SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Quail”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

SourceResearch connectionFrom yearThrough year

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources

PubMed1985

Increased clearance rate of plasma thyroxine accompanies estradiol-induced vitellogenesis in male Japanese quail.

Four days after giving 16 mumol estradiol-17 beta (E2) per 100 g body weight to male Japanese quail, the thyroids of these quail accumulated twice as much 125I as did the thyroids of control quail. Plasma thyroxine concentrations were 7.38 +/- 45 (SE) ng/ml (n = 16) for the E2-treated quail and 3.38 +/- .53 ng/ml (n = 16) for the controls. Clearance rates of plasma thyroxine were 534 ng thyroxine/100 g/day for the E2-treated quail and 234 ng/100 g/day for the control quail. The E2 may have increased the metabolism of thyroxine in these male quail and, by inference, stimulated a twofold increase in the rate of synthesis and secretion of thyroxine.

Animals↗

PubMed1986

Acute aflatoxicosis in genetically resistant and nonselected Japanese quail.

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) was administered by either oral intubation or intravenous (IV) injection to two lines of Japanese quail selected for aflatoxin resistance (AR2.5 and AR3) and a nonselected control line (NS). Pretreatment feed consumption did not vary significantly between lines; however, normal water intake of AR quail was 25% greater than that of NS quail. Oral AFB1 dosing (1.0 mg/kg body wt) elicited 53 and 25% decreases in feed and water consumption of NS quail within 24 hr. The only postdose change detected in the selected lines was a 10% increase in AR2.5 water intake. Oral AFB1 dosing also caused a significant reduction in excreta dry matter of NS quail. Twenty-four hr after IV AFB1 injection (.75 mg/kg body wt), feed and water consumption of the NS line were depressed by 93 and 75%, respectively, but only feed intake was decreased (13%) in the AR2.5 line. Intravenously injected AFB1 did not affect 24-hr parameters in the AR3 line. Body weight loss was noted in NS quail after both oral and IV dosing, while the AR lines maintained pretreatment body weights. Both AR lines also exhibited resistance to AFB1-induced hepatic lesions observed in NS birds. Biliary output was also studied during a 12-hr period following IV administration of AFB1. Cholecystic bile measurements taken at 1.5- and 3-hr after dosing averaged 34 and 50% higher in the AR lines than in the NS line. These results demonstrate the resistance of the selected quail to AFB1 whether administered orally or intravenously and therefore, indicate the AR line resistance is unrelated to intestinal absorption of the toxin.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Administration, Oral↗

PubMed1988

Divergent selection for growth in Japanese quail under split and complete nutritional environments. 1. Genetic and correlated responses to selection.

Japanese quail were divergently selected for 4-wk body weight under two different nutritional environments. In one environment quail were divergently selected for high and low body weight (H and L) under a split diet (SD) with quail having the opportunity to self-select feed from high protein and high energy diets. In the other environment, quail were similarly selected (H and L) under a normal (28% protein) complete diet (CD). After 11 generations of selection, H-SD and H-CD lines were 48.9 and 49.7% higher in 4-wk body weight than controls. Quail from L-SD and L-CD lines were 46.5 and 45.4% lower in 4-wk body weight than controls. Realized heritabilities for 4-wk body weight were .36 +/- .03, .30 +/- .03, .52 +/- .02, and .47 +/- .03 for H-SD, L-SD, H-CD, and L-CD lines, respectively. Selection differentials were significantly higher in the SD than in the CD environment. Changes in 2-wk, adult body, and egg weight across generations paralleled that of the trait under selection (4-wk body weight). Selection also resulted in decreased hatchability and egg production with increased age to sexual maturity in both environments. The SD environment was determined to be a stress environment because of birds' inferior growth there compared with growth in the CD environment. Rate of growth, however, to reach adult body size was superior for L-SD quail once the stress environment was removed. There was also evidence that eggs were larger for quail in the SD than the CD environment.

Animals↗

PubMed1989

Demethylation of the gene expressing a yolk protein precursor in quail.

Japanese quail produce more egg-yolk protein per gram of body weight than chickens do. Because cytosine phosphoguanine (CpG) methylation has been reported to correlate inversely with gene activity, the demethylation of cytosine residues in the quail vitellogenin 2 (Vg2) gene was assessed as a possible contributing factor. Vitellogenin genes are normally transcribed in the liver of female Japanese quail that are sexually mature. Changes in the methylation pattern of CCGG sites of the quail Vg2 gene were studied using the methyl-sensitive restriction endonucleases Msp I and Hpa II. At least five CCGG sites were detected within the transcribed region of the Vg2 gene; one or two of these sites were hypomethylated in all tissues examined in male and female quail, two sites underwent transcription-dependent demethylation in the liver of laying females and also in the liver of males following estradiol injection (64 mumol estradiol/mL of absolute ethanol at .25 mL/100 g of BW), and another site was demethylated in the liver of estradiol-injected males but not in laying females. Two further sites present within the 5' flanking sequences or 5' structural region underwent transcription-dependent demethylation in the liver of laying females and of estradiol-treated males; one or both of these sites appears to be demethylated in the oviduct. Another site, within the 3' flanking sequences or the 3' structural gene region, underwent estradiol-dependent demethylation in the liver and the oviduct. The expression-linked demethylation of the CCGG sites in the Vg2 gene of quail appears to be similar to that reported for the chicken VTGII gene. The results of this study did not explain the enhanced production of yolk protein in Japanese quail, but did suggest the presence of a fundamental, conserved mechanism that must play an important role in the expression of the avian Vg gene.

Animals↗

PubMed1994

Excalfactoria quail as a new laboratory research animal.

Chinese painted quail (Excalfactoria chinensis), which is sometimes reared as a bird for pleasure, appears to be an excellent candidate for a laboratory research animal. Handling and general care of this species are very easy because of its small body size and hardiness. The body weight (mean +/- SEM) of the newly hatched chick, adult male, and adult female is 3.93 +/- .05, 47.66 +/- .52, and 55.89 +/- .75 g, respectively; that is, approximately half the size of Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica). Furthermore, Chinese painted quail shows excellent reproductive performance. It reaches sexual maturity around 8 to 9 wk of age. Laying ability, fertility, hatchability, and viability up to maturity are 60 to 80, 91, 84, and 78%, respectively. These values are equal or superior to those of Japanese quail, which has been widely used for biological research. In the future, Chinese painted quail may be an alternative to Japanese quail or might surpass Japanese quail as a laboratory research animal because of its smaller body size and excellent reproductive performance.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

Comparative genomic analysis of two avian (quail and chicken) MHC regions.

We mapped two different quail Mhc haplotypes and sequenced one of them (haplotype A) for comparative genomic analysis with a previously sequenced haplotype of the chicken Mhc. The quail haplotype A spans 180 kb of genomic sequence, encoding a total of 41 genes compared with only 19 genes within the 92-kb chicken Mhc. Except for two gene families (B30 and tRNA), both species have the same basic set of gene family members that were previously described in the chicken "minimal essential" Mhc. The two Mhc regions have a similar overall organization but differ markedly in that the quail has an expanded number of duplicated genes with 7 class I, 10 class IIB, 4 NK, 6 lectin, and 8 B-G genes. Comparisons between the quail and chicken Mhc class I and class II gene sequences by phylogenetic analysis showed that they were more closely related within species than between species, suggesting that the quail Mhc genes were duplicated after the separation of these two species from their common ancestor. The proteins encoded by the NK and class I genes are known to interact as ligands and receptors, but unlike in the quail and the chicken, the genes encoding these proteins in mammals are found on different chromosomes. The finding of NK-like genes in the quail Mhc strongly suggests an evolutionary connection between the NK C-type lectin-like superfamily and the Mhc, providing support for future studies on the NK, lectin, class I, and class II interaction in birds.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Observations of experimentally induced quail bronchitis.

Quail bronchitis was experimentally reproduced in captive-reared bobwhite quails (Colinus virginianus). Quails were inoculated with 10(6) mean tissue culture infective doses of quail bronchitis virus at 1,3,6, or 9 weeks of age by the intratracheal, intraperitoneal, or subcutaneous route. Clinical signs were minimal, but occasionally birds were ruffled, exhibited open-mouthed breathing, and developed "snicks." Mortality rates of quails inoculated at 1 or 3 weeks ranged from 7% to 87%. Quails inoculated at 6 or 9 weeks of age had mortality rates from 0% to 20%. Mean body weights of survivors that had been inoculated at 3 or 6 weeks were significantly less than those of controls (P less than 0.05). No significant differences in body weight were detected between quails inoculated at 1 or 9 weeks and their uninoculated controls. Antibodies to group I adenovirus were detected by agar gel precipitation in 87.5% of birds that survived infection.

Adenoviridae Infections↗

PubMed1989

Contextual conditioning and the control of copulatory behavior by species-specific sign stimuli in male Japanese quail.

Three experiments were conducted to identify species-specific sign stimuli sufficient to elicit copulatory behavior in male Japanese quail and to determine how learning is involved in the control of behavior by these sign stimuli. In Experiment 1, sexually experienced subjects were tested for copulatory behavior with a live female quail and with a model consisting of a female quail's head and neck mounted in front of a foam pad. Comparable levels of copulatory behavior were observed in the two tests, indicating that static visual cues provided by a female quail's head and neck are sufficient to elicit copulatory behavior in this species. Experiment 2 showed that male birds that previously received numerous opportunities to copulate with a live female quail in the test situation were significantly more likely to copulate with the head + neck model than were sexually inexperienced subjects. Experiment 3 showed that prior sexual experience with live quail facilitated responding to the head + neck model only if the sexual experience was provided in the same place where subjects were later tested with the model. This last finding suggests that sexual experience facilitates control of copulatory behavior by species-specific sign stimuli through contextual conditioning. Contextual conditioning may lower the threshold for sexual behavior with the result that a stimulus as impoverished as an immobile model containing only the head and neck of a female quail becomes sufficient to elicit normal levels of copulatory behavior. The results are also discussed as an example of conditioned stimulus facilitation of responding to an unconditioned stimulus.

Animals↗

PubMed1988

In vitro differentiation of the Japanese quail secondary palate.

Differentiation of the Japanese quail secondary palate was studied in vitro. Results indicated that the medial edge epithelia (MEE) of quail were capable of full differentiation in vitro from a very early age. In contrast to in vitro mammalian palatal development, the quail palatal processes never fused. The cells of the MEE in the quail continued to divide, and the cyclic adenosine monophosphate (AMP) levels in the quail palatal tissues remained constant during development. In contrast to in vitro differentiation of MEE in the chick palate, the quail palatal MEE differentiated to parakeratinized epithelium. The results suggest that: (1) the programming of events of MEE differentiation in birds is different from that in mammals, (2) intraspecies differences in the MEE biology of chick and quail palate are intrinsic to the palate, not the environment, and (3) an inverse relationship between the levels of cyclic AMP and the synthesis of DNA in the MEE may exist during secondary palate development, which in turn may regulate the fate of the MEE in birds and mammals.

Animals↗

PubMed1998

Influence of dietary aflatoxin on the severity of coccidial infection in quails.

One hundred-sixty one day old Japanese quail-chicks were divided into four groups and kept for 6 weeks. The first group was kept as control. Group 2 received 1 ppm of dietary aflatoxin from day zero of chick life till the end of experiment. Group 3 was inoculated with 5 x 10(4) sporulated oocysts of Eimeria alone. Quail-chicks of group 4 were inoculated with coccidial oocysts orally and received aflatoxin in their rations. The combination of aflatoxin and coccidia produced higher mortality rate, higher faecal scores with increased oocysts output and reproductive potential than those quails received aflatoxin or coccidia alone. Body weight and efficiency of feed utilization decreased in all treated groups. The maximal losses of body gain and efficiency of feed utilization were recorded in quail-chicks infected with Eimeria and received aflatoxin in their ration. The lowest erythrocytic count, hemoglobin values, PCV and leukocytic count were recorded in quails that infected with coccidia and received aflatoxin. The levels of total serum proteins, gamma globulins, calcium and phosphorus were decreased in case of quails infected with coccidia and received dietary aflatoxin. Total bilirubin and GOT activity appeared to be higher in quails infected with Eimeria and received aflatoxin.

Aflatoxins↗

PubMed1992

Histochemical identification and behavior of quail primordial germ cells injected into chick embryos by the intravascular route.

The behavior of quail primordial germ cells (PGC) after injection into chick embryos by the intravascular route was examined. The quail (donor) PGC, taken from the bloodstream of quail embryos (recipient) at stage 13-14, were injected into the vitelline vessels of chick embryos (recipient) at stage 15. In the recipient embryos, the PGC of the quail and the chick were histochemically distinguished by a double-staining technique involving a lectin, from Wistaria floribunda (WFA) and the PAS reaction. One day after injection, quail PGC appeared in the prospective gonadal region of recipient chick embryos, being localized among the recipient chick PGC. This result indicates that a staining technique specific for WFA lectin is useful for identification of quail PGC and that quail PGC can be transferred by a vascular route for the production of germline chimeras.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

Daily organization of laying in Japanese and European quail: effect of domestication.

In the present study, we aimed to examine the possible effects of domestication on the daily organization of laying in female quail. To achieve this we compared laying patterns in a laboratory strain of Japanese quail with those in European quail originating from a wild population. Under LD 14:10, the same specific laying window was observed, with ovipositions occurring mainly between 7 h and 15 h after lights on. Thus, domestication did not modify the specific daily organization of laying in females laying in the afternoon. Research about the functional value of this temporal organization in the field thus seems justified. At an individual level, two distinct laying profiles were recorded, as in a previous experiment on an industrial Japanese quail strain selected for meat and egg production. However, different frequencies were noted. Whereas stable profile females (laying at the same time each day) were predominant (80.4%, N=102) in the industrial Japanese quail strain, delayed profile females (laying successively later each day) appeared dominant in the European quail (81%, N=22). The Japanese quail from the laboratory strain constituted an intermediate group with a slight dominance of the stable profile (58.8%, N=17). Thus, domestication has changed the frequencies of the laying profiles, favoring stable females, which are the most productive birds. A model involving interaction between one circadian rhythm and one ultradian rhythm can explain the observed laying profiles.

Analysis of Variance↗

PubMedDate not supplied

A scanning and transmission electron microscopy study of the parabronchial unit in quail (Coturnix coturnix) and town pigeons (Columba livia).

A combined scanning electron (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) investigation was undertaken to gain insight into the complex structural pattern of the atrial compartment and the gas exchange tissue of parabronchial units in quail and town pigeons. The aim was also to depict the changes taking place in the parabronchial unit in the late prehatching and early posthatching periods in quail. The standard SEM and TEM investigation was carried out in 13 mature quail and 8 town pigeons. The developmental study involved embryonic quail (Days 15, 16, 17), newly hatched quail, quail 24 h after hatching, and quail aged 2, 10, 19, and 25 days (3 individuals per group). The luminal relief of the parabronchus is formed by anastomosing interatrial septa delineating the atrial pits, which are thinner and shallower in pigeons. The atrial bottom opens in mature individuals into 3-6 infundibula. The extracellular material represented by trilaminar substance, which does not appear until hatching, veils the surface relief of the parabronchial epithelium, which is consequently hardly accessible to three-dimensional visualization. Only in town pigeons with fewer discontinuous layers of extracellular material was it possible to visualize the surface of the atrial epithelium, that is, of the granular and squamous atrial cells. The SEM analysis has convincingly shown the intricate spatial organization of atria, infundibula, and air and blood capillaries of the gas exchange tissue. The retinacula, that is, parallelly arranged processes of squamous respiratory cells bridging the air-capillary lumina, were evidenced by SEM and TEM. The complex structure of the avian parabronchus has been successfully demonstrated in the present SEM and TEM study.

Animal Structures↗

PubMed1999

Affiliative preferences are stable and predict mate choices in both sexes of Japanese quail, Coturnix japonica.

Most laboratory studies of mate choice use affiliation as a surrogate measure for actual choice of a partner for copulation. In a series of recent studies using affiliation as a dependent variable, we showed that the tendency of both male and female Japanese quail to affiliate with members of the opposite sex is profoundly affected by seeing them mate with others: female quails show an increased tendency to affiliate with males that they have seen mating; and male quails show a decreased tendency to affiliate with females that they have seen mating. In the present experiments, we examined: (1) the consistency of affiliative preferences of male and female quail for individuals of both the same and opposite sex; and (2) the validity of measures of affiliation as predictors of choice of an individual with whom to mate. We found that: (1) both male and female quail display consistency from trial to trial in their affiliative preferences for members of the opposite but not the same sex, and (2) affiliative preference is a powerful predictor of choice of a partner for copulation in both male and female quail. In Japanese quail, affiliative behaviour is consistent over time and predicts mate choice. Copyright 1999 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1994

Characterization of cDNA-encoding N-terminal region of the quail lutropin receptor.

For understanding the evolutionary relationships between gonadotropins [GTHs: lutropin (LH) and follitropin (FSH)] and their receptors, we attempted to characterize the extracellular domain of the receptors, which is thought to be a key region of hormone binding, in nonmammalian species, and to compare the information to that of the known mammalian data. For this purpose, we designed two sets of sense and antisense oligonucleotides as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers, referring to the known mammalian GTH receptors, such as LH receptors of human, pig, and rat, and FSH receptors of human and rat. All possible combinations of the primers showed the successful amplification of cDNA of LH receptor without contamination of FSH receptor cDNA from rat testicular RNA samples. With these primers, reverse transcription (RT)-PCR was applied to the gonads of nonmammalian species (quail, snake, tortoise, newt, and bullfrog). Only the quail, however, showed the specific amplification when only one set of primers was used. Thus, the PCR product of the quail was used as a probe for Northern blot and in situ hybridization. By Northern blot analysis, a single size of mRNA (3 kb) was identified from quail testicular poly A+ RNA. The distribution of mRNA visualized by in situ hybridization was limited only on Leydig cells of quail testis. These results suggest that a part of the quail LH receptor cDNA was amplified by RT-PCR. The nucleotide and predicted peptide sequences of this amplified cDNA were compared with those of mammalian receptors. The size of characterized cDNA sequence was 519 bp, which is completely identical with those of mammalian LH receptors. The homology of both cDNA and predicted peptide was about 70% of those of mammalian LH receptors (intramammalian, about 80%). In spite of the relatively low homology, the positions of cystein residues and potential N-linked glycosylation sites in the peptide were completely conserved in all species compared (human, pig, rat, and quail). The conserved portions indicate their importance for the molecular conformation and specific ligand binding activity of LH receptors.

Animals↗

PubMed1991

Temporal pattern of nerve growth factor receptor expression in developing cochlear and vestibular ganglia in quail and mouse.

We have previously demonstrated the presence of specific receptors for nerve growth factor (NGF) in cochleovestibular ganglia of 72 h (stage 19-20) quail embryos, with a greater density of NGF receptors in the cochlear portion of the ganglion. The present study was conducted to determine the temporal pattern of NGF receptor expression in cochlear and vestibular ganglia throughout development, and was conducted in two species, quail and mouse. As in the quail, specific binding of 125I-NGF was detected in cochleovestibular ganglia of mouse embryos from an embryonic age equivalent to 72 h quail embryos (embryonic day 11, E11), with a similar concentration of 125I-NGF binding in the cochlear portion. Quantitative studies revealed that 125I-NGF binding continued to increase, in both cochlear and vestibular ganglia, for several days of development, and then began to decrease to minimal levels. Maximal levels were achieved at E7 in the quail, and E14 to E16 in the mouse, while minimal levels were reached by E13 in the quail, and E18 in the mouse. The level of 125I-NGF binding in cochlear ganglia was two to three times higher than in vestibular ganglia; a finding corroborated by radioautographic studies. In both quail and mouse, NGF receptors were more heavily concentrated in the ventromedial portion of the cochlear ganglion, adjacent to the cochlear duct; an area containing both support cells and peripheral neuronal processes. In the vestibular ganglion, 125I-NGF binding was more homogeneous, although small areas containing high densities of silver grains were observed. The presence of NGF receptors in cochlear and vestibular ganglia suggests that these ganglia may be responsive to and/or dependent upon NGF during their development.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

Threonine metabolism in Japanese quail liver.

In general, threonine is metabolized by reaction catalyzed by threonine-3-dehydrogenase (TDH), threonine dehydratase (TH) or threonine aldolase (TA). The activities of these three enzymes were compared in the liver of Japanese quails and rats. The animals were fed a standard or threonine rich-diet, or fasted for 3 days. The specific activity of TDH in the liver from quail fed a standard diet was 11 times higher than that in the liver from rats fed a standard diet. The TDH activities in the livers of the fasting and 5% threonine-rich diet groups of quail were 3 and 2 times higher than those in the livers from quail fed the standard diet, respectively. The TH activity in the liver of rats fed a standard diet was 14 times higher than that in the liver of quail fed a standard diet. The TH activity in the rat liver after fasting was 2.3 times higher than that of the standard diet control. The activity of TA in the livers of rat and quail were so low that its role in threonine metabolism in both animals seemed to be negligible. These results suggest that threonine is a ketogenic amino acid in the quail liver, while it is a glucogenic in the rat liver.

Alcohol Oxidoreductases↗

PubMed1988

Prevention of hypercholesterolemia and atherosclerosis in Japanese quail by high intake of soy protein.

This study was undertaken to determine the influence of levels of soy protein on cholesterol metabolism and the development of atherosclerosis in Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica). Quail were fed purified diets containing one of four levels (10, 20, 40 or 60%) of soy protein either with (atherogenic) or without (control) 0.5% cholesterol. Results showed that higher proportions of protein (40 and 60%) in atherogenic diets had a preventive effect on the development of atherosclerosis in adult male quail. For the atherogenic diets the higher protein levels resulted in significantly lower serum and aorta cholesterol concentrations than observed with the 10 or 20% protein levels and free of aortic atherosclerosis. A dual isotope technique was used to measure the absorption rates for cholesterol in quail fed with 20 and 40% soy protein. Absorption rates were not affected by the level of dietary protein but were influenced by the presence of dietary cholesterol. Relative rates were 40% in quail fed control diets and 30% in quail fed atherogenic diets. The excretion of neutral sterols, largely cholesterol, and bile acids increased with the high intake of soy protein. These results demonstrate that in quail the presence of higher dietary levels of soy protein has both a hypocholesterolemic action and a preventive effect on cholesterol-induced atherosclerosis and one of the possible mechanisms is through increased excretion of cholesterol.

Absorption↗