scholarly journals Anatomical and histological changes in the oviducts of Japanese quail, Coturnix japonica, after embryonic exposure to ethynyloestradiol

Reproduction ◽  
2001 ◽  
pp. 155-165 ◽  
Author(s):  
C Berg ◽  
L Holm ◽  
I Brandt ◽  
B Brunstrom
Keyword(s):  
Japanese Quail ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Coturnix Japonica ◽  
In Ovo ◽  
Histological Changes ◽  
Bird Populations ◽  
Embryonic Exposure ◽  
Exogenous Oestrogen ◽  
Tubular Gland ◽  
Sexually Mature

Oestrogen is needed for normal oviductal development in female birds, but excessive early exposure to oestrogen can cause oviductal abnormalities and impair egg-laying ability. In this study, the anatomical and histological effects of in ovo exposure to the synthetic oestrogen ethynyloestradiol on the oviducts of immature and adult female Japanese quail, Coturnix japonica, were investigated. A series of abnormalities was observed after injection of ethynyloestradiol (2 or 20 ng g(-1) egg) into the yolk on day 3 of incubation. Ethynyloestradiol induced precocious differentiation of the luminal epithelium and tubular glands in immature chicks. Right-side oviduct retention occurred at all the ages studied, whereas certain other effects were not evident until sexual maturity. The left oviduct was reduced in size and tubular gland density in the uterus (shell gland) was reduced in sexually mature birds that had been treated with ethynyloestradiol. The utero-vaginal junction was longer than in control birds and had a higher tubular gland density. The epithelial cells in the magnum were taller in birds treated with ethynyloestradiol. Embryonic exposure to the environmental contaminant ethynyloestradiol may cause persisting structural malformations in oviducts of quails, which can impair fertility. As oviductal malformations are indicative of embryonic exposure to exogenous oestrogen, they are potentially useful as biomarkers of xenooestrogen exposure in wild bird populations.

scholarly journals Glucocorticoid metabolism in the in ovo environment modulates exposure to maternal corticosterone in Japanese quail embryos ( Coturnix japonica )

2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 20140502 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian G. Vassallo ◽  
Ryan T. Paitz ◽  
Vincent J. Fasanello ◽  
Mark F. Haussmann
Keyword(s):  
Maternal Effects ◽  
Japanese Quail ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Physiological Condition ◽  
Underlying Mechanism ◽  
Coturnix Japonica ◽  
In Ovo ◽  
Development Period ◽  
Glucocorticoid Metabolism

Maternal effects have gained attention as a method by which mothers may alter the physiological condition and phenotype of their offspring based upon current environmental conditions. The physiological and phenotypic outcomes of glucocorticoid-mediated maternal effects have been extensively studied in a variety of vertebrates; however, the underlying mechanism is currently unclear. Here, we injected tritiated corticosterone into the yolks of freshly laid Japanese quail eggs ( Coturnix japonica ) and traced its movement and metabolism through the in ovo development period. We found that corticosterone was extensively conjugated throughout the egg by the end of development, and while minimal corticosterone was detected within the embryo during development, accumulation of a conjugated metabolite in the embryo started to occur on day 6 of development. Because no movement and metabolism of corticosterone occurred in infertile eggs, our findings suggest that embryos are not passive recipients of maternal steroids, but instead appear to possess extensive metabolic capabilities, which may modulate their exposure to maternal steroids.

scholarly journals Seasonal changes in plasma retinol-binding holoprotein concentration in japanese quail (Conturnix coturnix japonica)

1980 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 357-366 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Glover ◽  
D. J. Heaf ◽  
Suzanne Large
Keyword(s):  
Vitamin A ◽  
Japanese Quail ◽  
Seasonal Changes ◽  
Late Summer ◽  
Hormonal Control ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Coturnix Japonica ◽  
Mean Values ◽  
Natural Lighting ◽  
Plasma Retinol

1. Seasonal changes in retinol-binding holoprotein (holoRBP) concentration in plasma of group of male and female Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) were examined over 18 months.2. In Expts 1 and 2 the birds were maintained under natural lighting conditions and in Expt 3 under artificial-light photoperiods corresponding to the changing daylength at 56° N latitude. All groups were at 18–20° and received Superlayers' (Rank Hovis McDougall) pellet diet.3. The mean plasma holoRBP concentration in all groups changed in an annual cycle with minimal values in September–October and maximal values in February–April, when daylength or light photoperiod increased to more than 10 h.4. The group mean values in the female cycle change 2- to 3-fold from 50–100 μg/ml in late summer to 220–280 μg/ml in the spring, whereas in the male the range is only 1.3–1.5 times, from 140–170 to 180–250 μg/ml.5. In the female the rate of egg laying was maximal in April–May and lowest in November–December.6. The spring increase in plasma holoRBP reflects the increased vitamin A requirement of birds for reproduction and it is presumably under hormonal control. The wider amplitude in the female cycle compared with the male probably arises from the additional demand for the transfer of vitamin A into the eggs and hence the need for a higher initial secretion rate from the female liver to meet it.

In ovo exposure to nonylphenol and bisphenol A resulted in dose-independent feminization of male gonads in Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) embryos

2012 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 1091-1097 ◽  
Author(s):  
Atsushi Oshima ◽  
Ryo Yamashita ◽  
Keigo Nakamura ◽  
Masaru Wada ◽  
Kazumoto Shibuya
Keyword(s):  
Bisphenol A ◽  
Japanese Quail ◽  
Coturnix Japonica ◽  
In Ovo

Comparative Lethality of In ovo Exposure to PCB 126, PCB 77, and 2 Environmentally Relevant PCB Mixtures in Japanese Quail ( Coturnix japonica )

2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (12) ◽  
pp. 2637-2650
Author(s):  
Karen M. Dean ◽  
Allegra M. Marcell ◽  
Leah D. Baltos ◽  
Tiffany Carro ◽  
Meredith E.B. Bohannon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Japanese Quail ◽  
Coturnix Japonica ◽  
In Ovo ◽  
Pcb 126
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