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PubMed1989

Molecular cloning and sequence analysis of putative chicken prolactin cDNA.

A cDNA library was prepared from mRNA isolated from anterior pituitary glands of incubating bantam hens, in which prolactin mRNA levels were predicted to be very high. Nine clones, representing abundant mRNA species, were identified and shown to contain homologous sequences. Two clones, of 871 bp and 580 bp, were analysed by DNA sequencing. The shorter clone was found to be a truncated cDNA product but otherwise identical to the longer clone. The 871 bp cDNA, PRL101, contains an open reading frame capable of encoding a polypeptide of 229 amino acids. This putative polypeptide has a high degree of homology to mammalian prolactins (approximately 70%), strongly suggesting that PRL101 encodes chicken preprolactin. The protein was predicted to have a 30 amino acid signal sequence which would be cleaved off to give a mature protein of 199 amino acids. The peptide sequence also had a 26% homology to chicken growth hormone, which is related to prolactin. This similarity confirms the conclusion that PRL101 is a chicken prolactin cDNA clone. An abundant mRNA of approximately 880 b was detected in poly(A)+ RNA from pituitary glands probed with PRL101. Analysis of chicken genomic DNA showed that there is one copy of the prolactin gene in the genome. PRL101 hybridized strongly to genomic DNA from closely related galliforms (quail and turkey) and less strongly to DNA from more distantly related species (duck and ring dove).

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2001

Molecular cloning of the cDNAs for pituitary glycoprotein hormone alpha subunits of two species of duck and their gene regulation.

The cDNAs encoding pituitary glycoprotein hormone alpha subunits (PGHalphas) of two species of duck (Muscovy duck, Cairina moschata and Pekin duck, Anas platyrhynchos domesticus) were cloned and sequenced to better understand the phylogenic diversity and evolution of PGHalpha molecules in vertebrates. Oligonucleotide primers were designed and used for reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) amplification of PGHalpha cDNA fragments from total cellular RNA of pituitary glands. The remaining sequences were completed by rapid amplification of the cDNA ends. The nucleotide sequence of isolated PGHalpha cDNA of both ducks are identical, including 81 bp of 5' untranslated region (UTR), 360 bp of coding region, and 272 bp of 3'-UTR followed by a 13 bp poly(A)(+) tract. The total number of amino acids deduced from the cDNA of the duck PGHalpha is 120 with a signal peptide of 24 amino acids and a mature protein of 96 amino acids. PGHalphas of the ducks (order Anseriformes) share 96% homology of amino acid sequence in signal peptide, and 100% homology in mature proteins with chicken, quail and turkey (order Galliformes). Our data thus demonstrate identical inter-order homology of PGHalpha mature protein in birds. Ten cysteine residues, presumably forming five disulfide bonds within the alpha subunit, and four proline residues, presumably responsible for folding of the molecule, are conserved in the alpha subunit of ducks. Northern blot analysis revealed that PGHalpha mRNA is expressed only in the pituitary. In order to study factors regulating the gene expression of PGHalpha mRNA, duck pituitary fragments were incubated with GnRH, TRH, testosterone, or triiodothyronine (T(3)). GnRH and TRH increased, while testosterone and T(3) decreased, PGHalpha mRNA levels. This is the first report in birds of TRH up-regulation and down-regulation by testosterone and T(3) under in vitro conditions. The present study demonstrates both ducks have the same cDNA nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences in the PGHalpha subunit, exhibiting identical inter-genus homology within the family of Anatidae. The findings from mRNA expression work suggest that hypothalamic GnRH and TRH up-regulate, while testosterone and T(3) down-regulate, PGHalpha gene expression in ducks.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2003

The skull development of parrots with special reference to the emergence of a morphologically unique cranio-facial hinge.

The order Psittaciformes (parrots) has unique morphological features in the head that are evolutionarily novel. To better understand the unique evolution of the head in parrots, the developmental pattern of the skull of the budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus) was initially described on the basis of transparent skeletal specimens. Although the fundamental pattern of the skull development of birds is conserved in parrots, some differences were observed between parrots and other groups of birds. In parrots, the vacuity in the interorbital septum did not emerge throughout ontogeny, in contrast to other lineages of birds, for example Galliformes and Coliiformes. This feature seems to be concerned with the attachment of the unique jaw muscle of parrots, M. ethmomandibularis, to the interorbital septum. In spite of a prokinetic skull, the cranio-facial hinge of parrots was brought about by secondary transformation of dermal bones unlike that of birds with a standard prokinetic skull (e.g. Corvus) in which the nasal-frontal suture directly becomes a hinge of bending. To further understand the evolution of "pseudoprokinesis" in parrots, the construction of a robust avian phylogeny is desired. The parrot-specific suborbital arch and cranio-facial hinge are not seen until birds leave the nest and can feed themselves. In conclusion, these structures are considered to be essential for eating hard and/or large meals.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed1992

Evaluation of domestic pigeons as sentinels for detecting arbovirus activity in southern California.

Flocks of sentinel domestic pigeons (Columbia livia) detected increases in St. Louis encephalitis (SLE) and western equine encephalomyelitis (WEE) virus activity in southern California concurrently with flocks of sentinel chickens. However, occasional low-titered, transient seroconversions to both WEE and SLE viruses also occurred in pigeons during periods when virus activity was not detected by seroconversions in sentinel chickens, by virus isolation from Culex mosquitoes, or by human disease. Moreover, SLE virus seroconversions detected in pigeons by a hemagglutination inhibition (HI) test frequently could not be confirmed either by a plaque-reduction neutralization test (PRNT) on the same sera, or by an HI test on the next monthly serum sample from the same bird. Experimental infection studies, in which pigeons were inoculated subcutaneously with SLE (SOUE 16-84) virus, confirmed that pigeons developed low-titered and transient HI antibodies that were detectable infrequently by PRNT. In contrast, experimental infection with WEE (BFS 1703) virus produced elevated antibody responses that were detectable by HI for 8-12 weeks and by PRNT for at least 25 weeks. Pigeons infected with SLE virus rarely developed detectable viremias, whereas most birds infected with WEE virus developed viremias on postinfection day 1 that persisted for two or three days. Host-preference studies indicated that pigeons were less attractive as bait in lard can traps to host-seeking Culex mosquitoes than were chickens, and that blood-engorged Culex females collected near sentinel locations fed more frequently upon galliform than columbiform birds. Collectively, these results indicated that sentinel pigeons would not provide an adequate replacement for sentinel chickens to monitor WEE or SLE viruses, and would be a dead-end host for SLE virus.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Postharmostomiasis in wild turkeys in New Mexico.

Postharmostomum gallinum (Trematoda: Digenea; Brachylaimidae) is reported for the second time from the wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) in North America. Seventy-six, 14 and three sexually mature specimens, respectively, were removed from the ceca of three of five wild turkeys collected in south-eastern New Mexico (USA). Local transmission of this infection was inferred since 10 immature specimens of P. gallinum also were collected from one host. In the turkey with the greatest intensity of mature trematodes, a concurrent hemorrhagic inflammation of the cecum apparently was associated with this infection. Specimens of P. gallinum from these wild turkeys were morphologically indistinguishable from, but their body and egg measurements were larger than, specimens described from the usual Eurasian galliform and columbiform hosts.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

The effect of egg yolk sampling on performance parameters and reproductive indices of northern bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus) eggs.

The sampling of 50 microliters of the yolk (average 1.7% of the total volume) from northern bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus) eggs on day 0, 6, 12, and 18 of incubation resulted in significantly (P < 0.05) increased embryo mortality in the day 12 and day 18 egg groups. Performance parameters and reproductive indices of the non-sampled eggs and the eggs sampled on day 0, and 6 of incubation did not differ from other reports on C. virginianus. No differences was found in postnatal responsiveness among hatchlings originating from controls and from all the groups of sampled eggs. As demonstrated in this representative galliform species, the technique can be applied for the screening of unembryonated eggs or early-embryogenesis-eggs of wild birds. If female birds are not accessible but their eggs are, information on the reproductive flock can be accessed without stressing adult birds.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Application of an anti-HQIgY antibody for the measurement of IgY concentrations of hen's and quail's serum and yolk.

The development of a sensitive ELISA for the measurement of quail IgY (QIgY) was the main purpose of our study. The suitable antibody (AB) was prepared in rabbits. Both quail IgY (QIgY) and hen IgY (HIgY) were precipitated by this developed AB. For this reason it was marked as anti-hen-quail-IgY (a-HQIgY). The purified AB was conjugated with horseradish peroxidase (aHQIgY-HRP) and a sensitive direct ELISA was developed, based on this labeled AB. The prepared aHQIgY AB which was used in this developed ELISA method was suitable for the measurement of total and specific IgY concentration in domestic hen (Gallus domesticus) and Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) either. As a result of our experiments it is very likely that there are identical sequences of IgYs of both species. This part of IgY has good antigen character at the same time. Probably, this phenomenon has occurrence in other Galliform species, too. Further investigations will be carried out in this field.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Evolution of the mitochondrial DNA cytochrome b gene in Tetraonidae birds.

Mitochondrial fragments containing the cytochrome b gene (1020 bp in size) of four bird species belonging to four genera of the family Tetraonidae (Tetrao parvirostris, Bonasa umbellus, Lagopus lagopus scoticus, and Falcipennis falcipennis) were directly sequenced. Of the 1020 nucleotide positions, 186 were variable and uniformly distributed over the gene and only 46 were parsimony informative. Most substitutions were synonymous. Replacement substitutions were detected for 15 out of 340 amino acid sites; only four replacements were parsimony informative. The greatest codon bias was found for leucine and serine. The C-T transitions and the G-C transversions were, respectively, the most common (60.7%) and the most rare (5.9%). The mutation frequencies were high at the third codon position (85.2%) and relatively low at the first and the second position. At the third codon position of the species examined, the guanine content was the lowest (3.3%) and the cytosine content was the highest (44.5%). Based on the cytochrome b gene sequences, phylogenetic relationships in the order Galliformes are inferred.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

[Eight years of amyloid research in chickens: a review].

The articular localisation of amyloid is not uncommon in Galliformes. In commercial brown layer chickens amyloid artropathy was first described in 1994 as a clinical problem with increasing importance associated with growth depression and lameness. Considering the clinical veterinary and the scientific relevance of amyloid artropathy, it was a subject of poultry research during the past eight years. The outcome of the various studies performed is described in the present update. The occurrence, nature, pathogenesis and possible etiological factors of chicken amyloid artropathy, the identification and characterization of the chicken joint amyloid protein and the gene involved are reported. Finally, the results of immunological studies, which provide a plausible explanation for the difference in breed susceptibility, and summarising conclusions are presented.

Amyloidosis↗
PubMed2003

Search for Lawsonia intracellularis and Bilophila wadsworthia in malabsorption-diseased chickens.

Proliferative enteropathy is an important enteric disease caused by Lawsonia intracellularis. A wide range of host species can be infected by the same bacterium, yet the clinico-pathologic features among these hosts remains almost identical. The disease has been recognized regularly among ratites, but not in other avian families, such as galliforms, even though these suffer uncharacterized enteric conditions. Fresh ileum-colon contents were obtained from 228, 3- to 8-week-old chickens with enteric disease, kept at 14 large commercial farms in the southern USA. DNA was extracted from each sample and subjected to polymerase chain reactions (PCR) with primers specific to eubacterial DNA, L. intracellularis, and Bilophila wadsworthia. All chicken samples were positive for eubacterial DNA, 29 chickens (13%) were positive for B. wadsworthia DNA, and none were positive for L. intracellularis DNA. Given the ubiquitous nature of L. intracellularis, we consider it likely that some avian families do not carry the necessary mechanism for L. intracellularis viability. Bilophila wadsworthia appears to be a consistent member of the colonic flora of some host animals. Neither bacterium appears to be associated with malabsorption syndromes in chickens.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

[Expression of the skeletal muscle Tx-TnT during the different developmental stages between avian broiler and Hongshan chicken].

Tropnin T (TnT) is the troponin complex subunit that most strongly binds to tropomyosin (Tm). Various TnT isoforms through alternative mRNA splicing are specifically expressed during development and/or in different muscle types, indicating that these forms have specialized functions in muscle contraction. The Tx structure has been identified in TnT isoforms specifically expressed in the breast of Galliformes and Craciformes. In the present study, monoclonal antibody 6B8 that recognizes Tx epitope was used to detect the expression of Tx-TnT isoforms during the different developmental stages of breast and leg muscles between Hongshan chicken and Avian broiler. The results confirmed that the Tx epitope is only present in the breast but not leg muscles of both chickens. The least square analysis showed the quantum of Tx-TnT expressed in the breast muscles increased during development and had significant difference (P < 0.05) between Hongshan chicken and Avian broiler. The correlations between the expression quantum of Tx-TnT and the breast muscle weight were 0.91236 for Hongshan chicken and 0.87624 for Avian broiler, respectively, and significant at 0.05 level.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Pathogenicity of avian influenza viruses in poultry.

Historically, the pathogenicity of avian influenza (AI) viruses has been based on lethality for the major domesticated poultry species, the chicken. All AI viruses are categorised as either low (LP) and high pathogenicity (HP), but, within each category, pathobiological changes vary with host species and virus strain. Typically, AI viruses that are HP produce a similar severe, systemic disease with high mortality in chickens and a similar pathobiology in other galliforme birds, but usually either produce no infection or mild disease in ducks. The newer H5 and the H7 HPAI viruses have shifted to increased virulence for chickens as evidenced by shorter mean death times (MDT). Furthermore, the Asia H5N1 HPAI viruses have changed from producing inconsistent respiratory infections in ducks to some strains being HP (Hong Kong 2002 viruses) with virus in internal organs and brain, and excretion of large virus quantities from respiratory, and to a lesser extent, intestinal tracts. However, the quantities of virus shed per bird are still 1 % of that produced in chickens. With 2003-2004 Asian H5N1 AI viruses, the isolates have been highly lethal for young ducks but this virulence is age dependent. Across all bird species, the ability to produce severe disease and death is associated with high virus replication titres in the host, especially in specific tissues such as brain and heart.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2006

[Sequence and structure analysis of mitochondrial tRNApro and tRNAthr genes in domestic goose breeds].

We report here the results of the sequence and structure analysis of mitochondrial tRNApro and tRNAthr genes in domestic goose breeds by sequencing the mitochondrial DNA from a total of 25 samples from 6 breeds of Chinese geese and 2 breeds of domestic Europe geese. Sequences and the cloverleaf structure of tRNApro (69 bp) and tRNAthr (68 bp) in domestic goose breeds were described and analysed They were compared amongst the three domestic goose breeds as well as between Anseriformes (Anser cygnoides) and Galliformes (Gallus gallus domesticus, Genbank accession number NC001323). Both goose tRNApro and tRNAthr genes have normal cloverleaf secondary structures. The amino acid arm and the anticodon loop of the cloverleaf structure of tRNApro and tRNAthr are very conservative among Anser albifrons, Anser anser and Anser cygnoides. The gene sequences in this study were deposited to GenBank under accession numbers AY427800-AY427805 and AY427812-AY427814.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Different receptor specificity of influence viruses from ducks and chickens and its reflection in the composition of sialosides on host cells and mucins].

The ability of influenza viruses from different hosts to bind to the intestinal epithelium of various birds (Anseriformes (Anatidae), Galliformes, Charadriiformes (sandpipers and sea gulls), Ciconiiformes (storks), Podicipediformes (grebes), and Gruiformes was studied. The composition of sialo-containing receptors on the epithelia was examined, by using lectins. Intestinal epitheliocytes of the Anatidae (Anseriformes) family was shown to have a low content of receptors binding both Sambucus nigra agglutinin (SNA) lectin specific to Siaalpha-6Gal, and Maackia amurensis agglutinin (MAA) lection specific to Siaalpha2-2Gal. Nevertheless, these cells well bound duck influenza viruses. The intestinal epithelium of Ciconiiformes, Podicipediformes, and Gruiformes well bound MMA lection, but avian influenza viruses weakly bound the latter. The intestinal cells of Gallinaceae bound both MMA and SNA lectins and avian and human influenza viruses. Thus, the composition of natural sialosides is different in various avian species whereas the receptor specificity of influenza viruses from various hosts reflects these differences. This can be accounted for by the differences in the ability of influenza viruses from different birds to break through the interspecies barrier, infecting mammals and human beings in particular.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Mutational analysis of v-rel, the oncogene of reticuloendotheliosis virus strain T.

Reticuloendotheliosis virus strain T (Rev-T) is a highly oncogenic retrovirus that induces a lethal lymphoma in young galliform birds and also transforms and immortalizes avian lymphoid cells in vitro. Rev-T presumably arose when a reticuloendotheliosis virus (Rev) incorporated a portion of the turkey c-rel gene into its genome, forming the v-rel oncogene. The predicted v-rel protein (p59v-rel) has 14 amino acid substitutions and 3 amino acid deletions relative to the predicted turkey c-rel protein. The 5' Rev env-derived amino-terminus of p59v-rel also has amino acid substitutions in codons 3, 6, and 9 relative to wild-type Rev-A env. To distinguish the critical alterations from the neutral ones, we made a mutation that resulted in a substitution of the 5' Rev env-derived amino-terminus by a single methionine, as well as several back-mutations, in the context of an otherwise wild-type v-rel and tested the transforming, immortalizing, and tumorigenic properties of the resulting proteins. All proteins tested retained the transforming, immortalizing, and tumorigenic functions of v-rel. Absence of the 5' Rev env-derived amino-terminus, as well as back-mutations of six of the amino acid changes present in the rel-derived amino-terminal and central regions of v-rel, reduced transformation efficiency. The mutations present in codons 3, 6, and 9 of p59v-rel showed complicated interactions in their activating effects on transformation efficiency. We also showed that loss of the immortalizing function did not abolish tumorigenesis by v-rel. We further showed that the primary transduction event involving the turkey c-rel gene could have occurred with a replication-competent Rev having v-rel-specific mutations in codons 3, 6, and 9 of the env gene.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1987

Geographic distribution of Bhanja virus.

A review on the geographic distribution, vectors and hosts of Bhanja virus (Bunyaviridae) is based on reports about: isolations of the virus; antibody surveys. Bhanja virus has been isolated in 15 countries of Asia, Africa and Europe, and antibodies against it have been detected in 15 additional countries. Vector range includes ticks of the family Ixodidae (subfam. Amblyomminae; not subfam. Ixodinae): 13 species of 6 genera (Haemaphysalis, Dermacentor, Hyalomma, Amblyomma, Rhipicephalus and Boophilus) yielded the virus. Bhanja virus has only rarely been isolated from vertebrates (Atelerix, Xerus, Ovis, Bos; possibly bats), though antibodies have been detected frequently in a wide range of mammals (Ruminantia being the major hosts), in several species of birds (Passeriformes, Galliformes) and even reptiles (Ophisaurus apodus). Natural foci of the Bhanja virus infections are of the boskematic type (sensu Rosický), associated closely with pastures of domestic ruminants infested by ticks in the regions of tropical, subtropical and partly temperate climatic zones.

Africa↗
PubMed1987

Patterns in the mass-independent energetics of avian development.

Metabolic data from embryos and hatchlings of several species, when analyzed using allometric relationships, are more typical of precocial species than of altricial species even though the same species are classified as altricial or semialtricial by the criteria of Nice (Trans. Linn. Soc. N.Y., 13:212, 1962). An analysis of existing embryonic and nestling growth and metabolic data utilizing Heusner's model for generating mass-independent measures of metabolism (MIM values) reveals various patterns: Anseriformes and Galliformes have eggs with high energy density, and these species have relatively high and variable embryo/adult MIM ratios. Species whose eggs are less energy dense than the eggs of precocial species have relatively low and invariant embryo/adult MIM ratios throughout most of incubation. This suggests that there are energetic constraints on rates of growth and maturation in the less energy-dense eggs. I propose that changes in the length of incubation periods may have been a result of natural selection upon adult birds that resulted in the production of eggs with a lower energy content and of natural selection favoring changes in adult basal metabolic rate (BMR). In this scheme altriciality and rapid growth are not the traits upon which natural selection was acting directly. Once pipping and then hatching occur, more divergent patterns of energy metabolism between species are evident. This hypothesis does not exclude others that suggest why different growth patterns occur, but it reinforces the general caution that when one analyzes patterns in any one part of the life cycle, one must consider the possible effects of change in all other parts of the cycle.

Animals↗