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PubMed1997

Existence of parvalbumin and biochemical characterization in quail and pigeon skeletal muscles with different fiber type compositions.

The localization of parvalbumin was determined in skeletal muscles with different fiber type compositions from quails (Coturnix japonica) and pigeons (Columba livia) by sandwich ELISA. The biochemical profiles of these muscles were evaluated by the assay of total lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity as well as the LDH isozymes for anaerobic metabolism, and by the analysis of myoglobin for aerobic metabolism. The quail fast posterior latissimus dorsi (PLD) with a lower myoglobin content and higher LDH activity or M-type isozyme pattern was assessed as containing primarily fast-twitch glycolytic and oxidative-glycolytic (FG/FOG) fibers, and the mixed sartorius (SA) in quails and pigeons was shown to be composed mostly of FOG fibers because of the intermediate myoglobin content and LDH activity or H/M-type isozyme pattern. Parvalbumin, which functions as a relaxing factor in the fast-twitch fibers, was present in PLD and SA in significant amounts, whereas it was undetectable in quail anterior latissimus dorsi (ALD) and pigeon latissimus dorsi (LD) which contain exclusively slow-tonic (ST) fibers with the lowest LDH activity or predominant H-type isozyme characteristics. The pectoralis superficialis (PS) and pectoralis profundus (PP) muscles from quails and pigeons seem to consist mostly of FG/FOG fibers because of the highest myoglobin contents and LDH activities or M-type and H/M-type isozyme patterns. Despite fast-twitch fiber compositions, parvalbumin was absent from these pectoralis muscles. The tetanic contraction induced in avian fast-twitch pectoralis fibers during flapping flight might be independent of a function of parvalbumin as a relaxing factor.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Locomotion in the quail (Coturnix japonica): the kinematics of walking and increasing speed.

Hindlimb segmental kinematics and stride characteristics are quantified in several quail locomoting on a treadmill over a six-fold increase in speed. These data are used to describe the kinematics of a walking stride and to identify which limb elements are used to change stride features as speed increases. In quail, the femur does not move during locomotion and the tarsometatarsus-phalangeal joint is a major moving joint; thus, quail have lost the most proximal moving joint and added one distally. The tibiotarsus and tarsometatarsus act together as a fixed strut swinging from the knee during stance phase (the ankle angle remains constant at a given speed) and the tarsometatarsus-phalangeal joint appears to have a major role in increasing limb length during the propulsive phase of the stride. Speed is increased with greater knee extension and by lengthening the tibiotarsus/tarsometatarsus via increased ankle extension at greater speeds. Because the femur is not moved and three distal elements are, quail move the limb segments through a stride and increase speed in a way fundamentally different from other nonavian vertebrates. However, the three moving joints in quail (the knee, ankle, and tarsometatarsophangeal joint) have strikingly similar kinematics to the analogous moving joints (the hip, knee, and ankle) in other vertebrates. Comparisons to other vertebrates indicate that birds appear to have two modes of limb function (three- and four-segment modes) that vary with speed and locomotory habits.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Ultrastructural characteristics of primordial germ cells in the quail embryo.

An avian species, the quail has become a desirable animal model in experimental embryology and reproductive biology. To understand the ultrastructural characteristics of primordial germ cells (PGC) of this species, we studied PGC in the Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) embryo at various developmental stages from their appearance in the germinal crescent through migration to settlement in the gonadal ridges by means of electron microscopy. The results were compared with those of another well-known avian species, the chick. Several ultrastructural characteristics of quail PGC not described previously in chick PGC were observed as follows: 1) No glycogen particles were detected in the cytoplasm at any stage examined. 2) Electron-dense and membrane-bounded granules were found in the PGC cytoplasm during the sexually indifferent gonadal stages. 3) Quail PGC were characterized by a prominent nucleolus associated with condensed chromatin (heterochromatin), and the developmental changes of the nucleus were noted; the nucleolus initially appeared as a compact mass at the germinal crescent stage and became dispersed at later stages during the colonization of the gonadal ridges. These findings suggest several physiological and functional differences in the cell cycle between these two avian species. This is the first report describing detailed ultrastructural characteristics of PGC in the quail embryo.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Distribution and projection pattern of motoneurons that innervate hindlimb muscles in the quail.

We characterized the motoneuron pool positions and projection patterns in the embryonic quail hindlimb and compared them to those in the chick to determine the degree of similarity and to form a baseline for future chimeric experiments. We find that the most similar parameters of pool position correlate with the major axonal pathway choices. First, the medial-lateral pool position, which is highly conserved among birds and mammals, is identical in the quail and chick and correlates with the dorsal-ventral pathway choice, the first and least plastic of the choices within the limb. Second, although quail pools were known to be compressed into seven rather than eight segments, we show that the map of pools is compressed about a central point (segment three) that preserves the spatial relationships between anterior pools and the crural plexus, and between posterior pools and the sciatic plexus. Access to guidance cues that are restricted to each plexus region is thus maintained between species. Third, pool position along the anterior-posterior axis is the least similar parameter between species. In fact, the entire lumbosacral motor complex may shift by +/- half a segment in individual quail. Despite the consequent differences in segmental projections, the specific projection pattern within each quail hindlimb is identical to that in the chick. There is no need to preserve the exact segmental pattern either phylogenetically or during development, because motoneurons accommodate to modest variations in their position along the anterior-posterior axis by sorting out at the limb base. The contrast between variable segmental and constant limb projections also demonstrates that neither the specification nor the precise projection of motoneurons is dependent upon the specification or development of somites.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Localization of estrogen receptor-alpha and -betamRNA in brain areas controlling sexual behavior in Japanese quail.

Two estrogen receptors (ERs), denoted ERalpha and ERbeta, have been identified in humans and various animal species, including the Japanese quail. Estrogens play a key role in sexual differentiation and in activation of sexual behavior in Japanese quail. The distribution of ERalpha in the brain of male and female adult quail has previously been studied using immunohistochemistry, whereas in situ hybridization has been employed to study the distribution of ERbeta mRNA in males only. In this article, we used in situ hybridization to study the distribution of mRNAs for both ERalpha and ERbeta in brain areas controlling sexual behavior of Japanese quail. Our results show that both ERalpha mRNA and ERbeta mRNA are localized in areas important for sexual behavior, such as the preoptic area and associated limbic areas, in both males and females. Moreover, we found differences in distribution of mRNA for the two receptors in these areas. The results of this article support previously reported data and provide novel data on localization of ER mRNAs in adult quail brain of both sexes.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Effect of lead and chromium on reproductive success of Japanese quail.

An experimental model based on application of Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) lines with high (H) and low (L) concentrations of plasma lactate was designed in order to investigate the effects of lead and chromium on embryonic development and reproductive success of experimental groups representing different genotypes. During the first stage of the trial, mature males from quail lines H and L (marked as generation T) were fed subchronically for 12 weeks with lead as Pb(NO(3))(2) and chromium as K(2)Cr(2)O(7) (dosage 0.8 and 0.142 g/kg, respectively, in the feed). In addition, a binary mixture of both lead and chromium was administered to the third group of males. The control group consisted of untreated birds. After mating with untreated females (8 female x 5 male in each group), progeny with four genotypes were obtained. The chicks were marked as generation F1 and used in the second stage of the trial. The data obtained show that heavy metals decreased the hatchability of sexually mature quail males: chromium (14%), lead (19%), and binary lead-chromium mixture (28%). Early embryonic mortality increased as much as 2-3 times. Single lead and binary lead-chromium additions decreased fertility after treating Japanese quail during the development of sexual maturity: lead increased the number of unfertile eggs up to 30% (twofold), binary lead and chromium, up to 50% (more than threefold) relative to untreated controls. There was no effect of chromium alone on fertility. In general, hatchability, fertility, embryonic mortality and reproductive success of Japanese quail were dependent on age, sex, genotypes, and on single or binary treatment with the inorganic salts of lead and chromium.

Adaptation, Biological↗
PubMed1999

Mate choice copying and conspecific cueing in Japanese quail, Coturnix coturnix japonica.

In four experiments, we examined the effects on the affiliative preferences of 'focal' female Japanese quail given the opportunity to watch a conspecific male interact with a 'model' female. Experiments were conducted in three, 10-min phases: (1) a pretest, during which a 'focal' female chose between two males; (2) an observation phase, when each focal female watched the male she had spent less time near during the pretest (her 'nonpreferred' male) interact with a 'model' quail; and (3) a post-test, during which each focal female again chose between her nonpreferred and preferred males. Focal females increased their preferences for nonpreferred males after seeing them together with a model female (but not a model male), even if the nonpreferred male and model female were separated by an opaque barrier that prevented them from interacting. A focal female's preference for the end of the enclosure containing her nonpreferred male was not increased when she either watched him court a concealed model female or watched a model female that was being courted by him. Taken together, the present results suggest that a simple tendency for females to approach areas where they have previously seen a male and female quail, in preference to locations where they have seen only a male quail, can explain some of the effect of watching a nonpreferred male mate on a female's tendency to affiliate with him. However, focal females also showed enhanced preferences for nonpreferred males they had seen mating after we both moved those males and controlled for effects of transposition. Thus, processes akin to both 'mate choice copying' and 'conspecific cueing' remain viable explanations for the increase in a focal female quail's tendency to affiliate with a male she watched mate with another female. Copyright 1999 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2002

Epithelia-mesenchyme interaction plays an essential role in transdifferentiation of retinal pigment epithelium of silver mutant quail: localization of FGF and related molecules and aberrant migration pattern of neural crest cells during eye rudiment formation.

Homozygotes of the quail silver mutation, which have plumage color changes, also display a unique phenotype in the eye: during early embryonic development, the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) spontaneously transdifferentiates into neural retinal tissue. Mitf is considered to be the responsible gene and to function similarly to the mouse microphthalmia mutation, and tissue interaction between RPE and surrounding mesenchymal tissue in organ culture has been shown to be essential for the initiation of the transdifferentiation process in which fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signaling is involved. The immunohistochemical results of the present study show that laminin and heparan sulfate proteoglycan, both acting as cofactors for FGF binding, are localized in the area of transdifferentiation of silver embryos much more abundantly than in wild-type embryos. More intense immunohistochemical staining with FGF-1 antibody, but not with FGF-2 antibody, is also found in the neural retina, RPE, and choroidal tissue of silver embryos than in wild-type embryos. HNK-1 immunohistochemistry revealed that clusters of HNK-1-positive cells (presumptive migrating neural crest cells) are frequently located around the developing eyes and in the posterior region of the silver embryonic eye. Finally, chick-quail chimerical eyes were made by grafting silver quail optic vesicles to chicken host embryos: in most cases, no transdifferentiation occurs in the silver RPE, but in a few cases, transdifferentiation occurs where silver quail cells predominate in the choroid tissue. These observations together with our previous in vitro study indicate that the silver mutation affects not only RPE cells but also cephalic neural crest cells, which migrate to the eye rudiment, and that these crest cells play an essential role in the transdifferentiation of RPE, possibly by modifying the FGF signaling pathway. The precise molecular mechanism involved in RPE-neural crest cell interaction is still unknown, and the quail silver mutation is considered to be a good experimental model for studying the role of neural crest cells in vertebrate eye development.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Culture characterization and viral infection of aortic smooth muscle cells from Japanese quail susceptible to atherosclerosis.

Proliferation of aortic smooth muscle cells (SMCs), an important feature of atherosclerosis, occurs in the early stage of the disease in Japanese quail when fed an atherogenic diet. Quail aortic SMCs were isolated from a total of 32 quail and cultured in Eagle's minimum essential medium supplemented with 10% bovine fetal serum. Studies were carried out to characterize the cells in vitro. They grew actively in the early passages, but began to develop cytopathic changes after 3-4 passages and eventually cell death. The pathobiology had similarities to virus infected cells. Whole-mount electron microscopic examination detected virus-like particles in the cultured cells. All cell lines tested were positive for viral infection as screened by DNA dot blot hybridization using a genomic library of Marek's disease herpesvirus as a probe. However, the attempt to isolate the virus was unsuccessful. In summary, these cell lines are believed to be infected by a putative quail herpesvirus. Results of this in vitro cellular study support previous findings that the atherosclerosis susceptible quail are latently infected in vivo. Future studies will be needed to determine whether the virus plays a role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis in this animal model.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Molecular cloning of complementary deoxyribonucleic acids for the pituitary glycoprotein hormone alpha-subunit and luteinizing hormone beta-subunit precursor molecules of Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica).

Complementary DNAs encoding precursor molecules of the pituitary glycoprotein hormone (PGH) alpha- and luteinizing hormone (LH) beta-subunits of Japanese quail were isolated from a quail adenohypophyseal cDNA library using corresponding chicken cDNAs as hybridization probes. The isolated cDNAs had a length of 695 and 724 bp, respectively, and contained sequences of 5' and 3' untranslated regions and an entire coding region of the precursor molecules. Two series of incompletely repeating and partially overlapping nucleotide sequences were observed over a part near the 3' end of the apoprotein coding region and the 3'-untranslated region in the beta-subunit cDNA. One of them consisted of two repeated sets of 71 bases and the other consisted of six repeated sets of 30 bases or less. The predicted amino acid sequence showed that signal peptide and apoprotein of the alpha-subunit consisted of 24 and 96 amino acid residues, respectively, and those of the beta-subunit consisted of 47 and 119 amino acid residues, respectively. Hybridization of the quail PGH alpha- and LH beta-subunit cDNAs to adenohypophyseal RNA showed that sizes of PGH alpha- and LH beta-subunit precursor mRNAs were about 1.1 and 0.9 kb, respectively. Amounts of both mRNAs were increased three to four times by castration in male quail. A comparison of the amino acid sequences of each of the PGH alpha- and LH beta-subunit precursors of the quail and other vertebrates indicated that the apoprotein, especially that of the alpha-subunit, was conserved (59 to 85% and 34 to 55% homology in the alpha- and beta-subunits, respectively), while the signal peptide was diversified (4 to 75% and 4 to 45% homology in the alpha- and beta-subunits, respectively). In the LH beta-subunit apoprotein, interclass homology values varied in a narrow range and did not show a clear relation with the phylogenic distance, while interclass homology values in the alpha-subunit apoprotein and both signal peptides reflected the phylogenic distance. This characteristic feature of the LH beta apoprotein can be explained by assuming that the variable portion of the LH beta apoprotein molecule evolved with a higher speed than that of the other peptides, and consequently no sequence common with other classes remained. This highly variable sequence may be responsible for the high animal-class specificity of the interaction between LH and its receptor.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1998

Cloning of complementary deoxyribonucleic acid for the follicle-stimulating hormone-beta subunit in the Japanese quail.

Complementary DNA clones encoding the luteinizing hormone-beta and common alpha subunits have been isolated not only in mammals but also in some nonmammalian tetrapod vertebrates. However, cloning of cDNA encoding the follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)-beta subunit is limited to mammals, and no clone for the FSH-beta subunit has been isolated for nonmammalian vertebrates. We report here the isolation and characterization of cDNA encoding the FSH-beta subunit precursor molecule in the Japanese quail from a cDNA library of the pituitary gland of this bird. As the hybridization probe for the screening, we used a cDNA clone prepared by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with primers designed from known nucleotide sequence data of cDNA for FSH-beta subunit precursors of mammals. The FSH-beta subunit precursor cDNA we isolated was longer than any other FSH-beta subunit precursor cDNAs previously reported. This is due to the extraordinarily long 3'-untranslated region (2135 bp). This region is extremely rich in consensus sequences reported to cause instability of mRNA, suggesting that mRNA for the FSH-beta subunit, especially that of the Japanese quail, is unstable. Northern blot analysis of mRNA for the FSH-beta subunit revealed that the pituitary content of mRNA in the nonbreeding season was about 1/5 to 1/10 that in the breeding season in male Japanese quail kept in an outdoor cage. The profile of the seasonal change in FSH-beta subunit mRNA in the quail pituitary gland was similar to that of the seasonal change in the concentration of FSH in plasma reported previously. The deduced amino acid sequence of the mature protein region showed that the quail FSH-beta subunit is more similar to the opossum FSH-beta subunit than to the other mammalian FSH-beta subunits.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1985

Transfer of extracellular matrix components between germ layers in chimaeric chicken-quail blastoderms.

A chemical basis for the transmission of signals during gastrulation has been investigated by using chimaeric embryos resulting from the combination of 3H-glucosamine-labelled and unlabelled hypoblast with epiblast taken from chicken and quail embryos at stage 3 of Vakaet (1970). The ability to distinguish chicken from quail cells on the basis of their different nuclear distribution of heterochromatin after Feulgen staining made it possible to determine the origin of the cells in the chimaerae. Tritiated quail hypoblast (after incubation of the embryo in the presence of 3H-glucosamine) was transplanted onto unlabelled chicken blastoderm deprived of its hypoblast. After culture of the chimaera for 5 h, the autoradiographic pattern shows silver grains not only over the graft, but also at the ventral surface of the epiblast of the host. Transfer of label may occur to mesoblast cells, but not between chicken and quail hypoblast cells. Chase experiments exclude the possibility that unprocessed, tritiated glucosamine is transferred. Chemical fixation of the host before transplantation of a labelled quail hypoblast also allows visualization of a transfer of macromolecules from hypoblast to the basement membrane of the epiblast, suggesting that an intervention of the epiblast cells in this process is not necessary. The morphology of the chimaeric embryos, as studied by scanning electron microscopy, suggests a direct deposition of these macromolecules by filopodia of the dorsal surface of the hypoblast. The possibility of diffusion of free macromolecules has been considered and can reasonably be discarded on the basis of several observations.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Differences in the distribution of methyl mercury in erythrocytes, plasma, and brain of Japanese quails and rats after a single oral dose.

Distribution of a single oral dose of methyl mercury (10 mg Hg/kg body weight) was followed from 90 min up to 120 h in plasma, erythrocytes, and brain of Japanese quails and rats. Significantly higher Hg concentrations were observed in plasma and brain of quails and red blood cells of rats. Blood/brain ratio decreased in quails from 6 to 2 at 24 h and 120 h respectively, whereas it increased in rats. Erythrocyte/plasma ratio in quails was about three times lower and averaged 54. The differences in Hg distribution were accompanied by a more than 3-fold higher acute toxicity in quails under adequate experimental conditions.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Effects of water restriction during growth and adulthood on renal function of bobwhite quail, Colinus virginianus.

Renal function and osmoregulation were studied in bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus) raised with unrestricted water (chronically unrestricted group) or restricted water (chronically restricted group). There was no difference in urine concentrating ability between adult and juvenile (3.5 or 7.5 week-old) quail. A filtration marker (polyethylene glycol) was infused into adult quail via osmotic minipumps and responses to the following regimens studied: ad libitum water intake, short-term (4-day) water restriction, and acute (1-day) dehydration (withdrawal of all drinking water). Chronically restricted quail had higher urine-to-plasma ratios of polyethylene glycol and lower urine flow rates during short-term restriction. A greater proportion of the reduction in urine flow rate during dehydration was attributable to enhanced tubular reabsorption, rather than reduced rates of filtration, in chronically restricted than in chronically unrestricted birds. Chronically restricted birds also had higher maximum urine-to-plasma ratios of polyethylene glycol (but not higher urine osmolality). These differences occurred in the face of arginine vasotocin concentrations that were not different in the two groups of birds (approximately 15 pg.ml-1 during hydration, and 45 pg.ml-1 during water restriction or dehydration). These observations suggest that chronically restricted quail have an enhanced responsiveness of tubular reabsorption to dehydration, a finding consistent with previous observations of tubule hypertrophy and hyperplasia in these birds (Goldstein and Ellis 1991). Despite this, no difference was found in medullary cAMP levels, either basal or arginine vasotocin- or forskolin-stimulated, in the two groups.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Age Factors↗
PubMed1987

Development and use of shell-less quail chorio-allantoic-membrane cultures to study developing skeletal tissues; a qualitative study.

A technique is described for in vitro culture of the quail embryo from the 1st to the 18th day of development. The embryos are cultured in Teflon hammocks, suspended in glass supports and kept in a humidified atmosphere at 36.5 degrees C. The quail CAM is used as support and cell source for developing non-quail cartilage and bone. The quail cells can be identified histologically and easily recognized by Feulgen-staining which is demonstrated in the presence of quail chondro- or osteoclasts in a mouse long bone rudiment cultured on the CAM.

Allantois↗
PubMed1983

The role of vitamin D in the medullary bone formation in egg-laying Japanese quail and in immature male chicks treated with sex hormones.

The effect of vitamin D3 on medullary bone formation was investigated in egg-laying Japanese quail and in immature male chicks treated with sex hormones. When laying quail were fed a vitamin D-deficient diet for 16 days, their eggshell weights and egg production rate were markedly reduced in a time-dependent manner with a significant decrease in plasma calcium and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 levels. The calcium content of the medullary bone of femurs decreased markedly with the progress of vitamin D deficiency, whereas that of the cortical bone remained unchanged. Quantitative histological examination also showed that the area of the mineralized portion of medullary bone in quail that were fed the vitamin D-deficient diet markedly decreased compared with that in the control laying quail, whereas the total area of the mineralized and unmineralized portions of medullary bone in the bone marrow cavity increased moderately. Daily administration of vitamin D3 (0.75 microgram/day) to the vitamin D-deficient quail increased the mineralization of medullary bone as early as day 4. Daily administration of both estradiol (0.3 mg/day) and testosterone (0.9 mg/day) for 3 weeks to immature male chicks induced an apparent hypercalcemia and matrix formation of medullary bone, regardless of the vitamin D status of the chicks. Mineralization of medullary bone was observed only when vitamin D3 was administered together with the sex hormones. These results suggest that vitamin D3 is directly involved in the mineralization of medullary bone in birds.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Physiological, growth, and immune responses of Japanese quail chicks to the multiple stressors of immunological challenge and lead shot.

Exposure to the combination of a contaminant and an immunological challenge during development may greatly increase the impact of either or both of these stressors on an individual. This study investigated the interacting effects of a nonpathogenic immunological challenge and lead shot exposure early in the development of a precocial species. Seventy-one quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) chicks orally received either one #9 lead shot (0.05 g), four lead shots (0.2 g), or no lead at the age of 8 days. A third of each of these groups of chicks were intraperitoneally injected with either 0.075 ml of 10% chukar (Alectoris graeca) red blood cells (CRBCs), Newcastle disease virus (NDV), or a placebo oil vaccine at 13 and 35 days of age. There was no difference in the survival between any of the lead or antigen treatment groups. Lead concentrations in blood were greater for the lead-dosed groups on day 49 but not on day 128. Growth curves were approximated by Weibull functions; growth parameters did not differ between lead-treated and antigen-treated birds. CRBC antigen increases fluctuating asymmetry (FA) for primary feather five, while NDV reduced FA. Lead did not affect antibody production or cell-mediated immune response. White blood cell numbers increased 7 days after antigen injection on days 27 and 49 of age. Granulocyte numbers were significantly higher for the lead-treated quail than the control quail, and both antigen-treated groups had lower granulocyte numbers than control quail. The treatment groups of combining NDV and lead shot had an average plasma protein 14% lower than other groups. Lead shot in the highest of these doses lowered asymptotic weights, increased hematocrits, lowered plasma protein, and increased granulocyte numbers of quail.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed1996

Pathological study of Japanese quail embryo with acid alpha-glucosidase deficiency during early development.

A pathological study was performed on the tissues of 11 Japanese quail embryos with type II glycogen storage disease (GSD II) between incubation day (ID) 3 and ID 15. Accumulation of glycogen in vacuoles derived from lysosomes was first seen in cardiac muscle at ID 3, in liver at ID 5, in wing muscle at ID 7, and in pectoral muscle at ID 10. The number and size of the glycogen vacuoles gradually increased during development, especially in cardiac muscle. Cytoplasmic glycogen particles, showing the same density as membrane-enclosed glycogen particles, were first seen as masses in cardiac muscle at ID 3, in liver at ID 5, in pectoral muscle at ID 10, and in wing muscle at ID 15. The area of cytoplasm occupied by the glycogen particles increased during development. Myofibrillar degeneration was not seen, although myofibrils appeared in disarray in the early stages, as in normal embryos. This is the first study of the development of embryonic tissues of Japanese quails with GSD II. GSD II in the Japanese quail appears to be clinically analogous to the human late (juvenile)-onset disease, although the disorder starts at very early stages in quail embryos. Therefore, Japanese quails with GSD II can provide a model for elucidating the pathogenetic process of human GSD II.

Animals↗