 and resulted in decreased serum T3 to T4 ratios. Thus, there are developmental changes in the hormonal response to TSH. These results indicate that TSH effects on the embryonic thyroid cannot account for the increase in the T3 to T4 ratio during the perinatal hormone peak. Our data are consistent with the idea that T3 produced peripherally by monodeiodination of T4 accounts for the perinatal change in the thyroid hormone ratio.

Animals↗

PubMed1975

Effect of chlorinated hydrocarbons on shell gland carbonic anhydrase and egg shell thickness in Japanese quail.

Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) were fed different levels of pesticide in their diets for 15 weeks. The levels of pesticide used were 25, 50, 100, 200 p.p.m. DDE 25, 50, 100, 200 p.p.m. DDT and 50 p.p.m. PCB. Carbonic anhydrase activities were analyzed in the shell glands and blood; pesticide concentration in the eggs of the first experiment was measured; egg weight, shell weight and shell thickness were also measured. No depression in growth was observed at any levels of pesticides used. Quail fed 200 p.p.m. DDE showed a high mortality rate after 10--12 weeks on the diet, while other levels produced no increase in death rate. Lower levels of DDT and DDE (25 and 50 p.p.m.) had no significant effect on egg shell weight or thickness. Higher levels (100 and 200 p.p.m) of DDT and DDE produced a small increase in shell weight and a 5 per cent decrease in shell thickness and were associated with increased shell breakage. At levels of 25 p.p.m. and 50 p.p.m. DDE, the activity of carbonic anhydrase in the shell gland was significantly increased. At levels of 200 p.p.m. DDE and 100 p.p.m. DDT in the diet, the activity of carbonic anhydrase was decreased by 12--15 per cent. A 50 per cent reduction in carbonic anhydrase activity in the shell gland seemed to be necessary for an increased production of soft shelled eggs when it was induces by sulfanilamide. Pesticide residues in the eggs of Japanes quail up to about 300 p.p.m. DDE and 150 p.p.m. DDT were not associated with any change in egg shell thickness. At about 600 p.p.m. DDE and 500 p.p.m. DDT in the eggs, corresponding to 100 and 200 p.p.m. in the diet, the egg shell thickness was reduced by 5 per cent. PCB at 50 p.p.m. produced a small decrease (4.5 per cent) in shell thickness and an increase in the percentage of cracked eggs.

Animals↗

PubMed1975

Leukopenia in neonatal Japanese quail.

Japanese quail were sacrificed at one or two days after hatching. several hematological parameters were measured. A leukopenia occurred in the two-day-old quail. Concomitantly the circulating numbers of lymphocytes were reduced in the older quail. It appears that this functional leukopenia is attributable to reduced numbers of lymphocytes and may represent an heretofore undefined physiological adaptive mechanism which occurs during the early neonatal period.

Animals↗