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PubMed1992

[Thr arteries of the male sex organs of Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) and their development after hatching].

A total of 83 male Japanese quails of the following age groups were used for this study: 11, 18, 25, 32, 35, 37, 39, 41, 43 days, and 7, 9, 17 weeks after hatching. Neoprene-Latex, Tensol-Cement, and the china ink were injected via the aortic arch. In most of male Japanese quails, the testes are supplied by the A. testicularis originated from the Aorta descendens through a common trunk with the A. renalis cranialis. But in only 3 quails had this artery originated directly from the Aorta descendens on either side. In 9 quails had the A. testicularis accessoria originating independently from the Aorta descendens and running cranially or caudally in short distance to the normal A. testicularis. The arteries for the Ductus deferens were divided into 3 categories. The Rami ureterodeferentiales craniales were spread out from A. testicularis or Rami epididymales. The Rami ureterodeferentiales medii came from the A. renalis media and the A. renalis caudalis. The Rami ureterodeferentiales caudales originated from the A. caudae lateralis and A. pudenda. The Receptaculum ductus deferentis, the Corpus vasculare paracloacalis and the Phallus nonprotrudens in the Cloaca were supplied from the thick Ramus cloacalis of the A. pudenda. The Ramus bursalis of this artery supplied the Glandula proctodaealis and the Bursa cloacalis, and was also thick. The arteries to the genital organs were observed in the 11 day old male quail. The A. pudenda began developing at about 30 days after hatching when the quail's body matured. While the A. testicularis began developing at about 40 days after hatching when the male Japanese quail was full of the spermatogenic activity.

Animals↗
PubMed1962

JAPANESE QUAIL EGG EMBRYO AS A HOST FOR VIRUSES.

Rauscher, Frank J. (National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Md.), James A. Reyniers, and Miriam R. Sacksteder. Japanese quail egg embryo as a host for viruses. J. Bacteriol. 84:1134-1139. 1962.-The egg embryo of Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica, Temminck and Schlegel) was found to support readily the growth of a wide range of viruses known to infect chicken eggs. Methods commonly used in studying viruses in chicken eggs were modified and adapted to the quail egg. The procedures are described in detail. The sensitivity of quail eggs to representative viruses of the myxo and pox groups was found to be equal to that of chicken eggs. Preliminary observations of the different responses of quail eggs to standard chicken tumor and to quail-adapted Rous sarcoma virus are described. Viruses known not to grow or induce an observable response in chicken eggs (e.g., the agents of mouse hepatitis, murine leukemias, and visceral lymphomatosis of chickens) also failed to produce such responses in quail eggs.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1997

A direct comparison of photoperiodic time measurement and the circadian system in European starlings and Japanese quail.

The extent to which circadian rhythms are involved in photoperiodic time measurement in quail is enigmatic, and earlier investigations have produced results consistent with an hourglass clock or one involving damped circadian oscillators. To address the problem further, the present authors carried out a direct comparison between the clocks in quail and those in starlings. Starlings possess strongly self-sustaining circadian oscillators. In Experiment 1, comparisons of testicular growth were made between the two species when birds were exposed to light:dark (LD) 6:30, LD 6:18, and LD 18:6. Starlings grew their testes rapidly under both LD 6:30 and LD 18:6, and they became photorefractory (under LD 6:18, the testes remained undeveloped). Quail grew their testes rapidly under LD 18:6 but did not do so under LD 6:30 or LD 6:18. In Experiment 2, entrainment of the activity rhythm under cycles of LD 6:30 was investigated by measuring the phase of the rhythm after release into constant darkness (DD). Birds were exposed to either 10 cycles or 11 cycles of LD 6:30 prior to DD. Starlings maintained their 24-h rhythmicity under LD 6:30 and always free ran from the phase of the subjective day. By contrast, quail showed circadian activity approximately 24 h after every light pulse and free ran from the phase of the last light pulse received. In Experiment 3, phase response curves (PRCs) were generated to 6-h light pulses. The species were strikingly different; starlings produced a Type 1 PRC, whereas quail produced a Type 0 PRC. More important, in quail the 6-h light pulse had the same effect regardless of circadian time and in almost every case activity free ran from the position of the 6-h light pulse. The results in quail are consistent with the photoperiodic time measurement system being based on a weakly self-sustaining (rapidly damping) circadian system that is invariably reset by 6 h of light, whereas in starlings the pacemakers are strongly self-sustaining. The results support the notion that hourglass pacemakers can be highly damped circadian pacemakers.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Pathological effects of formalin (37% formaldehyde) feeding in female Japanese quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica).

The aim of this study was to determine the pathological effects of formalin on female quails. Seventy-five 1-day-old female Japanese quails (Coturnix coturnix japonina) were divided into five equal groups (A-E) and fed formalin daily at dose levels of 20, 10, 5, 2.5 and 0 mL/ kg feed, respectively. All birds were slaughtered at the end of the experiment -- the eighth week. No clinical signs were observed in quails fed 2.5 mL formalin/kg feed. Depression, dullness and anorexia were prominent in quails fed 20 mL formalin/kg feed. Feed intake, body weight, egg production and egg weight together with absolute and relative weight of organs, erythrocyte and leukocyte counts, hemoglobin concentration and hematocrit were decreased at higher doses, i.e., 10 and 20 mL formalin/kg feed. Total serum proteins and globulin significantly increased (P <0.05) in all formalin fed quails compared to control birds. No gross lesions were observed in the 2.5 mL formalin/kg fed group. At higher doses (10 and 20 mL formalin/kg feed) hemorrhages on the thigh muscles, decreased weight and reduction in area and folds of different segments of oviduct were recorded. Reduced size of liver, heart and kidneys was recorded in quails fed 20mL formalin/kg feed compared to controls and other birds. The histopathological changes in oviduct consisted of degeneration of mucosal glands characterized by vacuolation of nuclei of cells. It was concluded from the study that formalin feeding to female quails at 2.5 mL/kg feed is without harmful effects, however, higher doses are not without health risks.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Development of heart rate in the precocial king quail Coturnix chinensis.

Our aim was to examine changes in heart rate (fh) during the embryonic and posthatching periods of the smallest precocial avian species, Coturnix chinensis. In experiment I, repeated measurements of mean fh were made for individual quail by ballistocardiogram (BCG) during incubation, and by both piezo-electric film and electrocardiogram (ECG) during the posthatching period (resting and thermoneutral conditions). Mean fh of all embryos increased during the second half of incubation and the first week posthatching, but a few embryos experienced a very brief period of decreased fh prior to internal pipping. After the first week, fh of posthatching quail was maintained at high levels (550-650 beats min-1), then decreased with age and increase in body mass. The maximal fh of quail chicks represents a greater posthatching increase in fh than is found in larger precocial chickens, this difference being attributable to the higher demands of thermoregulation at small body masses in the quail. In experiment II, the mean fh of quail embryos (day 2-16) was recorded by ECG, and embryonic stage, yolk-free embryo mass (wet and dry) and water content were measured. Mean fh was linearly related to embryo mass throughout incubation, except on the day prior to internal pipping, when the fh of a few embryos declined below this linear relationship. Measurements of instantaneous fh of late incubation embryos, young and adult quail all showed spontaneous fluctuations in fh. Two main frequency components of fh fluctuations were identified for the first time in an avian species. Low-frequency (mean 0.09 Hz, 12.6 s) and high-frequency (1.4 Hz, 0.9 s) oscillations in both young chicks and adult quail were detected and are considered to reflect baroreflex mediation of fh and respiratory sinus arrhythmia, respectively.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1982

Species differences in the effects of 1,1-di-(4-chlorophenyl)-2-chloroethylene (DDMU) and 1,1-di-(4-chlorophenyl)-2,2-dichloroethylene (DDE) on glutathione levels in isolated hepatocytes from Japanese quail and rat.

1. Hepatocytes have been isolated from adult Japanese quail in high yields (26-40 X 10(6) cells/g) with 95% viability. Variation in the collagenase and hyaluronidase levels and incubation time used in the isolation procedure affected the yield and viability of the hepatocytes. Quail hepatocytes were more stable in a standard nutrient medium than those of the rat. 2 1,1-Di-(4-chlorophenyl)-2-chloroethylene (DDMU), a metabolite of DDT, depleted quail hepatic GSH levels both in vitro and in vivo, but had no effect on rat hepatocytes. DDMU (0.1 mM) depleted GSH levels in the quail to the same extent as diethyl maleate (a known GSH-depleting agent) (0.04 mM) but the latter acted more rapidly. 3. Pretreatment of quail in vivo with DDMU or phenobarbitone, known inducers of the hepatic mixed-function oxidases, resulted in faster depletion of GSH when the hepatocytes were incubated subsequently with DDMU in vitro. 4. In contrast, 1,1-di-(4-chlorophenyl)-2,2-dichloroethylene (DDE), another metabolite of DDT, did not deplete GSH levels in the quail but did cause some reduction in the rat. Phenobarbitone pretreatment had no effect on GSH depletion by DDE in vitro in quail hepatocytes but enhanced GSH depletion in rat hepatocytes.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Divergent selection for growth in Japanese quail under split and complete nutritional environments. 5. Feed intake and efficiency patterns following nineteen generations of selection.

High (H) and low (L) quail lines divergently selected for 4-wk BW under complete-diet (CD) and split-diet (SD) environments were evaluated to examine changes in feed intake and feed efficiency before and after the age at selection. Progeny from the four quail lines (H-SD, L-SD, H-CD, L-CD) were fed the CD in Generation 17 and the SD in Generation 19. The BW of H-line quail were highest under their respective selection environments, and the BW of quail in the L lines were highest under reciprocal environments. However, the BW of the two H lines were similar as were those of the two L lines. Relative growth rates of H-line quail were superior to those of L-line quail for the first 2 wk posthatch but L-line rates were superior after Week 4. However, the BW of H-line birds were always higher than for the L-line birds. Adjusted feed intake (grams of feed per 100 g of BW) values for the H lines were similar but lower than values for the L lines. Differences in adjusted feed intake between the H and L lines from 1 to 10 wk remained constant, although adjusted feed intake declined with age in all lines. Feed efficiencies (grams of gain divided by grams of feed) were superior in the H lines for Weeks 1 through 3 and superior in the L lines for Weeks 5 through 9. The same relative shifts between lines were observed in relative growth rates. Therefore, feed efficiency, in addition to feed intake, appears to play an important role in the divergence of BW in the H- and L-quail lines.

Abdomen↗
PubMed1993

Evidence that estrogen binding sites are present in bone cells and mediate medullary bone formation in Japanese quail.

Studies were carried out in Japanese quail to characterize the binding of estrogen to bone cells and to determine whether induction of medullary bone by estrogen is mediated by estrogen receptors. First, attempts were made to identify specific, high affinity nuclear binding sites for estrogen with a nuclear exchange assay in oviduct and femora from laying female quail and in liver, kidney, and femora from adult male quail treated with estradiol valerate (2 mg per bird). High-affinity nuclear estrogen binding sites were detected in each of the tissues except femora. Second, estrogen binding sites in femora from male quail were localized by radioautography after treatment with 100 microCi of [3H]-17 beta-estradiol ([3H]-E). Estrogen binding sites were present at 1 and 3 h after administration of [3H]-E, and binding of the radiolabeled hormone was prevented by the simultaneous administration of an excess of radioinert estrogen. Third, estradiol valerate (.4 mg) was given as a bolus to adult male Japanese quail. Five days later, the quail had hypercalcemia due to accumulation of phosvitin in serum, had an extensive network of medullary bone at the femur midshaft, and had reduced cortical bone area. The nonsteroidal, anti-estrogen tamoxifen (2 mg/day) prevented estrogen-induced hypercalcemia, medullary bone formation, and reduction of cortical bone area. Fourth, the estrogen target cells in femora from adult male quail that were induced to differentiate to osteoblasts by estrogen treatment were located by [3H]-proline radioautography as early as 12 h following administration of the hormone. These results are interpreted as evidence that induction of medullary bone is a process mediated by estrogen receptor.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Poly(ADP-ribose) turnover in quail myoblast cells: relation between the polymer level and its catabolism by glycohydrolase.

The concerted action of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) which synthesizes the poly(ADP-ribose) (pADPr) in response to DNA strand breaks and the catabolic enzyme poly(ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase (PARG) determine the level of polymer and the rate of its turnover. In the present study, we have shown that the quail myoblast cells have high levels of basal polymer as compared to the murine C3H10T1/2 fibroblasts. We have conducted this study to investigate how such differences influence polymer synthesis and its catabolism in the cells in response to DNA damage by alkylating agent. In quail myoblast cells, the presence of high MNNG concentration such as 200 microM for 30 min induced a marginal decrease of 15% in the NAD content. For C3H10T1/2 cell line, 64 microM MNNG provoked a depletion of NAD content by approximately 50%. The induction of the polymer synthesis in response to MNNG treatment was 6-fold higher in C3H10T1/2 cells than in quail myoblast cells notwithstanding the fact that 3-fold higher MNNG concentration was used for quail cells. The polymer synthesis thus induced in quail myoblast cells had a 4-5 fold longer half life than those induced in C3H10T1/2 cells. To account for the slow turnover of the polymer in the quail myoblast cells, we compared the activities of the polymer catabolizing enzyme (PARG) in the two cell types. The quail myoblast cells had about 25% less activity of PARG than the murine cells. This difference in activity is not sufficient to explain the large difference of the rate of catabolism between the two cell types implicating other cellular mechanisms in the regulation of pADPr turnover.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Growth and muscle characteristics of a growth selected line of Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica), a control line and reciprocal crosses between them.

Body growth, muscle growth, bone growth, and measurements of muscle fiber area and fiber number were made in a line of Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) selected for high 4 week body weight for 100 generations (line PP), in the control line from which they were derived (line CC), and in genetically equivalent reciprocal crosses (PC and CP) that develop in eggs that differ greatly in weight. There was no difference in body weight or weight of the P. superficialis of newly hatched CC or PC quail. Weights of PP and CP were equal to each other but greater than those of CC and PC. Body and muscle weights of the crosses were equal by 3 to 4 weeks of age. The number of fibers in the Semimembranosus muscle was lowest in CC quail, intermediate in PC and CP quail, and greatest in PP. Cross-sectional area of Semimembranosus fibers from 7 day old CC and PC were equal to each other and smaller than those of PP or CP quail. By 29 days of age, fibers in CC were smallest, those in PC and CP were intermediate and smaller than those of PP quail. At 7 days, the cross-sectional area of P. superficialis fibers of CP quail was greater than those of the other genotypes, but by 14 days and after fiber area was directly related to the bird's genetic potential for growth. These studies show that fiber hyperplasia is genetically determined whereas fiber hypertrophy in early life is primarily dependent on the dam's genotype and egg environment.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Further characterization of an avian adenovirus associated with inclusion body hepatitis in bobwhite quails.

An adenovirus (isolate 1452) associated with inclusion body hepatitis of bobwhite quails (Colinus virginianus) was characterized as a group I, serotype 1 avian adenovirus and was indistinguishable from quail bronchitis virus. Bobwhite quails were inoculated via the intratracheal or intraperitoneal route with 10(6) mean tissue-culture infective dose of isolate 1452 at 1, 3, 6, or 9 weeks of age. Lesions produced by either route of inoculation were similar to those of quail bronchitis and included necrotizing tracheitis, proliferative and necrotizing bronchitis and pneumonia, and multifocal necrotizing hepatitis, necrotizing splenitis with or without hyperplasia of splenic macrophages, and lymphoid necrosis and atrophy of the bursa of Fabricius. Basophilic intranuclear viral inclusions were present in respiratory mucosal epithelium, hepatocytes and occasionally bile duct epithelium, and the mucosal epithelium overlying follicles of the bursa. Results indicate that isolate 1452 is a field isolate of quail bronchitis virus and that inclusion body hepatitis of bobwhite quails is a manifestation of quail bronchitis.

Adenoviridae Infections↗
PubMed1994

Serum concentrations of thyroid hormones during egg laying in two types of Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica).

In the present investigation a lighter white egg-type (L) and a heavier wild meat-type (M) of female Japanese quails were compared with respect to egg production, body growth, abdominal fat pad, serum thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) concentrations, TRH sensitivity and T4 5'-monodeiodinase activity in liver homogenates. During the investigation period L type layed considerably more eggs and M type was heavier in body weight. Abdominal fat pad in L type quails was significantly higher than in M type ones. L type quails had lower serum T4 and T3 concentrations than M type ones and the liver T4 5'-monodeiodinase activity was higher in M type than in L type quails. Following TRH administration serum T4 and T3 concentrations increase was higher in L type quails than in M type ones. Our results suggest that lower T4 and T3 observed in L type quails reflect a possible metabolic adaptation to egg production. Different activities of 5'-monodeiodinase and of response to TRH may be inherent to these two types of quail.

Aging↗
PubMed2001

Production of transgenic quails with high frequency of germ-line transmission using VSV-G pseudotyped retroviral vector.

We report here the production of transgenic quails using a replication-defective pantropic retroviral vector based on Moloney murine leukemia virus (MoMLV) pseudotyped with vesicular stomatitis virus G protein (VSV-G). The retroviral vector was injected into laid quail embryos at the blastodermal stage, and the embryos were incubated to hatch to produce G(0) transgenic quails. Among 134 embryos subjected to viral injection, 37 hatched. The viral vector sequence was detected in the tissues of all G(0) quails. The germ-line transmission efficiency of G(0) quails mated with nontransgenic quails was more than 80% on average. Southern blot analysis revealed that the G(1) transgenic progeny had one to three copies of the transgene. The expression of vector-encoded neomycin-resistance gene under the control of the Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) promoter was observed in several tissues including heart and muscle of both G(1) and G(2) transgenic offspring. Due to the high frequency of germ-line transmission, this method may markedly facilitate the production of transgenic avian.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Quail egg yolk: a novel cryoprotectant for the freeze preservation of Poitou jackass sperm.

For many years, attempts have been made to establish a sperm bank for the Poitou jackass population which is threatened with extinction. Unfortunately, no cryopreservation technique has ever been described for spermatozoa of this species. In an attempt to find a suitable technique, we studied the relative effectiveness of chicken egg yolk and quail egg yolk in preserving the motility and characteristics of movement of Poitou jackass spermatozoa during the freezing-thawing process. Semen was diluted to 60 x 10(6) sperm/ml in a preservation medium containing 4% (v/v) glycerol with 0, 2, 5, 10, 15, or 20% (v/v) of chicken or quail egg yolk. The chemical composition of these two eggs was compared. Effects were assessed using an automated analyzer which measured curvilinear velocity (VCL), straight line velocity (VSL), and the velocity of the average path. Linearity was defined as VSL/VCL x 100. The amplitude of the lateral head displacement was also measured. It was found that after the freeze-thaw process, quail egg yolk improved the percentages of motile and progressively undulating spermatozoa and the movement characteristics compared with chicken egg yolk. The optimal concentration of quail egg yolk was 10%. The general composition of the two types of egg yolk were similar, but quail egg yolk contained significantly more phosphatidylcholine, less phosphatidylethanolamine, and a smaller ratio of polyunsaturated to saturated fatty acids than chicken egg yolk. The improvement of motility for frozen-thawed Poitou jackass spermatozoa using frozen-thawed quail egg yolk compared to chicken egg yolk may be due to the differences in composition of the two yolks.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Vitamin D3 and avian bone in vitro: stimulation of calcium movement into Japanese quail calvaria.

Addition of 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2D3) to cultured neonatal mouse calvaria has consistently led to bone resorption as determined by an increase in medium calcium. No such effect on avian bone has been widely reported. We have tested the in vitro effects of 1,25(OH)2D3 on 48- and 96-hour cultures of calvaria removed from both sexes of Japanese quail at various ages. No effect of 1,25(OH)2D3 on net calcium movement was seen in cultures of calvaria removed from neonatal (5-day), 1-week, and 2-week-old quail. In cultures of calvaria from 6-week-old female quail, addition of 1,25(OH)2D3 resulted in a fall in medium total and ionic calcium concentrations after 48 and 96 hours of incubation, indicating an uptake of calcium by the bones. A maximal effect was seen at 1 X 10(-7) M 1,25(OH)2D3. Bones removed from male and female quail showed no difference in response between the sexes. Bones removed from 5-, 4-, and 3-week-old male and female quail exhibited a progressively decreasing response with decreasing age. After 6 weeks of age female birds begin to exhibit hypercalcemia associated with reproductive activity. Bones removed from 7- and 8-week-old female quail responded to 1,25(OH)2D3 in a similar fashion whether they were hypercalcemic (7 weeks, 20.3 mg/dl; 8 weeks, 31.7 mg/dl), or normocalcemic (10.1 mg/dl). This stimulatory effect of 1,25(OH)2D3 on calcium uptake by avian bone is in sharp contrast to the hormone's effect in cultures of perinatal mammalian bones, which consistently respond to 1,25(OH)2D3 by releasing calcium into the medium.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Age Factors↗
PubMed1984

Cell division in the ciliary ganglion of quail embryos in situ and after back-transplantation into the neural crest migration pathways of chick embryos.

Embryonic 4- to 15-day-old quail ciliary ganglia (CG) were grafted into the neural crest migration pathway of 2-day-old chick embryos at the adrenomedullary level of the neural axis. This back-transplantation results in dispersion of cells of the implanted ganglion, their migration in the host embryo, and subsequent promotion of their differentiation into a variety of neural-crest-derived cell types including adrenergic cells of the sympathetic ganglia and adrenal medulla. These cells can be recognized in the host through the nuclear marker that they carry. Here, we have analyzed quantitatively the expansion of CG-derived cell population after the graft, and compared cell division in CG after back-transplantation and during normal in situ development over the same period of time. Tritiated-thymidine [( 3H]TdR) incorporation showed that grafted CG cells proliferated during their migration and, to a greater extent, after they had homed to the host structures. Furthermore, proliferative activity of quail cells in the graft was found to be significantly higher than the growth rate of the CG cells in situ during the same period of development. In the quail donor embryo, the birthdate of the CG neurons occurred early in development; from 6 days onward, only nonneuronal cells were still dividing. When back-transplanted, the 4- to 5-day-old CG provided numerous quail cells located in autonomic structures of the host embryo. However, this increase of the total quail cell population and of cell division was reduced when CG were taken from quail donors at progressively later developmental stages. Postmitotic neurons from mature CG were found not to survive under the graft conditions. It is proposed that back-transplantation of the CG stimulates cell division and modifies the developmental programme of still undifferentiated precursor cells which then can give rise to a variety of cell types belonging either to the glial or the autonomic nerve and paraganglionic cell phenotypes, to the exclusion of sensory neurons which never derive from CG grafts.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Antifertility effect of gossypol in male Japanese quail.

Conventionally housed 130-160 g adult male Japanese quail were given gossypol acetic acid (gossypol) im at 25 mg/kg in 0.5 ml of 10% EtOH for 12 and 24 days (Groups 1 and 2), respectively. One day after treatment was terminated they were allowed to mate with laying females individually for 20 days. Fertility was 0% from mating of the Group 1 birds on days 1-2 and increased to 25, 35, 55 and 65% on days 3-6 after cessation of gossypol treatment. At day 11, fertility was 80 vs 84% in controls, whereas hatchability was 70% for both. By comparison, eggs from Group 2 mated quail were infertile for up to 20 days after the termination of gossypol treatment. In a parallel experiment, the percent testes to body weight ratio in control and 7, 14, 21, and 28-day gossypol-treated quail was 2.5, 2.2, 1.8, 0.5, and 0.2%, respectively. In 12 vs 24-day treated birds, 7, 14, 21, and 28 days after gossypol treatment, the ratios were 1.0 vs 0.5%, 2.0 vs 0.8% and 2.8 vs 1.9%, respectively. The decreased fertility and hatachability, and testicular atrophy resulting from gossypol given to male quail was dose-time related. Furthermore, the androgen-dependent cloacal gland was drastically reduced in size by the treatment with gossypol. The mode of action of gossypol in male quail is different than it is in mammals in that the testicular size of mammals remains unchanged with long-term gossypol treatment. It is concluded that quail may be a useful avian animal model for investigating the antifertility effects of gossypol.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Quail fetal antigen (QFA): identification and comparison with chicken fetal antigen.

Quail fetal antigen (QFA), an analogous hematopoietic antigen to chicken fetal antigen (CFA), was identified and shown to be a developmental antigen on the blood cells of Japanese quail and other avian species. Rabbit antiserum against 14-day embryonic quail red blood cells (RBCs) was specifically adsorbed to achieve fetal specificity and to eliminate any cross reactivity with the CFA system. Complement-mediated microcytotoxicity and hemagglutination assays were used to detect the presence of QFA on hematopoietic cells. QFA was found on 100% of the peripheral RBCs from 10-day quail embryos but incidence of the antigen gradually declined with increasing development. Complete loss of QFA from RBCs occurred just prior to sexual maturation between 31 and 42 days of age. No qualitative differences in erythroid expression of QFA were observed during development; however, RBCs from both embryonic duck and interspecific quail- chicken hybrids reacted with R-anti QFA. Like CFA, quail fetal antigen was associated with lymphocytes, particularly those from primary lymphoid organs. Similarities in the developmentally controlled tissue distribution of QFA and CFA suggest that developmental hematopoietic antigens are a common feature of avian species and are useful cell surface markers for studies of development and differentiation.

Age Factors↗