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Sample records for chick embryonic hearts

  1. Mathematical Modeling of Flow Characteristics in the Embryonic Chick Heart

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Heebøll-Christensen, Jesper

    This ph.d. thesis contains the mathematical modeling of fluid dynamical phenomena in the tubular embryonic chick heart at HH-stages 10, 12, 14, and 16. The models are constructed by application of energy bond technique and involve the elasticity of heart walls with elliptic cross-section, Womersley...... modified inertia, and resistance due to friction and curvature of the multilayered tubular heart. Through the modeling, flow conditions in the embryonic heart are characterized. The models suggest that eccentric rather than concentric deformation of the beating heart is optimal for mean flows induced...... the models are not conclusive on this point. In addition the Liebau effect is investigated in a simpler system containing two elastic tubes joined to form a liquid filled ring, with a compression pump at an asymmetric location. Through comparison to other reports the system validates model construction...

  2. Rotationally acquired 4D-optical coherence tomography of embryonic chick hearts using retrospective gating on the common central A-scan

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thommes, Jan; Happel, Christoph M.; Thrane, Lars

    2010-01-01

    is used for this purpose, e.g. in MRT or CT of human hearts. For visualization of embryonic chick hearts with high-resolution optical coherence tomography (OCT), a gating trigger generated by laser Doppler velocimetry has been successfully demonstrated (1). But this takes time and adds to system...

  3. How the embryonic chick brain twists.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Zi; Guo, Qiaohang; Dai, Eric; Forsch, Nickolas; Taber, Larry A

    2016-11-01

    During early development, the tubular embryonic chick brain undergoes a combination of progressive ventral bending and rightward torsion, one of the earliest organ-level left-right asymmetry events in development. Existing evidence suggests that bending is caused by differential growth, but the mechanism for the predominantly rightward torsion of the embryonic brain tube remains poorly understood. Here, we show through a combination of in vitro experiments, a physical model of the embryonic morphology and mechanics analysis that the vitelline membrane (VM) exerts an external load on the brain that drives torsion. Our theoretical analysis showed that the force is of the order of 10 micronewtons. We also designed an experiment to use fluid surface tension to replace the mechanical role of the VM, and the estimated magnitude of the force owing to surface tension was shown to be consistent with the above theoretical analysis. We further discovered that the asymmetry of the looping heart determines the chirality of the twisted brain via physical mechanisms, demonstrating the mechanical transfer of left-right asymmetry between organs. Our experiments also implied that brain flexure is a necessary condition for torsion. Our work clarifies the mechanical origin of torsion and the development of left-right asymmetry in the early embryonic brain. © 2016 The Author(s).

  4. How the embryonic chick brain twists

    OpenAIRE

    Chen, Zi; Guo, Qiaohang; Dai, Eric; Forsch, Nickolas; Taber, Larry A.

    2016-01-01

    During early development, the tubular embryonic chick brain undergoes a combination of progressive ventral bending and rightward torsion, one of the earliest organ-level left–right asymmetry events in development. Existing evidence suggests that bending is caused by differential growth, but the mechanism for the predominantly rightward torsion of the embryonic brain tube remains poorly understood. Here, we show through a combination of in vitro experiments, a physical model of the embryonic m...

  5. Acute temperature effects on function of the chick embryonic heart

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Vostárek, František; Svatůňková, Jarmila; Sedmera, David

    2016-01-01

    Roč. 217, č. 4 (2016), s. 276-286 ISSN 1748-1708 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GAP302/11/1308; GA ČR(CZ) GA13-12412S; GA ČR(CZ) GA16-02972S Institutional support: RVO:67985823 Keywords : arrhythmias * calcium imaging * chick embryo * conduction block * heart development * optical mapping Subject RIV: EA - Cell Biology Impact factor: 4.867, year: 2016

  6. 4D display of the outflow track of embryonic-chick hearts (HH 14-19) using a high speed streak mode OCT

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Siyu; Wang, Rui; Goodwin, Richard L.; Markwald, Roger R.; Borg, Thomas K.; Runyan, Raymond B.; Gao, Zhi

    2013-02-01

    Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) is the most common congenital malformation in newborns in the US. Although knowledge of CHD is limited, altered hemodynamic conditions are suspected as the factor that stimulates cardiovascular cell response, resulting in the heart morphology remodeling that ultimately causes CHDs. Therefore, one of recent efforts in CHD study is to develop high-speed imaging tools to correlate the rapidly changing hemodynamic condition and the morphological adaptations of an embryonic heart in vivo. We have developed a high-speed streak mode OCT that works at the center wavelength of 830 nm and is capable of providing images (292x220 μm2) of the outflow tract of an embryonic chick heart at the rate of 1000 Hz. The modality can provide a voxel resolution in the range of 10 μm3, and the spectral resolution allows a depth range of 1.63 mm. In the study reported here, each of the 4D images of an outflow tract was recorded for 2 seconds. The recording was conducted every 2 hours (HH17 to HH18), 3 hours (HH14 to HH17), and 4 hours (HH18 to HH19). Because of the fast scan speed, there is no need for postacquisition processing such as use of gating techniques to provide a fine 3D structure. In addition, more details of the outflow tract are preserved in the recorded images. The 4D images can be used in the future to determine the role of blood flow in CHD development.

  7. Eye and heart morphogenesis are dependent on melatonin signaling in chick embryos.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nogueira, Renato C; Sampaio, Lucia de Fatima S

    2017-10-15

    Calmodulin is vital for chick embryos morphogenesis in the incubation time 48-66 h when the rudimentary C-shaped heart attains an S-shaped pattern and the optic vesicles develop into optic cups. Melatonin is in the extraembryonic yolk sac of the avian egg; melatonin binds calmodulin. The aim of this study was to investigate the function of melatonin in the formation of the chick embryo optic cups and S-shaped heart, by pharmacological methods and immunoassays. Mel1a melatonin receptor immunofluorescence was distributed in the optic cups and rudimentary hearts. We separated embryonated chicken eggs at 48 h of incubation into basal, control and drug-treated groups, with treatment applied in the egg air sac. At 66 h of incubation, embryos were excised from the eggs and analyzed. Embryos from the basal, control (distilled water), melatonin and 6-chloromelatonin (melatonin receptor agonist) groups had regular optic cups and an S-shaped heart, while those from the calmidazolium (calmodulin inhibitor) group did not. Embryos from the luzindole (melatonin receptor antagonist) and prazosin (Mel1c melatonin receptor antagonist) groups did not have regular optic cups. Embryos from the 4-P-PDOT (Mel1b melatonin receptor antagonist) group did not have an S-shaped heart. Previous application of the melatonin, 6-chloromelatonin or forskolin (adenylate cyclase enhancer) prevented the abnormal appearance of chick embryos from the calmidazolium, luzindole, prazosin and 4-P-PDOT groups. However, 6-chloromelatonin and forskolin only partially prevented the development of defective eye cups in embryos from the calmidazolium group. The results suggested that melatonin modulates chick embryo morphogenesis via calmodulin and membrane receptors. © 2017. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

  8. High-resolution in vivo imaging of the cross-sectional deformations of contracting embryonic heart loops using optical coherence tomography

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Männer, J.; Thrane, Lars; Norozi, K.

    2008-01-01

    The embryonic heart tube consists of an outer myocardial tube, a middle layer of cardiac jelly, and an inner endocardial tube. It is said that tubular hearts pump the blood by peristaltoid contractions. The traditional concept of cardiac peristalsis sees the cyclic deformations of pulsating heart...... tubes as concentric narrowing and widening of tubes of circular cross-section. We have visualized the cross-sectional deformations of contracting embryonic hearts in chick embryos (HH-stages 9-17) using real-time high-resolution optical coherence tomography. Cardiac contractions are detected from HH...... of the endocardial tube is the consequence of an uneven distribution of the cardiac jelly. Our data show that the cyclic deformations of pulsating embryonic heart tubes run other than originally thought. There is evidence that heart tubes of elliptic cross-section might pump blood with a higher mechanical efficiency...

  9. Extracting cardiac shapes and motion of the chick embryo heart outflow tract from four-dimensional optical coherence tomography images

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yin, Xin; Liu, Aiping; Thornburg, Kent L.; Wang, Ruikang K.; Rugonyi, Sandra

    2012-09-01

    Recent advances in optical coherence tomography (OCT), and the development of image reconstruction algorithms, enabled four-dimensional (4-D) (three-dimensional imaging over time) imaging of the embryonic heart. To further analyze and quantify the dynamics of cardiac beating, segmentation procedures that can extract the shape of the heart and its motion are needed. Most previous studies analyzed cardiac image sequences using manually extracted shapes and measurements. However, this is time consuming and subject to inter-operator variability. Automated or semi-automated analyses of 4-D cardiac OCT images, although very desirable, are also extremely challenging. This work proposes a robust algorithm to semi automatically detect and track cardiac tissue layers from 4-D OCT images of early (tubular) embryonic hearts. Our algorithm uses a two-dimensional (2-D) deformable double-line model (DLM) to detect target cardiac tissues. The detection algorithm uses a maximum-likelihood estimator and was successfully applied to 4-D in vivo OCT images of the heart outflow tract of day three chicken embryos. The extracted shapes captured the dynamics of the chick embryonic heart outflow tract wall, enabling further analysis of cardiac motion.

  10. Cell Cycle Regulation and Apoptotic Responses of the Embryonic Chick Retina by Ionizing Radiation.

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    Margot Mayer

    Full Text Available Ionizing radiation (IR exerts deleterious effects on the developing brain, since proliferative neuronal progenitor cells are highly sensitive to IR-induced DNA damage. Assuming a radiation response that is comparable to mammals, the chick embryo would represent a lower vertebrate model system that allows analysis of the mechanisms underlying this sensitivity, thereby contributing to the reduction, refinement and replacement of animal experiments. Thus, this study aimed to elucidate the radiation response of the embryonic chick retina in three selected embryonic stages. Our studies reveal a lack in the radiation-induced activation of a G1/S checkpoint, but rapid abrogation of G2/M progression after IR in retinal progenitors throughout development. Unlike cell cycle control, radiation-induced apoptosis (RIA showed strong variations between its extent, dose dependency and temporal occurrence. Whereas the general sensitivity towards RIA declined with ongoing differentiation, its dose dependency constantly increased with age. For all embryonic stages RIA occurred during comparable periods after irradiation, but in older animals its maximum shifted towards earlier post-irradiation time points. In summary, our results are in good agreement with data from the developing rodent retina, strengthening the suitability of the chick embryo for the analysis of the radiation response in the developing central nervous system.

  11. Hypoxia induces dilated cardiomyopathy in the chick embryo: mechanism, intervention, and long-term consequences.

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    Andrei Tintu

    Full Text Available Intrauterine growth restriction is associated with an increased future risk for developing cardiovascular diseases. Hypoxia in utero is a common clinical cause of fetal growth restriction. We have previously shown that chronic hypoxia alters cardiovascular development in chick embryos. The aim of this study was to further characterize cardiac disease in hypoxic chick embryos.Chick embryos were exposed to hypoxia and cardiac structure was examined by histological methods one day prior to hatching (E20 and at adulthood. Cardiac function was assessed in vivo by echocardiography and ex vivo by contractility measurements in isolated heart muscle bundles and isolated cardiomyocytes. Chick embryos were exposed to vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF and its scavenger soluble VEGF receptor-1 (sFlt-1 to investigate the potential role of this hypoxia-regulated cytokine.Growth restricted hypoxic chick embryos showed cardiomyopathy as evidenced by left ventricular (LV dilatation, reduced ventricular wall mass and increased apoptosis. Hypoxic hearts displayed pump dysfunction with decreased LV ejection fractions, accompanied by signs of diastolic dysfunction. Cardiomyopathy caused by hypoxia persisted into adulthood. Hypoxic embryonic hearts showed increases in VEGF expression. Systemic administration of rhVEGF(165 to normoxic chick embryos resulted in LV dilatation and a dose-dependent loss of LV wall mass. Lowering VEGF levels in hypoxic embryonic chick hearts by systemic administration of sFlt-1 yielded an almost complete normalization of the phenotype.Our data show that hypoxia causes a decreased cardiac performance and cardiomyopathy in chick embryos, involving a significant VEGF-mediated component. This cardiomyopathy persists into adulthood.

  12. Gene transfer to chicks using lentiviral vectors administered via the embryonic chorioallantoic membrane.

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    Gideon Hen

    Full Text Available The lack of affordable techniques for gene transfer in birds has inhibited the advancement of molecular studies in avian species. Here we demonstrate a new approach for introducing genes into chicken somatic tissues by administration of a lentiviral vector, derived from the feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV, into the chorioallantoic membrane (CAM of chick embryos on embryonic day 11. The FIV-derived vectors carried yellow fluorescent protein (YFP or recombinant alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH genes, driven by the cytomegalovirus (CMV promoter. Transgene expression, detected in chicks 2 days after hatch by quantitative real-time PCR, was mostly observed in the liver and spleen. Lower expression levels were also detected in the brain, kidney, heart and breast muscle. Immunofluorescence and flow cytometry analyses confirmed transgene expression in chick tissues at the protein level, demonstrating a transduction efficiency of ∼0.46% of liver cells. Integration of the viral vector into the chicken genome was demonstrated using genomic repetitive (CR1-PCR amplification. Viability and stability of the transduced cells was confirmed using terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL assay, immunostaining with anti-proliferating cell nuclear antigen (anti-PCNA, and detection of transgene expression 51 days post transduction. Our approach led to only 9% drop in hatching efficiency compared to non-injected embryos, and all of the hatched chicks expressed the transgenes. We suggest that the transduction efficiency of FIV vectors combined with the accessibility of the CAM vasculature as a delivery route comprise a new powerful and practical approach for gene delivery into somatic tissues of chickens. Most relevant is the efficient transduction of the liver, which specializes in the production and secretion of proteins, thereby providing an optimal target for prolonged study of secreted hormones and peptides.

  13. Transplantation of human neonatal foreskin stromal cells in ex vivo organotypic cultures of embryonic chick femurs

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Aldahmash, Abdullah; Vishnubalaji, Radhakrishnan

    2017-01-01

    NSSCs in ex vivo organotypic cultures of embryonic chick femurs. Isolated embryonic chick femurs (E10 and E11) were cultured for 10 days together with micro-mass cell pellets of hNSSCs, human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) or a combination of the two cell types. Changes in femurs gross morphology......We have previously reported that human neonatal foreskin stromal cells (hNSSCs) promote angiogenesis in vitro and in chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay in vivo. To examine the in vivo relevance of this observation, we examined in the present study the differentiation potential of h......NSSC + HUVEC cultures. Our data suggest that organotypic cultures can be employed to test the differentiation potential of stem cells and demonstrate the importance of stem cell interaction with 3D-intact tissue microenvironment for their differentiation....

  14. Adenylyl Cyclase Signaling in the Developing Chick Heart: The Deranging Effect of Antiarrhythmic Drugs

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    Lucie Hejnova

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The adenylyl cyclase (AC signaling system plays a crucial role in the regulation of cardiac contractility. Here we analyzed the key components of myocardial AC signaling in the developing chick embryo and assessed the impact of selected β-blocking agents on this system. Application of metoprolol and carvedilol, two commonly used β-blockers, at embryonic day (ED 8 significantly downregulated (by about 40% expression levels of AC5, the dominant cardiac AC isoform, and the amount of Gsα protein at ED9. Activity of AC stimulated by forskolin was also significantly reduced under these conditions. Interestingly, when administered at ED4, these drugs did not produce such profound changes in the myocardial AC signaling system, except for markedly increased expression of Giα protein. These data indicate that β-blocking agents can strongly derange AC signaling during the first half of embryonic heart development.

  15. Excess Imidacloprid Exposure Causes the Heart Tube Malformation of Chick Embryos.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gao, Lin-Rui; Li, Shuai; Zhang, Jing; Liang, Chang; Chen, En-Ni; Zhang, Shi-Yao; Chuai, Manli; Bao, Yong-Ping; Wang, Guang; Yang, Xuesong

    2016-11-30

    As a neonicotinoid pesticide, imidacloprid is widely used to control sucking insects on agricultural planting and fleas on domestic animals. However, the extent to which imidacloprid exposure has an influence on cardiogensis in early embryogenesis is still poorly understood. In vertebrates, the heart is the first organ to be formed. In this study, to address whether imidacloprid exposure affects early heart development, the early chick embryo has been used as an experimental model because of its accessibility at its early developmental stage. The results demonstrate that exposure of the early chick embryo to imidacloprid caused malformation of heart tube. Furthermore, the data reveal that down-regulation of GATA4, NKX2.5, and BMP4 and up-regulation of Wnt3a led to aberrant cardiomyocyte differentiation. In addition, imidacloprid exposure interfered with basement membrane breakdown, E-cadherin/laminin expression, and mesoderm formation during the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in gastrula chick embryos. Finally, the DiI-labeled cell migration trajectory indicated that imidacloprid restricted the cell migration of cardiac progenitors to primary heart field in gastrula chick embryos. A similar observation was also obtained from the cell migration assay of scratch wounds in vitro. Additionally, imidacloprid exposure negatively affected the cytoskeleton structure and expression of corresponding adhesion molecules. Taken together, these results reveal that the improper EMT, cardiac progenitor migration, and differentiation are responsible for imidacloprid exposure-induced malformation of heart tube during chick embryo development.

  16. AN EMBRYONIC CHICK PANCREAS ORGAN CULTURE MODEL: CHARACTERIZATION AND NEURAL CONTROL OF EXOCRINE RELEASE

    Science.gov (United States)

    An embryonic chick (Gallus domesticus) whole-organ pancreas culture system was developed for use as an in vitro model to study cholinergic regulation of exocrine pancreatic function. The culture system was examined for characteristic exocrine function and viability by measuring e...

  17. Dynamic expression of a native chondroitin sulfate epitope reveals microheterogeneity of extracellular matrix organization in the embryonic chick heart.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Capehart, A A; Mjaatvedt, C H; Hoffman, S; Krug, E L

    1999-02-01

    TC2 is a novel monoclonal antibody produced by in vitro immunization of splenocytes with a peanut agglutinin-positive fraction from extracts of prechondrogenic micromass cultures of chick limb mesenchyme. ELISA results demonstrated TC2 reactivity with a native epitope on a glycosaminoglycan (GAG) enriched in chondroitin-4-sulfate and with multiple intact proteoglycans, but not with other GAGs tested. TC2 immunohistochemical reactivity was abolished by pretreatment of sections with chondroitinase AC or preadsorption with chondroitin-4-sulfate GAG. Strong TC2 localization occurred throughout the developing heart at stage 9. As looping ensued, a graded reactivity was observed from lowest in the atrium to highest in the conotruncus that correlated well with versican localization. The superior atrioventricular cushion stained preferentially with TC2 as compared to the inferior cushion at stages 16-18. At these later stages TC2 patterns did not agree completely with anti-versican reactivity. By stage 23 there was a marked reduction in TC2 localization in the heart, however, strong reactivity remained at certain sites, including the conotruncus and in subcompartments of both atrioventricular cushions. A heterogeneous distribution of other native chondroitin sulfate glycosaminoglycan epitopes recognized by monoclonal antibodies d1C4 and CS-56 was observed as well. The distribution of the TC2 epitope usually did not overlap with d1C4 or CS-56 localization at the stages examined. Overall, the spatiotemporal characteristics of TC2 reactivity in the developing chick heart appear to correlate with subdomains of the endocardial cushions as well as with trabecular and atrial septal formation.

  18. Spatial distribution of "tissue-specific" antigens in the developing human heart and skeletal muscle. III. An immunohistochemical analysis of the distribution of the neural tissue antigen G1N2 in the embryonic heart; implications for the development of the atrioventricular conduction system

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wessels, A.; Vermeulen, J. L.; Verbeek, F. J.; Virágh, S.; Kálmán, F.; Lamers, W. H.; Moorman, A. F.

    1992-01-01

    A monoclonal antibody raised against an extract from the Ganglion Nodosum of the chick and designated G1N2 proves to bind specifically to a subpopulation of cardiomyocytes in the embryonic human heart. In the youngest stage examined (Carnegie stage 14, i.e., 4 1/2 weeks of development) these

  19. Low dose trichloroethylene alters cytochrome P450 - 2C subfamily expression in the developing chick heart

    Science.gov (United States)

    Makwana, Om; Ahles, Lauren; Lencinas, Alejandro; Selmin, Ornella I.; Runyan, Raymond B.

    2013-01-01

    Trichloroethylene (TCE) is an organic solvent and common environmental contaminant. TCE exposure is associated with heart defects in humans and animal models. Primary metabolism of TCE in adult rodent models is by specific hepatic cytochrome P450 enzymes (Lash et al., 2000). As association of TCE exposure with cardiac defects is in exposed embryos prior to normal liver development, we investigated metabolism of TCE in the early embryo. Developing chick embryos were dosed in ovo with environmentally relevant doses of TCE (8 ppb and 800 ppb) and RNA was extracted from cardiac and extra-cardiac tissue (whole embryo without heart). Real time PCR showed upregulation of CYP2H1 transcripts in response to TCE exposure in the heart. No detectable cytochrome expression was found in extra-cardiac tissue. As seen previously, the dose response was non-monotonic and 8ppb elicited stronger upregulation than 800 ppb. Immunostaining for CYP2C subfamily expression confirmed protein expression and showed localization in both myocardium and endothelium. TCE exposure increased protein expression in both tissues. These data demonstrate that the earliest embryonic expression of phase I detoxification enzymes is in the developing heart. Expression of these CYPs is likely to be relevant to the susceptibility of the developing heart to environmental teratogens. PMID:22855351

  20. The Teratogenic Effects of Antiepileptic Drug, Topiramate, on the Development of Chick Embryos

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    Jantima Roongruangchai

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Background: Anti-epileptic drugs are known to be the risk of teratogenicity. Topiramate (TPM is a new kind of such drug, for which no research has confirmed the incidence of producing congenital abnormalities. Objective: This study was conducted to study the teratogenic effects of TPM by using chick embryos as an animal model and the results can be compared to the human embryo of the same stage. Methods: Fertilized Leghorn hen eggs were injected in ovo with two concentrations of TPM, which were 10mg, and 20mg, in NSS at a volume of 0.1 ml into the yolk sac at 21 hrs of incubation and repeated injections at 72 hrs at a volume of 0.05 ml. The chick embryos on day 3, 6 and 11 of incubation were sacrificed and all living embryos were processed for total mount and serial section. Results: The mortality rate increased corresponding to the concentrations of TPM, and the embryonic stage. The total mount of day 3 showed major abnormalities of the eye and heart, such as microphthalmia and looser of heart looping. The serial section of day 3 showed opening of the anterior neuropore, ectopia viscerae and multiple malformations of the eye and heart. Day 6 chick embryos showed ectopia cordis and ectopia viscerae. Moreover, there were retardation and abnormalities of several organs such as eye, heart, liver, mesonephros and gonads. Day 11 chick embryos showed ectopia viscerae and several growth retardations, retardation of ossification of both limb bones and skull bones. Conclusion: This study showed that TPM might cause embryonic death, growth retardation and abnormalities of the eye, heart, an opening of the anterior neuropore and ectopia viscerae. This might indicate abnormalities to the baby born from mother with gestational epilepsy who was taking this drug continuously, and it might lead to spontaneous abortion or congenital anomalies of the fetus.

  1. File list: Pol.Emb.20.AllAg.Embryonic_heart [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available Pol.Emb.20.AllAg.Embryonic_heart mm9 RNA polymerase Embryo Embryonic heart SRX11293...9 http://dbarchive.biosciencedbc.jp/kyushu-u/mm9/assembled/Pol.Emb.20.AllAg.Embryonic_heart.bed ...

  2. File list: Pol.Emb.10.AllAg.Embryonic_heart [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

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  3. File list: Pol.Emb.05.AllAg.Embryonic_heart [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

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  4. File list: Pol.Emb.50.AllAg.Embryonic_heart [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

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  5. File list: Unc.Emb.20.AllAg.Embryonic_heart [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available Unc.Emb.20.AllAg.Embryonic_heart mm9 Unclassified Embryo Embryonic heart SRX248279,...SRX190172,SRX112936,SRX022494 http://dbarchive.biosciencedbc.jp/kyushu-u/mm9/assembled/Unc.Emb.20.AllAg.Embryonic_heart.bed ...

  6. File list: Unc.Emb.50.AllAg.Embryonic_heart [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available Unc.Emb.50.AllAg.Embryonic_heart mm9 Unclassified Embryo Embryonic heart SRX248279,...SRX190172,SRX112936,SRX022494 http://dbarchive.biosciencedbc.jp/kyushu-u/mm9/assembled/Unc.Emb.50.AllAg.Embryonic_heart.bed ...

  7. In vivo imaging of the cyclic changes in cross-sectional shape of the ventricular segment of pulsating embryonic chick hearts at stages 14 to 17: a contribution to the understanding of the ontogenesis of cardiac pumping function.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Männer, Jörg; Thrane, Lars; Norozi, Kambiz; Yelbuz, T Mesud

    2009-12-01

    The cardiac cycle-related deformations of tubular embryonic hearts were traditionally described as concentric narrowing and widening of a tube of circular cross-section. Using optical coherence tomography (OCT), we have recently shown that, during the cardiac cycle, only the myocardial tube undergoes concentric narrowing and widening while the endocardial tube undergoes eccentric narrowing and widening, having an elliptic cross-section at end-diastole and a slit-shaped cross-section at end-systole. Due to technical limitations, these analyses were confined to early stages of ventricular development (chick embryos, stages 10-13). Using a modified OCT-system, we now document, for the first time, the cyclic changes in cross-sectional shape of beating embryonic ventricles at stages 14 to 17. We show that during these stages (1) a large area of diminished cardiac jelly appears at the outer curvature of the ventricular region associated with formation of endocardial pouches; (2) the ventricular endocardial lumen acquires a bell-shaped cross-section at end-diastole and becomes compressed like a fireplace bellows during systole; (3) the contracting portions of the embryonic ventricles display stretching along its baso-apical axis at end-systole. The functional significance of our data is discussed with respect to early cardiac pumping function. (c) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  8. File list: ALL.Emb.20.AllAg.Embryonic_heart [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

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  9. File list: ALL.Emb.05.AllAg.Embryonic_heart [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available ALL.Emb.05.AllAg.Embryonic_heart mm9 All antigens Embryo Embryonic heart SRX967652,...4,SRX1437348,SRX377683,SRX377685,SRX377687,SRX190172,SRX244285,SRX1100405,SRX337963 http://dbarchive.biosciencedbc.jp/kyushu-u/mm9/assembled/ALL.Emb.05.AllAg.Embryonic_heart.bed ...

  10. File list: ALL.Emb.50.AllAg.Embryonic_heart [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

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  11. File list: ALL.Emb.10.AllAg.Embryonic_heart [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

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  12. Effect of temperature on incubation period, embryonic mortality, hatch rate, egg water loss and partridge chick weight (Rhynchotus rufescens

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    Nakage ES

    2003-01-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study was to determine the effects of incubation temperature (34.5; 35.5; 36.5; 37.5 and 38.5ºC, on incubation period, embryonic mortality, hatching rate, water loss and chick weight at hatch, using daily incubation of partridge (Rhynchotus rufescens eggs. The highest hatching percentage was obtained between 35.5 and 36.5ºC. Incubation length and temperature were inversely proportional. Water loss was lower in eggs incubated at low temperatures as compared to high temperatures. There was no difference among incubation temperatures in absolute and relative hatchling weights. Early embryonic mortality increased at low temperatures (36.5ºC. Our results show that, under conditions of daily incubation of eggs in the same incubator, higher hatching rate can be obtained using temperatures between 35.5ºC and 36.5ºC; incubation temperature is inversely proportional to incubation length, and absolute and relative weights of partridge chicks are not affected by incubation temperature.

  13. The Teratogenic Effects of Dichlorvos on the Development of Chick Embryos

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    Jantima Roongruangchai, D.D.S., Ph.D.

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Objective: The purpose of this study was to elucidate the teratogenic effects of dichlorvos on developing chick embryos. Methods: The fertilized Leghorn hen eggs were divided into two groups: the experimental group which was injected with 0.1 ml of 0.5% and 1% dichlorvos in normal saline and the control group which was injected with 0.1 ml of normal saline after 21 h of incubation. On day 3, 6, and 11, the embryos were collected for studying embryonic dead and abnormalities. Results: The results showed that the mortality rate increased with the increasing concentration of dichlorvos and time of incubation. The total mount of day 3 had only three primary brain vesicles, small and retarded primordial eye, dilated U-shaped heart looping, bifurcation of spinal cord and trunk when compared with the control. The results in the serial section of day 3 and 6 showed several abnormalities especially the retardation of eye and heart. Day 11 embryo revealed morphological anomalies including hematoma and bone deformation. Conclusion: Dichlorvos caused congenital abnormalities in chick embryos in 3 categories, the growth retardation, the malformations and the embryonic death which were predicted to cause the same results in contaminated humans. Dichlorvos exposure increases the risk of malformations and embryonic death. The present study revealed that dichlorvos was a powerful teratogenic compound and therefore its use should be limited and pregnant women should avoid contamination with dichlorvos especially in the first trimester.

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    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

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  15. File list: NoD.Emb.20.AllAg.Embryonic_heart [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

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  16. File list: NoD.Emb.05.AllAg.Embryonic_heart [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

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  17. File list: NoD.Emb.50.AllAg.Embryonic_heart [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

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  18. Intact calcium signaling in adrenergic-deficient embryonic mouse hearts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peoples, Jessica N; Taylor, David G; Katchman, Alexander N; Ebert, Steven N

    2018-01-22

    Mouse embryos that lack the ability to produce the adrenergic hormones, norepinephrine (NE) and epinephrine (EPI), due to disruption of the dopamine beta-hydroxylase (Dbh -/- ) gene inevitably perish from heart failure during mid-gestation. Since adrenergic stimulation is well-known to enhance calcium signaling in developing as well as adult myocardium, and impairments in calcium signaling are typically associated with heart failure, we hypothesized that adrenergic-deficient embryonic hearts would display deficiencies in cardiac calcium signaling relative to adrenergic-competent controls at a developmental stage immediately preceding the onset of heart failure, which first appears beginning or shortly after mouse embryonic day 10.5 (E10.5). To test this hypothesis, we used ratiometric fluorescent calcium imaging techniques to measure cytosolic calcium transients, [Ca 2+ ] i in isolated E10.5 mouse hearts. Our results show that spontaneous [Ca 2+ ] i oscillations were intact and robustly responded to a variety of stimuli including extracellular calcium (5 mM), caffeine (5 mM), and NE (100 nM) in a manner that was indistinguishable from controls. Further, we show similar patterns of distribution (via immunofluorescent histochemical staining) and activity (via patch-clamp recording techniques) for the major voltage-gated plasma membrane calcium channel responsible for the L-type calcium current, I Ca,L , in adrenergic-deficient and control embryonic cardiac cells. These results demonstrate that despite the absence of vital adrenergic hormones that consistently leads to embryonic lethality in vivo, intracellular and extracellular calcium signaling remain essentially intact and functional in embryonic mouse hearts through E10.5. These findings suggest that adrenergic stimulation is not required for the development of intracellular calcium oscillations or extracellular calcium signaling through I Ca,L and that aberrant calcium signaling does not likely contribute

  19. Forkhead box transcription factors in embryonic heart development and congenital heart disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Hong

    2016-01-01

    Embryonic heart development is a very complicated process regulated precisely by a network composed of many genes and signaling pathways in time and space. Forkhead box (Fox, FOX) proteins are a family of transcription factors characterized by the presence of an evolutionary conserved "forkhead"or "winged-helix" DNA-binding domain and able to organize temporal and spatial gene expression during development. They are involved in a wide variety of cellular processes, such as cell cycle progression, proliferation, differentiation, migration, metabolism and DNA damage response. An abundance of studies in model organisms and systems has established that Foxa2, Foxc1/c2, Foxh1 and Foxm1, Foxos and Foxps are important components of the signaling pathways that instruct cardiogenesis and embryonic heart development, playing paramount roles in heart development. The previous studies also have demonstrated that mutations in some of the forkhead box genes and the aberrant expression of forkhead box gene are heavily implicated in the congenital heart disease (CHD) of humans. This review primarily focuses on the current understanding of heart development regulated by forkhead box transcription factors and molecular genetic mechanisms by which forkhead box factors modulate heart development during embryogenesis and organogenesis. This review also summarizes human CHD related mutations in forkhead box genes as well as the abnormal expression of forkhead box gene, and discusses additional possible regulatory mechanisms of the forkhead box genes during embryonic heart development that warrant further investigation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. File list: InP.Emb.50.AllAg.Embryonic_heart [Chip-atlas[Archive

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  1. File list: InP.Emb.20.AllAg.Embryonic_heart [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

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  2. File list: InP.Emb.05.AllAg.Embryonic_heart [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

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  3. File list: InP.Emb.10.AllAg.Embryonic_heart [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

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  4. Immunofluorescent histological studies of the role of fibronectin in the expression of the associative preferences of embryonic tissues.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Armstrong, P B; Armstrong, M T

    1981-08-01

    The identity of the chemical factors controlling the spreading behaviour of sheets of cells was examined in organ culture. When aggregates of two dissimilar tissues are apposed in organ culture, one tissue spreads reproducibly over the surface of the second. The present study employed indirect immunofluorescent localization techniques to evaluate the hypothesis that the spreading behaviour of chick embryonic heart tissue in culture is dominated by the presence or absence of the cell-surface and extracellular matrix protein fibronectin in the surface layers of the aggregates. Specifically, the hypothesis proposes that aggregates that display surface fibronectin earlier after culturing and/or in higher quantities segregate internally to aggregates that are slower to develop a surface layer of fibronectin or in which this layer contains reduced amounts of fibronectin. The hypothesis has been supported for 3 categories of behaviour of chick embryo heart tissue: (1) myocyte aggregates spread over myocyte aggregates containing a 20% admixture of heart fibroblasts, which in turn spread over heart fibroblast aggregates; (2) 5-day embryonic ventricle-tissue fragments maintained in culture for 0.5 days spread over ventricle fragments cultured for 2.5 days; and (3) 2-day embryonic ventricle spreads over 5-day ventricle. In all these situations, the aggregate type that segregates to an internal position displays more fibronectin at its surface than aggregate types that spread to occupy an external position. Evidence is presented that the fibronectin in heart tissue aggregates is elaborated by heart fibroblasts.

  5. Broiler incubation. 1. Effect of elevated temperature during late incubation on body weight and organs of chicks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leksrisompong, N; Romero-Sanchez, H; Plumstead, P W; Brannan, K E; Brake, J

    2007-12-01

    Three experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of increased egg temperature during the final third of incubation on BW, yolk sac, heart, and digestive organs of broiler chicks at hatching. Egg temperatures were found to be approximately 1.0 to 1.5 degrees C higher than incubator air temperature. Elevated egg temperature (39.5 degrees C) after embryonic day 14 generally accelerated hatching time but decreased the relative weight of the heart in all 3 experiments, whereas BW and relative weights of the gizzard, proventriculus, and small intestines were significantly smaller in 2 of 3 experiments as compared with the control (approximately 38.2 degrees C). Relative weights of the yolk sac or liver were significantly larger due to elevated egg temperature in single experiments only. A striking feature of the chicks that developed at an elevated egg temperature was their white color as compared with the yellow color of chicks from eggs incubated at more normal temperatures.

  6. Chick stem cells: Current progress and future prospects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Intarapat, Sittipon; Stern, Claudio D.

    2013-01-01

    Chick embryonic stem cells (cESCs) can be derived from cells obtained from stage X embryos (blastoderm stage); these have the ability to contribute to all somatic lineages in chimaeras, but not to the germ line. However, lines of stem cells that are able to contribute to the germ line can be established from chick primordial germ cells (cPGCs) and embryonic germ cells (cEGCs). This review provides information on avian stem cells, emphasizing different sources of cells and current methods for derivation and culture of pluripotent cells from chick embryos. We also review technologies for isolation and derivation of chicken germ cells and the production of transgenic birds. PMID:24103496

  7. Persistent expression of BMP-4 in embryonic chick adrenal cortical cells and its role in chromaffin cell development

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Halbach Oliver

    2008-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Adrenal chromaffin cells and sympathetic neurons both originate from the neural crest, yet signals that trigger chromaffin development remain elusive. Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs emanating from the dorsal aorta are important signals for the induction of a sympathoadrenal catecholaminergic cell fate. Results We report here that BMP-4 is also expressed by adrenal cortical cells throughout chick embryonic development, suggesting a putative role in chromaffin cell development. Moreover, bone morphogenetic protein receptor IA is expressed by both cortical and chromaffin cells. Inhibiting BMP-4 with noggin prevents the increase in the number of tyrosine hydroxylase positive cells in adrenal explants without affecting cell proliferation. Hence, adrenal BMP-4 is likely to induce tyrosine hydroxylase in sympathoadrenal progenitors. To investigate whether persistent BMP-4 exposure is able to induce chromaffin traits in sympathetic ganglia, we locally grafted BMP-4 overexpressing cells next to sympathetic ganglia. Embryonic day 8 chick sympathetic ganglia, in addition to principal neurons, contain about 25% chromaffin-like cells. Ectopic BMP-4 did not increase this proportion, yet numbers and sizes of 'chromaffin' granules were significantly increased. Conclusion BMP-4 may serve to promote specific chromaffin traits, but is not sufficient to convert sympathetic neurons into a chromaffin phenotype.

  8. In vivo imaging of the cyclic changes in cross-sectional shape of the ventricular segment of pulsating embryonic chick hearts at stages 14 to 17

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Männer, Jörg; Thrane, Lars; Norozi, Kambiz

    2009-01-01

    undergoes concentric narrowing and widening while the endocardial tube undergoes eccentric narrowing and widening, having an elliptic cross-section at end-diastole and a slit-shaped cross-section at end-systole. Due to technical limitations, these analyses were confined to early stages of ventricular...... stretching along its baso-apical axis at end-systole. The functional significance of our data is discussed with respect to early cardiac pumping function....... development (chick embryos, stages 10–13). Using a modified OCT-system, we now document, for the first time, the cyclic changes in cross-sectional shape of beating embryonic ventricles at stages 14 to 17. We show that during these stages (1) a large area of diminished cardiac jelly appears at the outer...

  9. Expression of cardiac neural crest and heart genes isolated by modified differential display.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martinsen, Brad J; Groebner, Nathan J; Frasier, Allison J; Lohr, Jamie L

    2003-08-01

    The invasion of the cardiac neural crest (CNC) into the outflow tract (OFT) and subsequent outflow tract septation are critical events during vertebrate heart development. We have performed four modified differential display screens in the chick embryo to identify genes that may be involved in CNC, OFT, secondary heart field, and heart development. The screens included differential display of RNA isolated from three different axial segments containing premigratory cranial neural crest cells; of RNA from distal outflow tract, proximal outflow tract, and atrioventricular tissue of embryonic chick hearts; and of RNA isolated from left and right cranial tissues, including the early heart fields. These screens have resulted in the identification of the five cDNA clones presented here, which are expressed in the cardiac neural crest, outflow tract and developing heart in patterns that are unique in heart development.

  10. Patterns of Interspecific Variation in the Heart Rates of Embryonic Reptiles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Du, Wei-Guo; Ye, Hua; Zhao, Bo; Pizzatto, Ligia; Ji, Xiang; Shine, Richard

    2011-01-01

    New non-invasive technologies allow direct measurement of heart rates (and thus, developmental rates) of embryos. We applied these methods to a diverse array of oviparous reptiles (24 species of lizards, 18 snakes, 11 turtles, 1 crocodilian), to identify general influences on cardiac rates during embryogenesis. Heart rates increased with ambient temperature in all lineages, but (at the same temperature) were faster in lizards and turtles than in snakes and crocodilians. We analysed these data within a phylogenetic framework. Embryonic heart rates were faster in species with smaller adult sizes, smaller egg sizes, and shorter incubation periods. Phylogenetic changes in heart rates were negatively correlated with concurrent changes in adult body mass and residual incubation period among the lizards, snakes (especially within pythons) and crocodilians. The total number of embryonic heart beats between oviposition and hatching was lower in squamates than in turtles or the crocodilian. Within squamates, embryonic iguanians and gekkonids required more heartbeats to complete development than did embryos of the other squamate families that we tested. These differences plausibly reflect phylogenetic divergence in the proportion of embryogenesis completed before versus after laying. PMID:22174948

  11. Transport stress induces heart damage in newly hatched chicks via blocking the cytoprotective heat shock response and augmenting nitric oxide production.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, F; Zuo, Y-Z; Ge, J; Xia, J; Li, X-N; Lin, J; Zhang, C; Xu, H-L; Li, J-L

    2018-04-20

    Transport stress affects the animal's metabolism and psychological state. As a pro-survival pathway, the heat shock response (HSR) protects healthy cells from stressors. However, it is unclear whether the HSR plays a role in transport stress-induced heart damage. To evaluate the effects of transport stress on heart damage and HSR protection, newly hatched chicks were treated with transport stress for 2 h, 4 h and 8 h. Transport stress caused decreases in body weight and increases in serum creatine kinase (CK) activity, nitric oxide (NO) content in heart tissue, cardiac nitric oxide syntheses (NOS) activity and NOS isoforms transcription. The mRNA expression of heat shock factors (HSFs, including HSF1-3) and heat shock proteins (HSPs, including HSP25, HSP40, HSP47, HSP60, HSP70, HSP90 and HSP110) in the heart of 2 h transport-treated chicks was upregulated. After 8 h of transport stress in chicks, the transcription levels of the same HSPs and HSF2 were reduced in the heart. It was also found that the changes in the HSP60, HSP70 and HSP90 protein levels had similar tendencies. These results suggested that transport stress augmented NO generation through enhancing the activity of NOS and the transcription of NOS isoforms. Therefore, this study provides new evidence that transport stress induces heart damage in the newly hatched chicks by blocking the cytoprotective HSR and augmenting NO production.

  12. Expression of hLAMP-1-Positive Particles During Early Heart Development in the Chick.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abd-Elhamid, T H; Conway, M L; Sinning, A R

    2017-10-01

    Heart development requires coordinated activity of various factors, the disturbance of which can lead to congenital heart defects. Heart lectin-associated matrix protein-1 (hLAMP-1) is a matrix protein expressed within Hensen's node at Hamburger-Hamilton (HH) stage 4, in the lateral mesoderm by HH stages 5-6 and enhanced within the left pre-cardiac field at HH stage 7. At HH stages 15-16, hLAMP-1 expression is observed in the atrioventricular canal and the outflow tract. Also, the role of hLAMP-1 in induction of mesenchyme formation in chick heart has been well documented. To further elucidate the role of this molecule in heart development, we examined its expression patterns during HH stages 8-14 in the chick. In this regard, we immunostained sections of the heart during HH stages 8-14 with antibodies specific to hLAMP-1. Our results showed prominent expression of hLAMP-1-positive particles in the extracellular matrix associated with the pre-cardiac mesoderm, the endoderm, ectoderm as well as neuroectoderm at HH stages 8-9. After formation of the linear heart tube at HH stage 10, the expression of hLAMP-1-stained particles disappears in those regions of original contact between the endoderm and heart forming fields due to rupture of the dorsal mesocardium while their expression becomes confined to the arterial and venous poles of the heart tube. This expression pattern is maintained until HH stage 14. This expression pattern suggests that hLAMP-1 may be involved in the formation of the endocardial tube. © 2017 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

  13. Investigating the Flow and Biomechanics of the Embryonic Zebrafish Heart

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Brennan; Garrity, Deborah; Dasi, Lakshmi

    2010-11-01

    Understanding flow and kinematic characteristics of the embryonic heart is a prerequisite to devise early intervention or detection methods in the context of congenital heart defects. In this study, the kinematics and fluid dynamics of the embryonic zebrafish heart were analyzed through the early stages of cardiac development (24-48 hours post-fertilization) in vivo using optical microscopy and high-speed video. Endocardial walls and individual blood cells were segmented from raw images and were tracked through the cardiac cycle. Particle tracking velocimetry analysis yielded quantitative blood cell velocity field, chamber volume, and flow rate information. It was seen that the pumping mechanism starts as a combined peristaltic and suction pump while the heart is in the tube configuration and transforms into a positive displacement pump after cardiac looping. Strong two-phase nature of the fluid is evident. This work provides us new understanding of the spatio-temporal characteristics of kinematics and blood cell velocity field inside the developing heart.

  14. Cardiomyocytes derived from embryonic stem cells resemble cardiomyocytes of the embryonic heart tube

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Fijnvandraat, Arnoud C.; van Ginneken, Antoni C. G.; de Boer, Piet A. J.; Ruijter, Jan M.; Christoffels, Vincent M.; Moorman, Antoon F. M.; Lekanne Deprez, Ronald H.

    2003-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: After formation of the linear heart tube a chamber-specific program of gene expression becomes active that underlies the formation of the chamber myocardium. To assess whether this program is recapitulated in in vitro differentiated embryonic stem cells, we performed qualitative and

  15. Bidirectional Fusion of the Heart-forming Fields in the Developing Chick Embryo

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moreno-Rodriguez, R.A.; Krug, E.L.; Reyes, L.; Villavicencio, L.; Mjaatvedt, C.H.; Markwald, R.R.

    2007-01-01

    It is generally thought that the early pre-tubular chick heart is formed by fusion of the anterior or cephalic limits of the paired cardiogenic fields. However, this study shows that the heart fields initially fuse at their midpoint to form a transitory “butterfly”-shaped, cardiogenic structure. Fusion then progresses bi-directionally along the longitudinal axis in both cranial and caudal directions. Using in vivo labeling, we demonstrate that cells along the ventral fusion line are highly motile, crossing future primitive segments. We found that mesoderm cells migrated cephalically from the unfused tips of the anterior/cephalic wings into the head mesenchyme in the region that has been called the secondary heart field. Perturbing the anterior/cranial fusion results in formation of a biconal heart. A theoretical role of the ventral fusion line acting as a “heart organizer” and its role in cardia bifida is discussed. PMID:16252277

  16. Introduction of exogenous DNA into gonads of chick embryos by lipofection and electroporation of stage X blastoderms in vivo.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sano, A; Tagami, T; Harumi, T; Matsubara, Y; Naito, M

    2003-03-01

    1. In order to introduce exogenous DNA into gonads of chick embryos, stage X blastoderms of freshly laid and unincubated eggs were transfected by lipofection and electroporation in vivo. 2. The introduced DNA, green fluorescence protein (GFP) gene, was efficiently expressed in the blastoderms incubated for 24 h (78.8%, 78/99). 3. The GFP gene was present in most of the embryonic bodies and extra-embryonic membranes died by d 10 of incubation, when analysed by polymerase chain reaction. On d 16 to 20 of incubation, the GFP gene was detected in 7.0 to 20.9% of embryos in the heart, liver, stomach and brain, but not in the sartorius muscle. For the gonads, the GFP gene was detected in 22.2% (6/27) of the testes and 6.3% (1/18) of the ovaries examined. 4. These results suggest that it is possible to introduce exogenous DNA into gonads of chick embryos by lipofection and electroporation of stage X blastoderms in vivo.

  17. Embryonic stem cell therapy of heart failure in genetic cardiomyopathy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yamada, Satsuki; Nelson, Timothy J; Crespo-Diaz, Ruben J; Perez-Terzic, Carmen; Liu, Xiao-Ke; Miki, Takashi; Seino, Susumu; Behfar, Atta; Terzic, Andre

    2008-10-01

    Pathogenic causes underlying nonischemic cardiomyopathies are increasingly being resolved, yet repair therapies for these commonly heritable forms of heart failure are lacking. A case in point is human dilated cardiomyopathy 10 (CMD10; Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man #608569), a progressive organ dysfunction syndrome refractory to conventional therapies and linked to mutations in cardiac ATP-sensitive K(+) (K(ATP)) channel subunits. Embryonic stem cell therapy demonstrates benefit in ischemic heart disease, but the reparative capacity of this allogeneic regenerative cell source has not been tested in inherited cardiomyopathy. Here, in a Kir6.2-knockout model lacking functional K(ATP) channels, we recapitulated under the imposed stress of pressure overload the gene-environment substrate of CMD10. Salient features of the human malignant heart failure phenotype were reproduced, including compromised contractility, ventricular dilatation, and poor survival. Embryonic stem cells were delivered through the epicardial route into the left ventricular wall of cardiomyopathic stressed Kir6.2-null mutants. At 1 month of therapy, transplantation of 200,000 cells per heart achieved teratoma-free reversal of systolic dysfunction and electrical synchronization and halted maladaptive remodeling, thereby preventing end-stage organ failure. Tracked using the lacZ reporter transgene, stem cells engrafted into host heart. Beyond formation of cardiac tissue positive for Kir6.2, transplantation induced cell cycle activation and halved fibrotic zones, normalizing sarcomeric and gap junction organization within remuscularized hearts. Improved systemic function induced by stem cell therapy translated into increased stamina, absence of anasarca, and benefit to overall survivorship. Embryonic stem cells thus achieve functional repair in nonischemic genetic cardiomyopathy, expanding indications to the therapy of heritable heart failure. Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is

  18. Fibronectin-synthesizing activity of free and membrane-bound polyribosomes from human embryonic fibroblasts and chick embryos

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Belkin, V.M.; Volodarskaya, S.M.

    1986-01-01

    The fibronectin-synthesizing activity of membrane-bound and free polyribosomes in a cell-free system was studied using immunochemical methods. It was found that fibronectin biosynthesis on membrane-bound polyribosomes from human embryonic fibroblasts accounts for 4.9% and those from 10-day-old chick embryos for 1.1% of the total amount of newly synthesized proteins, whereas on free polyribosomes it is 1.0 and 0.3%, respectively. Fibronectin monomers with a molecular weight of 220,000 were found only in the material of the cell-free system containing heavy fractions of membrane-bound polyribosomes newly synthesized in the presence of spermidine. Thus, it was shown that fibronectin is synthesized primarily on membrane-bound polyribosomes

  19. Embryonic Heart Morphogenesis from Confocal Microscopy Imaging and Automatic Segmentation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hongda Mao

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Embryonic heart morphogenesis (EHM is a complex and dynamic process where the heart transforms from a single tube into a four-chambered pump. This process is of great biological and clinical interest but is still poorly understood for two main reasons. On the one hand, the existing imaging modalities for investigating EHM suffered from either limited penetration depth or limited spatial resolution. On the other hand, current works typically adopted manual segmentation, which was tedious, subjective, and time consuming considering the complexity of developing heart geometry and the large size of images. In this paper, we propose to utilize confocal microscopy imaging with tissue optical immersion clearing technique to image the heart at different stages of development for EHM study. The imaging method is able to produce high spatial resolution images and achieve large penetration depth at the same time. Furthermore, we propose a novel convex active contour model for automatic image segmentation. The model has the ability to deal with intensity fall-off in depth which is characterized by confocal microscopy images. We acquired the images of embryonic quail hearts from day 6 to day 14 of incubation for EHM study. The experimental results were promising and provided us with an insight view of early heart growth pattern and also paved the road for data-driven heart growth modeling.

  20. Late metabolic changes in broiler chicks after irradiation of setting eggs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Falis, M.; Striskova, K.; Dvorak, P.

    2006-01-01

    In our experiment setting eggs of broiler chicks were exposed to single dose of gamma radiation (0.25 Gy) before putting into hatcher. Analyses were performed in chicks, 51-day old, after hatching. Statistically significant decrease in glucose concentration and ALT activity and increase in serum total proteins in chicks that were exposed to irradiation during embryonal stage of development were recorded. Irradiation of chicks in this stage with low doses of ionising radiation may significantly influence the metabolism of individuals in subsequent developmental periods. (authors)

  1. Expression and function of Ccbe1 in the chick early cardiogenic regions are required for correct heart development.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    João Furtado

    Full Text Available During the course of a differential screen to identify transcripts specific for chick heart/hemangioblast precursor cells, we have identified Ccbe1 (Collagen and calcium-binding EGF-like domain 1. While the importance of Ccbe1 for the development of the lymphatic system is now well demonstrated, its role in cardiac formation remained unknown. Here we show by whole-mount in situ hybridization analysis that cCcbe1 mRNA is initially detected in early cardiac progenitors of the two bilateral cardiogenic fields (HH4, and at later stages on the second heart field (HH9-18. Furthermore, cCcbe1 is expressed in multipotent and highly proliferative cardiac progenitors. We characterized the role of cCcbe1 during early cardiogenesis by performing functional studies. Upon morpholino-induced cCcbe1 knockdown, the chick embryos displayed heart malformations, which include aberrant fusion of the heart fields, leading to incomplete terminal differentiation of the cardiomyocytes. cCcbe1 overexpression also resulted in severe heart defects, including cardia bifida. Altogether, our data demonstrate that although cardiac progenitors cells are specified in cCcbe1 morphants, the migration and proliferation of cardiac precursors cells are impaired, suggesting that cCcbe1 is a key gene during early heart development.

  2. Inclusion of 3H-estradiol-17#betta# in the chick embryo ovary in vitro

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Angelova, P.; Martinova, J.; K''ncheva, L.; Jordonov, Zh.; Bylgarska Akademiya na Naukite, Sofia)

    1982-01-01

    Basing on literature data on experimental investigation of genital differentiation of chick embryonal gonad in vitro, the authors have made their proposal that relationship between extragents and androgens in the favour of estradiol is of a great importance for differentiation of the gonad corti-- cal zone and for interruption of the meiosis process in cortical genital cells both genetically female and male (in the case of testis feminization). The autoradiographic investigation on 3 H-estradiol-17#betta# inclusion in an embryonal chick ovary in the period before the beginning of the meiotic prophase in genital cells has been performed in order to prove this hypothesis. The results obtained complement Gasc data on the presence of receptors for steroid hormones in embryonal chick gonads and confirm a conception that the development of indifferent gonad in female line is the same as the differentiation of cortical genital cells to oocyte conditioned by estradiol

  3. Na-K pump site density and ouabain binding affinity in cultured chick heart cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lobaugh, L.A.; Lieberman, M.

    1987-01-01

    The possible existence of multiple [ 3 H]ouabain binding sites and the relationship between ouabain binding and Na-K pump inhibition in cardiac muscle were studied using cultured embryonic chick heart cells. [ 3 H]ouabain bound to a single class of sites in 0.5 mM K (0.5 Ko) with an association rate constant (k+1) of 3.4 X 10(4) M-1.s-1 and a dissociation rate constant (k-1) of 0.0095 s. Maximal specific [ 3 H]ouabain binding RT to myocyte-enriched cultures is 11.7 pmol/mg protein and Kd is 0.43 microM in 0.5 Ko, whereas Kd,apparent is 6.6 microM in 5.4 Ko. The number of binding sites per myocyte was calculated by correcting for the contribution of fibroblasts in myocyte-enriched cultures using data from homogeneous fibroblast cultures (RT = 3.3 pmol/mg protein; Kd = 0.19 microM in 0.5 Ko). Equivalence of [ 3 H]ouabain binding sites and Na-K pumps was implied by agreement between maximal specific binding of [ 3 H]ouabain and 125 I-labeled monoclonal antibody directed against Na+-K+-ATPase (approximately 2 X 10(6) sites/cell). However, [ 3 H]ouabain binding occurred at lower concentrations than inhibition of ouabain-sensitive 42 K uptake in 0.5 Ko. Further studies in both 0.5 K and 5.4 Ko showed that ouabain caused cell Na content Nai to increase over the same range of concentrations that binding occurred, implying that increased Nai may stimulate unbound Na-K pumps and prevent a proportional decrease in 42 K uptake rate. The results show that Na-K pump inhibition occurs as a functional consequence of specific ouabain binding and indicate that the Na-K pump is the cardiac glycoside receptor in cultured heart cells

  4. Complement anaphylatoxin C3a is a potent inducer of embryonic chick retina regeneration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haynes, Tracy; Luz-Madrigal, Agustin; Reis, Edimara S.; Echeverri Ruiz, Nancy P.; Grajales-Esquivel, Erika; Tzekou, Apostolia; Tsonis, Panagiotis A.; Lambris, John D.; Del Rio-Tsonis, Katia

    2013-01-01

    Identifying the initiation signals for tissue regeneration in vertebrates is one of the major challenges in regenerative biology. Much of the research thus far has indicated that certain growth factors have key roles. Here we show that complement fragment C3a is sufficient to induce complete regeneration of the embryonic chick retina from stem/progenitor cells present in the eye, independent of fibroblast growth factor receptor signaling. Instead, C3a induces retina regeneration via STAT3 activation, which in turn activates the injury- and inflammation-responsive factors, IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α. This activation sets forth regulation of Wnt2b, Six3 and Sox2, genes associated with retina stem and progenitor cells. Thus, our results establish a mechanism for retina regeneration based on injury and inflammation signals. Furthermore, our results indicate a unique function for complement anaphylatoxins that implicate these molecules in the induction and complete regeneration of the retina, opening new avenues of experimentation in the field. PMID:23942241

  5. Heavier chicks at hatch improves marketing body weight by enhancing skeletal muscle growth.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sklan, D; Heifetz, S; Halevy, O

    2003-11-01

    This study examined some of the factors connected with the greater marketing weight observed in chicks hatching with higher BW. Examination of chicks hatching from maternal flocks of different ages indicated that BW at hatch increased quadratically and yolk sac weight linearly with age, whereas components of the gastrointestinal tract showed no significant trend. Growth of pectoralis muscles and gastrointestinal tract were compared in chicks hatching at the same weight from maternal flocks of 28 and 64 wk of age and in chicks from the same maternal flock (44 wk old) hatching at different weights. The results indicated that no differences were found among chicks hatching with the same weight from maternal flocks of different ages. In contrast, in chicks from the same maternal flock hatching at different weights the gastrointestinal tract tended to compose a smaller proportion of BW in large chicks, and its growth was not correlated with performance. Liver proportions were greater in heavier chicks. Pectoralis growth and satellite cell numbers and activity were greater in heavier chicks through 5 d posthatch, and pectoralis muscles were heavier at marketing. Examination of some of the growth factors involved suggested that in heavier chicks satellite cells underwent higher proliferation and earlier differentiation during their critical period of activity in the immediate posthatch days. To determine when these differences in activity were established, examination of 15-d embryonic myoblast activity indicated that at this stage activity was already greater in the heavier eggs. This finding suggests that programming of muscle growth may be completed in late embryonic stages. This study suggests that enhanced satellite cell activity is involved in increased growth of chicks hatching with higher BW.

  6. Ethanol vapour induced dilated cardiomyopathy in chick embryos

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kamran, K.; Khan, M.Y.; Minhas, L.A.

    2013-01-01

    Objective: To study the effects of ethanol vapour inhalation on the heart chambers of chick embryo. Methods: The case-control study was conducted at the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan regional centre in Islamabad from January to October 2007. Both experimental and control groups were divided into three sub-groups each, based on the day of the sacrifice. Each group was dissected on day 7, day 10 and day 22 or hatching whichever was earlier. The experimental sub-groups sacrificed on day 7, day 10 and on hatching, were exposed to ethanol vapours till day 6, 9 and 9 of incubation respectively. The diameter of all 4 chambers was measured in experimental hearts and compared with age-matched controls. SPSS 10 was used for statistical analysis. Results: Ethanol vapour exposure caused widening of all heart chambers in the experimental chick embryos sacrificed on day 7 and day 10 compared to the controls. The chambers of newly hatched chick hearts showed dilatation in all the chambers except the left ventricle. Conclusion: Ethanol vapour exposure during development affects the heart, resulting in the widening of all heart chambers. The exposure is as dangerous as drinking alcohol. Alcohol vapour exposure during development leads to progressive dilatation in different heart chambers, producing dilated cardiomyopathy. (author)

  7. Immunostaining of dissected zebrafish embryonic heart.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Jingchun; Xu, Xiaolei

    2012-01-10

    Zebrafish embryo becomes a popular in vivo vertebrate model for studying cardiac development and human heart diseases due to its advantageous embryology and genetics. About 100-200 embryos are readily available every week from a single pair of adult fish. The transparent embryos that develop ex utero make them ideal for assessing cardiac defects. The expression of any gene can be manipulated via morpholino technology or RNA injection. Moreover, forward genetic screens have already generated a list of mutants that affect different perspectives of cardiogenesis. Whole mount immunostaining is an important technique in this animal model to reveal the expression pattern of the targeted protein to a particular tissue. However, high resolution images that can reveal cellular or subcellular structures have been difficult, mainly due to the physical location of the heart and the poor penetration of the antibodies. Here, we present a method to address these bottlenecks by dissecting heart first and then conducting the staining process on the surface of a microscope slide. To prevent the loss of small heart samples and to facilitate solution handling, we restricted the heart samples within a circle on the surface of the microscope slides drawn by an immEdge pen. After the staining, the fluorescence signals can be directly observed by a compound microscope. Our new method significantly improves the penetration for antibodies, since a heart from an embryonic fish only consists of few cell layers. High quality images from intact hearts can be obtained within a much reduced procession time for zebrafish embryos aged from day 2 to day 6. Our method can be potentially extended to stain other organs dissected from either zebrafish or other small animals. Copyright © 2012 Journal of Visualized Experiments

  8. Yolk hormones influence in ovo chemosensory learning, growth, and feeding behavior in domestic chicks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bertin, Aline; Meurisse, Maryse; Arnould, Cécile; Leterrier, Christine; Constantin, Paul; Cornilleau, Fabien; Vaudin, Pascal; Burlot, Thierry; Delaveau, Joel; Rat, Christophe; Calandreau, Ludovic

    2016-03-01

    In this study, we assessed whether prenatal exposure to elevated yolk steroid hormones can influence in ovo chemosensory learning and the behavior of domestic chicks. We simulated a maternal environmental challenge by experimentally enhancing yolk progesterone, testosterone, and estradiol concentrations in hen eggs prior to incubation. The embryos from these hormones-treated eggs (HO) as well as sham embryos (O) that had received the vehicle-only were exposed to the odor of fish oil (menhaden) between embryonic Days 11 and 20. An additional group of control embryos (C) was not exposed to the odor. All chicks were tested following hatching for their feeding preferences between foods that were or were not odorized with the menhaden odor. In the 3-min choice tests, the behavior of O chicks differed significantly according to the type of food whereas C and HO chicks showed no preference between odorized and non-odorized food. Our result suggests weaker response in HO chicks. In addition, HO chicks showed impaired growth and reduced intake of an unfamiliar food on the 24-h time scale compared to controls. Our data suggest that embryonic exposure to increased yolk hormone levels can alter growth, chemosensory learning, and the development of feeding behaviors. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  9. Early Embryonic Heart Rate in Normal Pregnancies In Memory of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    To determine the appearance and development of embryonic heart rate a total of n = 317 Nigerian pregnant women were studied in the very early pregnancy from 23 – 56 days from the onset of last menstrual period (LMP). All pregnancies had a subsequent successful outcome. Transvaginal ultrasonography was ...

  10. Dependences of the geometrical parameters of cell community on stimulation voltage and frequency in chick embryonic cardiomyocytes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fujii, Koki; Nomura, Fumimasa; Kaneko, Tomoyuki

    2018-03-01

    To investigate the optimal conditions for electrical stimulation, communities of lined-up chick embryonic cardiomyocytes were evaluated in terms of their threshold voltage for pacing (PVMin) and the half-maximum paced frequency (PF50), with a focus on the following factors: (1) the orientation of the major axis of cell communities to the electric field (EF) direction as the external factor; (2) the number of cells in a cell community, the length of the cell community, and the mean length of cells comprising the community as the internal factors. Firstly, PVMin decreased with increasing length of the cell network oriented parallel to the EF. PVMin was approximately 0.041 ± 0.025 V/mm when the community was sufficiently long. On the other hand, PVMin in the orthogonal orientation was constant at 1.7 ± 0.047 V/mm with no dependence on the length of the cell network. Secondly, we found that PF50 increased with increasing length of the cell network or the number of cells in the network; the PF50 values were 2.03 ± 0.05 and 3.39 ± 0.05 Hz when the respective cell network lengths were 100 µm (n = 43) and more than 300 µm (n = 6) and the cells were oriented parallel to the EF. These findings indicate that it is important to suppress ventricular fibrillation with minimal efficient stimulation by considering the EF direction with respect to the orientation of cardiomyocytes. Furthermore, expanded cells showed the loss of ability to respond to stimulation at higher frequencies. Cardiomyocytes combined with seeded fibroblasts as a cell network at a low density are a possible model of a ventricular remodeling heart.

  11. Angiographic examinations of the circulatory development of living chick embryos

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stoeter, P.; Buchhoecker, M.; Bruzek, W.; Drews, U.; Schulze, K.; Tuebingen Univ.; Tuebingen Univ.

    1980-01-01

    In chick embryos of an age of incubation of 5-14 days, the physiological development of the circulation and the morphological differentation of the arterical system were studied by intravital and postmortal angiography. For the examinations of the living embryos, a special radiographic and injection technique had to be developed. The contrast medium was injected into the umbilical veins and transported by the actions of the embryonic heart. Continuous ECG recordings showed no marked interference of the injections with the cardiac activity. According to the angiographic findings, the circulation is relatively fast within the main arteries, but the capillary perfusion is prolonged and lasts up to several minutes. The average circulatory velocity of the blood stream within the carotid artery increases parallel to the arterial enlargement, whereas the circulatory time decreases and the number of heart beats during the period of carotid opacification does not change to a great extent. By this, a steady transport of gas and nutritional material may be achieved in the growing arterial system. (orig.) [de

  12. The local expression of adult chicken heart myosins during development. I. The three days embryonic chicken heart

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sanders, E.; Moorman, A. F.; Los, J. A.

    1984-01-01

    Immunofluorescence studies were performed on serial sections of three days embryonic chicken hearts using antibodies specific for adult atrial and ventricular myosin heavy chains respectively. The anti-ventricular myosin serum reacted with the entire myocardium showing a decreasing intensity going

  13. Adrenal hormones interact with sympathetic innervation to modulate growth of embryonic heart in oculo.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tucker, D C; Torres, A

    1992-02-01

    To allow experimental manipulation of adrenal hormone and autonomic influences on developing myocardium without alteration of hemodynamic load, embryonic rat heart was cultured in the anterior eye chamber of an adult rat. Sympathetic innervation of embryonic day 12 heart grafts was manipulated by surgical sympathectomy of one eye chamber in each host rat. Adrenal hormone exposure was manipulated by host adrenal medullectomy (MEDX) in experiment 1 and by host adrenalectomy (ADX) in experiment 2. In experiment 1, whole heart grafts were larger in MEDX than in sham-operated hosts by 8 wk in oculo (6.14 +/- 0.71 vs. 5.09 +/- 0.69 mm2 with innervation intact and 7.97 +/- 2.07 vs. 3.09 +/- 0.63 mm2 with sympathetic innervation prevented). In experiment 2, host ADX increased growth of embryonic day 12 ventricles grafted into sympathectomized eye chambers (0.69 +/- 0.10 vs. 0.44 +/- 0.04 mm2) but did not affect growth of grafts in intact eye chambers (0.85 +/- 0.09 vs. 1.05 +/- 0.15 mm2). Corticosterone replacement (4 mg/day) entirely reversed the effect of host ADX on graft growth (superior cervical ganglionectomy, 0.47 +/- 0.03 mm2; intact eye chambers, 0.90 +/- 0.91 mm2). Beating rate of grafts was not affected by adrenal hormone manipulations. These experiments indicate that the compromised growth of embryonic heart grafts placed in sympathectomized eye chambers requires exposure to adult levels of glucocorticoids during the early days after grafting. These results suggest that interactions between neural and hormonal stimulation influence cardiac growth in the in oculo culture system and during normal development.

  14. Benzodiazepine receptor turnover in embryonic chick brain and spinal cord cell cultures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Borden, L.A.

    1985-01-01

    The turnover (synthesis and degradation) of the benzodiazepine receptor (BZD-R) in embryonic chick brain and spinal cord cell cultures was monitored using flunitrazepam (GNZM) as a photoaffinity label. To measure BZD-R appearance, intact cell cultures were incubated with 100 nM RNZM and irradiated with ultraviolet light; this process, referred to as photoinactivation, resulted in a 75% decrease in the subsequent reversible binding of 5 nM [ 3 H]FNZM. Following photoinactivation, [ 3 H]FNZM binding sites reappeared at a rate of 6 +/- 1.5%/hour (n = 7) in brain cultures and at 8%/hour (n = 2) in spinal cord cultures. Reappearance reflects de novo receptors synthesis. To examine the degradation of existing receptors, cultures were photolabeled with 5 nM [ 3 H]FNZM, washed, and then the decrease in cell-associated radioactivity, or the efflux of radioactivity into the medium, was monitored. The released radioactivity did not comigrate with authentic FNZM on thin-layer-chromatographs, indicating that release did not represent dissociation of ligand from the photolabeled receptor. The BZD-R appears to be degraded by an energy-dependent, non-lysosomal pathway. These experiments represent the first direct examination of the turnover of a neurotransmitter receptor localized to the central nervous system; this information will be valuable in elucidating the mechanisms by which receptor levels are altered following chronic drug treatment

  15. Restoration of heart functions using human embryonic stem cells derived heart muscle cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gepstein, Lior; Kehat, Izhak

    2005-02-01

    Extract: Recent advances in molecular and cellular biology and specifically in the areas of stem cell biology and tissue engineering have paved the way for the development of a new field in biomedicine, regenerative medicine. This exciting approach seeks to develop new biological solutions, using the mobilization of endogenous stem cells or delivery of exogenous cells to replace or modify the function of diseased, absent, or malfunctioning tissue. The adult heart represents an attractive candidate for these emerging technologies, since adult cardiomyocytes have limited regenerative capacity. Thus, any significant heart cell loss or dysfunction, such as occurs during heart attack, is mostly irreversible and may lead to the development of progressive heart failure, one of the leading causes of world-wide morbidity and mortality. Similarly, dysfunction of the specialized electrical conduction system within the heart may result in inefficient rhythm initiation or impulse conduction, leading to significant slowing of the heart rate, usually requiring the implantation of a permanent electronic pacemaker. Replacement of the dysfunctional myocardium (heart muscle) by implantation of external heart muscle cells is emerging as a novel paradigm for restoration of the myocardial electromechanical properties, but has been significantly hampered by the paucity of cell sources for human heart cells and by the relatively limited evidence for functional integration between grafted and host cells. The recently described human embryonic stem cell (hESC) lines may provide a possible solution for the aforementioned cell sourcing problem.

  16. Embryonic Stem Cell Therapy of Heart Failure in Genetic Cardiomyopathy

    OpenAIRE

    Yamada, Satsuki; Nelson, Timothy J.; Crespo-Diaz, Ruben J.; Perez-Terzic, Carmen; Liu, Xiao-Ke; Miki, Takashi; Seino, Susumu; Behfar, Atta; Terzic, Andre

    2008-01-01

    Pathogenic causes underlying nonischemic cardiomyopathies are increasingly being resolved, yet repair therapies for these commonly heritable forms of heart failure are lacking. A case in point is human dilated cardiomyopathy 10 (CMD10; Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man #608569), a progressive organ dysfunction syndrome refractory to conventional therapies and linked to mutations in cardiac ATP-sensitive K+ (KATP) channel sub-units. Embryonic stem cell therapy demonstrates benefit in ischemi...

  17. Congenital heart malformations induced by hemodynamic altering surgical interventions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Madeline eMidgett

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available Embryonic heart formation results from a dynamic interplay between genetic and environmental factors. Blood flow during early embryonic stages plays a critical role in heart development, as interactions between flow and cardiac tissues generate biomechanical forces that modulate cardiac growth and remodeling. Normal hemodynamic conditions are essential for proper cardiac development, while altered blood flow induced by surgical manipulations in animal models result in heart defects similar to those seen in humans with congenital heart disease. This review compares the altered hemodynamics, changes in tissue properties, and cardiac defects reported after common surgical interventions that alter hemodynamics in the early chick embryo, and shows that interventions produce a wide spectrum of cardiac defects. Vitelline vein ligation and left atrial ligation decrease blood pressure and flow; and outflow tract banding increases blood pressure and flow velocities. These three surgical interventions result in many of the same cardiac defects, which indicate that the altered hemodynamics interfere with common looping, septation and valve formation processes that occur after intervention and that shape the four-chambered heart. While many similar defects develop after the interventions, the varying degrees of hemodynamic load alteration among the three interventions also result in varying incidence and severity of cardiac defects, indicating that the hemodynamic modulation of cardiac developmental processes is strongly dependent on hemodynamic load.

  18. Prenatal light exposure affects early feather-pecking behaviour in the domestic chick

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Riedstra, B; Groothuis, TGG

    Recently we proposed that early feather pecking is a form of social exploration. Social recognition, important for exploration, is a lateralized function in the domestic chick. Lateralization of functions can be influenced by light exposure late in embryonic development. Therefore, we investigated

  19. Heart rate changes mediate the embryotoxic effect of antiarrhythmic drugs in the chick embryo

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Kočková, Radka; Svatůňková, Jarmila; Novotný, J.; Hejnová, L.; Ošťádal, Bohuslav; Sedmera, David

    2013-01-01

    Roč. 304, č. 6 (2013), H895-H902 ISSN 0363-6135 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GAP302/11/1308; GA ČR(CZ) GA304/08/0615 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50110509 Institutional support: RVO:67985823 Keywords : beta-blocking agents * embryonic heart * embryotoxicity * pregnancy * bradycardia Subject RIV: FA - Cardiovascular Diseases incl. Cardiotharic Surgery Impact factor: 4.012, year: 2013

  20. Early expression of hypocretin/orexin in the chick embryo brain.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kyle E Godden

    Full Text Available Hypocretin/Orexin (H/O neuropeptides are released by a discrete group of neurons in the vertebrate hypothalamus which play a pivotal role in the maintenance of waking behavior and brain state control. Previous studies have indicated that the H/O neuronal development differs between mammals and fish; H/O peptide-expressing cells are detectable during the earliest stages of brain morphogenesis in fish, but only towards the end of brain morphogenesis (by ∼ 85% of embryonic development in rats. The developmental emergence of H/O neurons has never been previously described in birds. With the goal of determining whether the chick developmental pattern was more similar to that of mammals or of fish, we investigated the emergence of H/O-expressing cells in the brain of chick embryos of different ages using immunohistochemistry. Post-natal chick brains were included in order to compare the spatial distribution of H/O cells with that of other vertebrates. We found that H/O-expressing cells appear to originate from two separate places in the region of the diencephalic proliferative zone. These developing cells express the H/O neuropeptide at a comparatively early age relative to rodents (already visible at 14% of the way through fetal development, thus bearing a closer resemblance to fish. The H/O-expressing cell population proliferates to a large number of cells by a relatively early embryonic age. As previously suggested, the distribution of H/O neurons is intermediate between that of mammalian and non-mammalian vertebrates. This work suggests that, in addition to its roles in developed brains, the H/O peptide may play an important role in the early embryonic development of non-mammalian vertebrates.

  1. A descriptive study to provide evidence of the teratogenic and cellular effects of sibutramine and ephedrine on cardiac- and liver-tissue of chick embryos.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oberholzer, Hester Magdalena; Van Der Schoor, Ciska; Taute, Helena; Bester, Megan Jean

    2015-08-01

    Exposure to drugs during pregnancy is a major concern, as some teratogenic compounds can influence normal foetal development. Although the use of drugs during pregnancy should generally be avoided, exposure of the developing foetus to teratogens may occur unknowingly since these compounds may be hidden in products that are being marketed as "all natural." The aim of the current study was to investigate the possible teratogenic and cellular effects of sibutramine-a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor used in the treatment of obesity-on the heart and liver tissue of chick embryos. Ephedrine was used as a positive control. The chick embryo model was chosen because it has been used in studying developmental and experimental biology and teratology with great success. The embryos were exposed to three different concentrations of sibutramine and ephedrine respectively. The results obtained revealed that both compounds exhibited embryotoxicity when compared to the control groups. Liver and heart tissue of the exposed embryos was severely affected by these compounds in a dose-related manner. Morphology similar to that of muscle dystrophy was observed in the heart, where the muscle tissue was infiltrated by adipose and connective tissue. Severe liver steatosis was also noted. A more in-depth investigation into the molecular pathways involved might provide more information on the exact mechanism of toxicity of these products influencing embryonic development. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  2. FA composition of heart and skeletal muscle during embryonic development of the king penguin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Decrock, Frederic; Groscolas, Rene; Speake, Brian K

    2002-04-01

    Since the yolk lipids of the king penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) naturally contain the highest concentrations of DHA and EPA yet reported for the eggs of any avian species, the effects of this (n-3)-rich yolk on the FA profiles of the embryonic heart and skeletal muscle were investigated. The concentrations (mg/g wet tissue) of phospholipid (PL) in the developing heart and leg muscle of the penguin doubled between days 27 and 55 from the beginning of egg incubation (i.e., from the halfway stage of embryonic development to 2 d posthatch), whereas no net increase occurred in pectoral muscle. During this period, the concentration of TAG in heart decreased by half but increased two- and sixfold in leg and pectoral muscle, respectively. The most notable change in cholesteryl ester concentration occurred in pectoral muscle, increasing ninefold between days 27 and 55. Arachidonic acid (ARA) was the major polyunsaturate in PL of the penguin's heart, where it formed about 20% (w/w) of FA at day 55. At the equivalent developmental stage, the heart PL of the chicken contained a 1.3-fold greater proportion of ARA, contained a fifth less DHA, and was almost devoid of EPA, whereas the latter FA was a significant component (7% of FA) of penguin heart PL. Similarly, in PL of leg and pectoral muscle, the chicken displayed about 1.4-fold more ARA, up to 50% less DHA, and far less EPA in comparison with the penguin. Thus, although ARA-rich PL profiles are achieved in the heart and muscle of the penguin embryo, these profiles are significantly affected by the high n-3 content of the yolk.

  3. Adrenergic innervation of the developing chick heart: neural crest ablations to produce sympathetically aneural hearts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kirby, M.; Stewart, D.

    1984-01-01

    Ablation of various regions of premigratory trunk neural crest which gives rise to the sympathetic trunks was used to remove sympathetic cardiac innervation. Neuronal uptake of [ 3 H]-norepinephrine was used as an index of neuronal development in the chick atrium. Following ablation of neural crest over somites 10-15 or 15-20, uptake was significantly decreased in the atrium at 16 and 17 days of development. Ablation of neural crest over somites 5-10 and 20-25 caused no decrease in [ 3 H]-norepinephrine uptake. Removal of neural crest over somites 5-25 or 10-20 caused approximately equal depletions of [ 3 H]-norepinephrine uptake in the atrium. Cardiac norepinephrine concentration was significantly depressed following ablation of neural crest over somites 5-25 but not over somites 10-20. Light-microscopic and histofluorescent preparations confirmed the absence of sympathetic trunks in the region of the normal origin of the sympathetic cardiac nerves following neural crest ablation over somites 10-20. The neural tube and dorsal root ganglia were damaged in the area of the neural-crest ablation; however, all of these structures were normal cranial and caudal to the lesioned area. Development of most of the embryos as well as the morphology of all of the hearts was normal following the lesion. These results indicate that it is possible to produce sympathetically aneural hearts by neural-crest ablation; however, sympathetic cardiac nerves account for an insignificant amount of cardiac norepinephrine

  4. The Effects of in ovo Nanocurcumin Administration on Oxidative Stress and Histology of Embryonic Chicken Heart

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Araghi A

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available This study was designed to evaluate the effects of nanocurcumin (NC on oxidative stress and histology of embryonic chicken heart. NC was injected into the yolk of 4-day-old embryonic eggs at one of three doses: 10 ppm (NC10 group, 100 ppm (NC100 group, and 1000 ppm (NC1000 group. The control group received normal saline. Oxidative stress in heart tissue was evaluated by measuring malondialdehyde (MDA concentration, glutathione (GSH content, and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP. Serum lipids and cardio-histolopathogy were also measured. There were no significant differences in GSH, FRAP, and MDA levels between the control and treatment groups (P > 0.05. The serum lipid profile was altered in the NC100 group, with reduced levels of triglyceride (TG (P < 0.01 but higher levels of HDL-c (P < 0.01 compared to the control. Heart histology was similar between NC10 and NC100 treatments compared to the control group. However, heart sections in NC1000 revealed focal areas of disrupted cardiac muscles and mild infiltration of mononuclear inflammatory cells between muscle fibers. It was concluded that NC at a concentration of 100 ppm did not damage heart tissues in chicken embryo and could be used as a valuable molecule for cardiovascular disease prevention.

  5. Temperature manipulation during layer chick embryogenesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walstra, I; Ten Napel, J; Kemp, B; van den Brand, H

    2010-07-01

    The current study investigated the effects of temperature manipulation (TM) during late embryogenesis on temperature preference, response to high environmental temperature, behavior, and performance in young layer chicks. Control (CC) embryos (n = 96) were incubated at 37.8 degrees C eggshell temperature throughout incubation. Thermally manipulated embryos (n = 96) were incubated at 37.8 degrees C eggshell temperature throughout incubation and were exposed to 40 degrees C for 4 h/d from embryonic d 14 to 18 (TM chicks). After hatch, chicks from each treatment were divided into 3 subgroups (n = 32 per group) and were subjected to a temperature preference test at d 1, 7, or 33. One day after the temperature preference test, each subgroup was exposed to 1 thermal challenge for 4 h (d 2, 40 degrees C; d 8, 40 degrees C; or d 34, 35 degrees C). Effects of TM on (fearfulness) behavior of chicks were investigated in a tonic immobility test and during home pen observations. Temperature manipulation decreased incubation time with 7 h (P preferred a lower ambient temperature in the temperature preference test (P preference and response to high environmental temperatures are only found until d 8 of age. This may suggest 1 of 3 options: a) the timing or the level, or both, of TM and duration were not at the sensitive period of embryogenesis or not sufficient, or both, respectively; b) the level of the postnatal thermal challenge was not strong enough to induce a hyperthermic response; and c) the postnatal effects of TM in layers are limited in time.

  6. Sertad1 encodes a novel transcriptional co-activator of SMAD1 in mouse embryonic hearts

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Peng, Yin [Department of Genetics, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294 (United States); Zhao, Shaomin [Department of Genetics, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294 (United States); School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069 (China); Song, Langying [Department of Genetics, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294 (United States); Wang, Manyuan [School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069 (China); Jiao, Kai, E-mail: kjiao@uab.edu [Department of Genetics, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294 (United States)

    2013-11-29

    Highlights: •SERTAD1 interacts with SMAD1. •Sertad1 is expressed in mouse embryonic hearts. •SERTAD1 is localized in both cytoplasm and nucleus of cardiomyocytes. •SERTAD1 enhances expression of BMP target cardiogenic genes as a SMAD1 co-activator. -- Abstract: Despite considerable advances in surgical repairing procedures, congenital heart diseases (CHDs) remain the leading noninfectious cause of infant morbidity and mortality. Understanding the molecular/genetic mechanisms underlying normal cardiogenesis will provide essential information for the development of novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies against CHDs. BMP signaling plays complex roles in multiple cardiogenic processes in mammals. SMAD1 is a canonical nuclear mediator of BMP signaling, the activity of which is critically regulated through its interaction partners. We screened a mouse embryonic heart yeast two-hybrid library using Smad1 as bait and identified SERTAD1 as a novel interaction partner of SMAD1. SERTAD1 contains multiple potential functional domains, including two partially overlapping transactivation domains at the C terminus. The SERTAD1-SMAD1 interaction in vitro and in mammalian cells was further confirmed through biochemical assays. The expression of Sertad1 in developing hearts was demonstrated using RT-PCR, western blotting and in situ hybridization analyses. We also showed that SERTAD1 was localized in both the cytoplasm and nucleus of immortalized cardiomyocytes and primary embryonic cardiomyocyte cultures. The overexpression of SERTAD1 in cardiomyocytes not only enhanced the activity of two BMP reporters in a dose-dependent manner but also increased the expression of several known BMP/SMAD regulatory targets. Therefore, these data suggest that SERTAD1 acts as a SMAD1 transcriptional co-activator to promote the expression of BMP target genes during mouse cardiogenesis.

  7. Storage of Hatching Eggs : Effects of storage and early incubation conditions on egg characteristics, embryonic development, hatchability, and chicken quality

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Reijrink, I.A.M.

    2010-01-01

    Key words: egg storage, embryonic development, albumen quality, hatchability, chick quality

    It is well known that an increase in the storage duration increases incubation duration and decreases hatchability and chick quality. The negative effects of prolonged egg storage (> 7 days)

  8. The effect of insecticide Deltamethrin on development of chick embryos

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Al-Naal, R.; Bassal, M. Osman, M.

    1997-04-01

    This study was conducted to evaluate the cyto and the embryo toxicity of Deltamethrin and its commercial formulation DECIS 50 EC in chick embryo during its critical embryonic development period before and in the organogenesis. The embryos were incubated in well closed plastic caps containing the complete egg composition at 38 o. the Deltamethrin and DECIS were found to cause histological and morphological malformations, specially in the brain, also they reduced the majority of the synthetic activities of the DNA, RNA, and proteins in the embryonic and the vascular areas. The flow cytometric analysis showed alterations in frequency of cells in both embryonic and vascular areas in the treated embryo during the cell cycle phases. Our study also showed that the DECIS had greater cyto and embryo toxicity than the Seltamethrin for analysis (author). 149 refs., 36 figs., 16 tabs

  9. Measuring the electric activity of chick embryos heart through 16 bit audio card monitored by the Goldwavetm software

    Science.gov (United States)

    Silva, Dilson; Cortez, Celia Martins

    2015-12-01

    In the present work we used a high-resolution, low-cost apparatus capable of detecting waves fit inside the sound bandwidth, and the software package GoldwaveTM for graphical display, processing and monitoring the signals, to study aspects of the electric heart activity of early avian embryos, specifically at the 18th Hamburger & Hamilton stage of the embryo development. The species used was the domestic chick (Gallus gallus), and we carried out 23 experiments in which cardiographic spectra of QRS complex waves representing the propagation of depolarization waves through ventricles was recorded using microprobes and reference electrodes directly on the embryos. The results show that technique using 16 bit audio card monitored by the GoldwaveTM software was efficient to study signal aspects of heart electric activity of early avian embryos.

  10. Membrane properties of chick semicircular canal hair cells in situ during embryonic development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Masetto, S; Perin, P; Malusà, A; Zucca, G; Valli, P

    2000-05-01

    The electrophysiological properties of developing vestibular hair cells have been investigated in a chick crista slice preparation, from embryonic day 10 (E10) to E21 (when hatching would occur). Patch-clamp whole-cell experiments showed that different types of ion channels are sequentially expressed during development. An inward Ca(2+) current and a slow outward rectifying K(+) current (I(K(V))) are acquired first, at or before E10, followed by a rapid transient K(+) current (I(K(A))) at E12, and by a small Ca-dependent K(+) current (I(KCa)) at E14. Hair cell maturation then proceeds with the expression of hyperpolarization-activated currents: a slow I(h) appears first, around E16, followed by the fast inward rectifier I(K1) around E19. From the time of its first appearance, I(K(A)) is preferentially expressed in peripheral (zone 1) hair cells, whereas inward rectifying currents are preferentially expressed in intermediate (zone 2) and central (zone 3) hair cells. Each conductance conferred distinctive properties on hair cell voltage response. Starting from E15, some hair cells, preferentially located at the intermediate region, showed the amphora shape typical of type I hair cells. From E17 (a time when the afferent calyx is completed) these cells expressed I(K, L), the signature current of mature type I hair cells. Close to hatching, hair cell complements and regional organization of ion currents appeared similar to those reported for the mature avian crista. By the progressive acquisition of different types of inward and outward rectifying currents, hair cell repolarization after both positive- and negative-current injections is greatly strengthened and speeded up.

  11. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of the morphological-dynamics of early cardiac pumping function using video densitometry and optical coherence tomography (OCT)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Happel, C.; Männer, J.; Thommes, J.

    has become a matter of dispute. Uncovering of the pumping mechanism of tubular embryonic hearts requires detailed information about the hemodynamics as well as morphological dynamics of the pump action. We have analyzed the morphological dynamics of cardiac pump action in chick embryos (HH-stage 16......) of the embryonic heart segments (common atrium, AV-canal, embryonic ventricles, outflow tract). Video densitometric M-mode curves show remarkable similarities to OCT M-mode recordings. OCT M-mode recordings can only be taken at one site at a time whereas video densitometry allows simultaneous recordings at any...... striking differences in contraction behavior of different heart segments of the tubular embryonic heart. These findings are important for the understanding of the pumping mechanism of the developing valveless embryonic heart....

  12. A new gestational diabetes mellitus model: hyperglycemia-induced eye malformation via inhibition of Pax6 in the chick embryo

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shi-Jie Zhang

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM is one of the leading causes of fetal malformations. However, few models have been developed to study the underlying mechanisms of GDM-induced fetal eye malformation. In this study, a high concentration of glucose (0.2 mmol per egg was injected into the air sac of chick embryos on embryo development day (EDD 1 to develop a hyperglycemia model. Results showed that 47.3% of embryonic eye malformation happened on EDD 5. In this model, the key genes regulating eye development, Pax6, Six3 and Otx2, were downregulated by hyperglycemia. Among these genes, the expression of Pax6 was the most vulnerable to hyperglycemia, being suppressed by 70%. A reduction in Pax6 gene expression induced eye malformation in chick embryos. However, increased expression of Pax6 in chick embryos could rescue hyperglycemia-induced eye malformation. Hyperglycemia stimulated O-linked N-acetylglucosaminylation, which caused oxidative stress in chick embryos. Pax6 was found to be vulnerable to free radicals, but the antioxidant edaravone could restore Pax6 expression and reverse eye malformation. These results illustrated a successful establishment of a new chick embryo model to study the molecular mechanism of hyperglycemia-induced eye malformation. The suppression of the Pax6 gene is probably mediated by oxidative stress and could be a crucial target for the therapy of GDM-induced embryonic eye malformation.

  13. A new gestational diabetes mellitus model: hyperglycemia-induced eye malformation via inhibition of Pax6 in the chick embryo.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Shi-Jie; Li, Yi-Fang; Tan, Rui-Rong; Tsoi, Bun; Huang, Wen-Shan; Huang, Yi-Hua; Tang, Xiao-Long; Hu, Dan; Yao, Nan; Yang, Xuesong; Kurihara, Hiroshi; Wang, Qi; He, Rong-Rong

    2016-02-01

    Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is one of the leading causes of fetal malformations. However, few models have been developed to study the underlying mechanisms of GDM-induced fetal eye malformation. In this study, a high concentration of glucose (0.2 mmol per egg) was injected into the air sac of chick embryos on embryo development day (EDD) 1 to develop a hyperglycemia model. Results showed that 47.3% of embryonic eye malformation happened on EDD 5. In this model, the key genes regulating eye development, Pax6, Six3 and Otx2, were downregulated by hyperglycemia. Among these genes, the expression of Pax6 was the most vulnerable to hyperglycemia, being suppressed by 70%. A reduction in Pax6 gene expression induced eye malformation in chick embryos. However, increased expression of Pax6 in chick embryos could rescue hyperglycemia-induced eye malformation. Hyperglycemia stimulated O-linked N-acetylglucosaminylation, which caused oxidative stress in chick embryos. Pax6 was found to be vulnerable to free radicals, but the antioxidant edaravone could restore Pax6 expression and reverse eye malformation. These results illustrated a successful establishment of a new chick embryo model to study the molecular mechanism of hyperglycemia-induced eye malformation. The suppression of the Pax6 gene is probably mediated by oxidative stress and could be a crucial target for the therapy of GDM-induced embryonic eye malformation. © 2016. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

  14. Effect of High Incubation Temperature on the Blood Parameters of Layer Chicks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S Sgavioli

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT Adequate environmental temperature control is essential for incubation efficiency. Layer breeder eggs (n=360 were weighed and distributed in a completely randomized experimental design with two treatments, consisting of two incubation temperatures (T1=37.5 °C, control; and T2=39.0 °C, hot, with two incubators per temperature, and 90 eggs per incubator, totaling 360 eggs. Hatchability, embryo mortality, and chick cloacal and body surface temperatures were not affected by incubation temperature. Eggs incubated at the hot temperature presented greater egg mass loss and higher eggshell conductance than those incubated at the control temperature. Layer chicks derived from eggs incubated at control temperature showed greater absolute weight, yolk-free egg mass, and heavier hearts than those from eggs submitted to heat stress during incubation. The control group presented lower base excess and ionized calcium blood levels. Incubating eggs at temperatures higher than those recommended compromises body and heart development of layer chicks and negatively affects blood ionized calcium availability, and therefore, bone mineralization during embryo development. Efficient temperature control during the incubation of fertile eggs is essential to obtain good quality layer chicks.

  15. The impact of high-salt exposure on cardiovascular development in the early chick embryo.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Guang; Zhang, Nuan; Wei, Yi-Fan; Jin, Yi-Mei; Zhang, Shi-Yao; Cheng, Xin; Ma, Zheng-Lai; Zhao, Shu-Zhu; Chen, You-Peng; Chuai, Manli; Hocher, Berthold; Yang, Xuesong

    2015-11-01

    In this study, we show that high-salt exposure dramatically increases chick mortality during embryo development. As embryonic mortality at early stages mainly results from defects in cardiovascular development, we focused on heart formation and angiogenesis. We found that high-salt exposure enhanced the risk of abnormal heart tube looping and blood congestion in the heart chamber. In the presence of high salt, both ventricular cell proliferation and apoptosis increased. The high osmolarity induced by high salt in the ventricular cardiomyocytes resulted in incomplete differentiation, which might be due to reduced expression of Nkx2.5 and GATA4. Blood vessel density and diameter were suppressed by exposure to high salt in both the yolk sac membrane (YSM) and chorioallantoic membrane models. In addition, high-salt-induced suppression of angiogenesis occurred even at the vasculogenesis stage, as blood island formation was also inhibited by high-salt exposure. At the same time, cell proliferation was repressed and cell apoptosis was enhanced by high-salt exposure in YSM tissue. Moreover, the reduction in expression of HIF2 and FGF2 genes might cause high-salt-suppressed angiogenesis. Interestingly, we show that high-salt exposure causes excess generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the heart and YSM tissues, which could be partially rescued through the addition of antioxidants. In total, our study suggests that excess generation of ROS might play an important role in high-salt-induced defects in heart and angiogenesis. © 2015. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

  16. A shell-less chick embryo culturing technique, reproduced successfully under local circumstances

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zareen, N.; Khan, Y.

    2008-01-01

    The goal of this project was to demonstrate shell-less chick embryo culturing as a potential experimental model in the field of developmental anatomy. Freshly laid, fertilized chicken eggs of Egyptian Fayoumi breed were obtained from Poultry Research Institute Punjab, Rawalpindi. The fertilized chicken eggs were preincubated for 33 hours under standard conditions of 37.5 degree C and 65-75% humidity, to bring them to stage 9 (29-33 hours embryo, 7 somites) of Hamburger and Hamilton staging system. After this period, the eggs were taken out of the incubator, placed horizontally, wiped with 70% ethanol and permitted to air-dry for 10 minutes to reduce contamination from the egg surface and also to ensure that the embryo was properly positioned. The eggs contents were then transferred into the culture containers by cracking the undersides against an edge. The formation and growth of the embryonic membranes, the central nervous system - beginning from the vesicle stage, the circulatory system - including the heart, the eyes, beak, limbs, skin, feathers, wings and folding of the body were directly observed. Repeated successful culturing was attempted, tracing the developmental process of the embryo upto the 15th day of embryonic life at least after which the survivability period varied in different embryo cultures. The most advanced age reached in this project was day 19 of the embryonic life, which in researchers understanding is the latest developmental stage in shellless environment described as yet. The normal hatching time of this breed is 21-22 days. The size of these embryos was smaller as compared to the embryos of the same age that carried out their development inside their shells. (author)

  17. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of the morphological-dynamics of early cardiac pump action using video densidometry and optical coherence tomography (OCT)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Männer, Jörg; Thrane, Lars; Thommes, Jan

    2010-01-01

    a matter of dispute. Uncovering of the pumping mechanism of tubular embryonic hearts requires detailed information about the hemodynamics as well as morphological dynamics of their pump action. We have therefore analyzed the morphological dynamics of cardiac pump action in chick embryos (HH-stages 16...... have recorded striking differences in the contraction behavior (e.g. contraction speed, duration of systolic occlusion of heart lumen) of the embryonic heart segments (common atrium, AV-canal, embryonic ventricles, outflow tract). Moreover, we show, for the first time, the pump action of tubular...

  18. Astrovirus-induced "white chicks" condition - field observation, virus detection and preliminary characterization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sajewicz-Krukowska, Joanna; Pać, Krzysztof; Lisowska, Anna; Pikuła, Anna; Minta, Zenon; Króliczewska, Bożena; Domańska-Blicharz, Katarzyna

    2016-01-01

    Chicken astrovirus (CAstV) was recently indicated as the factor of the "white chicks" condition associated not only with increased embryo/chick mortality but also with weakness and white plumage of hatched chicks. In February 2014, organ samples (livers and kidneys) from dead-in-shell embryos, as well as 1-day-old whitish and normal chicks, were delivered from one hatchery in Poland for disease diagnosis. The samples originated from the same 30-week-old breeder flock in which the only observed abnormal signs were 4-5% decrease in the number of hatched chickens and the presence (about 1%) of weaker chicks with characteristic whitish plumage among normal ones. CAstV was detected in submitted samples and was then isolated in 10-day-old embryonated specific pathogen free (SPF) chicken eggs. We also reproduced an infection model for the "white chicks" condition in SPF layer chickens using the isolated PL/G059/2014 strain as the infectious agent. Results of experimental reproduction of the "white chicks" condition were somewhat more serious than field observation. The administration of the CAstV material into the yolk sac of 8-day-old SPF chicken eggs caused delay and prolongation of hatching, as well as death of embryos/chicks, and also a change of plumage pigmentation. Only two chicks of a total of 10 inoculated SPF eggs survived and were observed for 2 months. A gradual elimination of the CAstV genome was noted in this period. Moreover, a few contact-naive SPF chicks, which had been placed in the same cage, were infected with CAstV. Molecular characterization of detected CAstV was performed by nucleotide sequencing of the full ORF2 region encoding the capsid precursor protein gene. Phylogenetic studies showed that the PL/G059/2014 isolate clustered in the subgroup Aiii of CAstV. In the light of the new classification rules, the Polish PL/G059/2014 CAstV isolate could be assigned to a new species of the Avastrovirus genus.

  19. Exposure to Excess Phenobarbital Negatively Influences the Osteogenesis of Chick Embryos

    OpenAIRE

    Yan, Yu; Cheng, Xin; Yang, Ren-Hao; Li, He; Chen, Jian-Long; Ma, Zheng-Lai; Wang, Guang; Chuai, Manli; Yang, Xuesong

    2016-01-01

    Phenobarbital is an antiepileptic drug that is widely used to treat epilepsy in a clinical setting. However, a long term of phenobarbital administration in pregnant women may produce side effects on embryonic skeletogenesis. In this study, we aim to investigate the mechanism by which phenobarbital treatment induces developmental defects in long bones. We first determined that phenobarbital treatment decreased chondrogenesis and inhibited the proliferation of chondrocytes in chick embryos. Phe...

  20. Irradiated eggs and chicks in broilers: 3- carcass and blood parameters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shebaita, M.K.; Abdelaal, A.E.; Fahmy, M.O.; Ezzat, I.E.; EL-Barkouky, E.E.; Salem, M.A.I.

    1991-01-01

    This study was carried out on 200 broiler chicks (Hcbbard) representing 3 groups of non-irradiated, irradiated eggs and 4-day-old irradiated chicks (exposed to gamma rays of Co-60). The doses used were 500 and 1000 rad.Half the chickens within each group and within each dose level were treated with vitamin C (50 mg/chick/day) in the drinking water. Carcass analysis, giblets weight and some blood parameters were measured individually in five chicks from each group at 2,4,5 and 6 weeks of age. The data revealed that the exposure of either eggs or chicks to gamma-rays induced a highly significant decrease in liver, heart and gizzard weights. The effect was more pronounced in the irradiated chicks than that in the chicks of irradiated eggs particularly at the dose level of 1000 rad. Except few sporadic cases noticed at different age intervals, no appreciable changes in either carcass chemical analysis (water, fat, protein and ash contents) or blood parameters (RBCs, Hb, PCV, Ca, P, cholesterol, total protein, albumin and globulin) were observed. It seems that the giblets were more sensitive to and reflect the hazardous effects of ionizing radiation than carcass chemical analysis and/or Blood parameters

  1. Spatially resolved RNA-sequencing of the embryonic heart identifies a role for Wnt/β-catenin signaling in autonomic control of heart rate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burkhard, Silja Barbara

    2018-01-01

    Development of specialized cells and structures in the heart is regulated by spatially -restricted molecular pathways. Disruptions in these pathways can cause severe congenital cardiac malformations or functional defects. To better understand these pathways and how they regulate cardiac development we used tomo-seq, combining high-throughput RNA-sequencing with tissue-sectioning, to establish a genome-wide expression dataset with high spatial resolution for the developing zebrafish heart. Analysis of the dataset revealed over 1100 genes differentially expressed in sub-compartments. Pacemaker cells in the sinoatrial region induce heart contractions, but little is known about the mechanisms underlying their development. Using our transcriptome map, we identified spatially restricted Wnt/β-catenin signaling activity in pacemaker cells, which was controlled by Islet-1 activity. Moreover, Wnt/β-catenin signaling controls heart rate by regulating pacemaker cellular response to parasympathetic stimuli. Thus, this high-resolution transcriptome map incorporating all cell types in the embryonic heart can expose spatially restricted molecular pathways critical for specific cardiac functions. PMID:29400650

  2. Trichloroethylene perturbs HNF4a expression and activity in the developing chick heart.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harris, Alondra P; Ismail, Kareem A; Nunez, Martha; Martopullo, Ira; Lencinas, Alejandro; Selmin, Ornella I; Runyan, Raymond B

    2018-03-15

    Exposure to trichloroethylene (TCE) is linked to formation of congenital heart defects in humans and animals. Prior interactome analysis identified the transcription factor, Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 4 alpha (HNF4a), as a potential target of TCE exposure. As a role for HNF4a is unknown in the heart, we examined developing avian hearts for HNF4a expression and for sensitivity to TCE and the HNF4a agonist, Benfluorex. In vitro analysis using a HNF4a reporter construct showed both TCE and HFN4a to be antagonists of HNF4a-mediated transcription at the concentrations tested. HNF4a mRNA is expressed transiently in the embryonic heart during valve formation and cardiac development. Embryos were examined for altered gene expression in the presence of TCE or Benfluorex. TCE altered expression of selected mRNAs including HNF4a, TRAF6 and CYP2C45. There was a transition between inhibition and induction of marker gene expression in embryos as TCE concentration increased. Benfluorex was largely inhibitory to selected markers. Echocardiography of exposed embryos showed reduced cardiac function with both TCE and Benfluorex. Cardiac contraction was reduced by 29% and 23%, respectively at 10 ppb. The effects of TCE and Benfluorex on autocrine regulation of HNF4a, selected markers and cardiac function argue for a functional interaction of TCE and HNF4a. Further, the dose-sensitive shift between inhibition and induction of marker expression may explain the nonmonotonic-like dose response observed with TCE exposure in the heart. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Initiation of electron transport chain activity in the embryonic heart coincides with the activation of mitochondrial complex 1 and the formation of supercomplexes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beutner, Gisela; Eliseev, Roman A; Porter, George A

    2014-01-01

    Mitochondria provide energy in form of ATP in eukaryotic cells. However, it is not known when, during embryonic cardiac development, mitochondria become able to fulfill this function. To assess this, we measured mitochondrial oxygen consumption and the activity of the complexes (Cx) 1 and 2 of the electron transport chain (ETC) and used immunoprecipitation to follow the generation of mitochondrial supercomplexes. We show that in the heart of mouse embryos at embryonic day (E) 9.5, mitochondrial ETC activity and oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) are not coupled, even though the complexes are present. We show that Cx-1 of the ETC is able to accept electrons from the Krebs cycle, but enzyme assays that specifically measure electron flow to ubiquinone or Cx-3 show no activity at this early embryonic stage. At E11.5, mitochondria appear functionally more mature; ETC activity and OXPHOS are coupled and respond to ETC inhibitors. In addition, the assembly of highly efficient respiratory supercomplexes containing Cx-1, -3, and -4, ubiquinone, and cytochrome c begins at E11.5, the exact time when Cx-1 becomes functional activated. At E13.5, ETC activity and OXPHOS of embryonic heart mitochondria are indistinguishable from adult mitochondria. In summary, our data suggest that between E9.5 and E11.5 dramatic changes occur in the mitochondria of the embryonic heart, which result in an increase in OXPHOS due to the activation of complex 1 and the formation of supercomplexes.

  4. CTCF counter-regulates cardiomyocyte development and maturation programs in the embryonic heart

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gomez-Velazquez, Melisa; Badia-Careaga, Claudio; Lechuga-Vieco, Ana Victoria; Nieto-Arellano, Rocio; Rollan, Isabel; Alvarez, Alba; Torroja, Carlos; Caceres, Eva F.; Roy, Anna R.; Galjart, Niels; Sanchez-Cabo, Fatima; Enriquez, Jose Antonio; Gomez-Skarmeta, Jose Luis

    2017-01-01

    Cardiac progenitors are specified early in development and progressively differentiate and mature into fully functional cardiomyocytes. This process is controlled by an extensively studied transcriptional program. However, the regulatory events coordinating the progression of such program from development to maturation are largely unknown. Here, we show that the genome organizer CTCF is essential for cardiogenesis and that it mediates genomic interactions to coordinate cardiomyocyte differentiation and maturation in the developing heart. Inactivation of Ctcf in cardiac progenitor cells and their derivatives in vivo during development caused severe cardiac defects and death at embryonic day 12.5. Genome wide expression analysis in Ctcf mutant hearts revealed that genes controlling mitochondrial function and protein production, required for cardiomyocyte maturation, were upregulated. However, mitochondria from mutant cardiomyocytes do not mature properly. In contrast, multiple development regulatory genes near predicted heart enhancers, including genes in the IrxA cluster, were downregulated in Ctcf mutants, suggesting that CTCF promotes cardiomyocyte differentiation by facilitating enhancer-promoter interactions. Accordingly, loss of CTCF disrupts gene expression and chromatin interactions as shown by chromatin conformation capture followed by deep sequencing. Furthermore, CRISPR-mediated deletion of an intergenic CTCF site within the IrxA cluster alters gene expression in the developing heart. Thus, CTCF mediates local regulatory interactions to coordinate transcriptional programs controlling transitions in morphology and function during heart development. PMID:28846746

  5. CTCF counter-regulates cardiomyocyte development and maturation programs in the embryonic heart.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Melisa Gomez-Velazquez

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Cardiac progenitors are specified early in development and progressively differentiate and mature into fully functional cardiomyocytes. This process is controlled by an extensively studied transcriptional program. However, the regulatory events coordinating the progression of such program from development to maturation are largely unknown. Here, we show that the genome organizer CTCF is essential for cardiogenesis and that it mediates genomic interactions to coordinate cardiomyocyte differentiation and maturation in the developing heart. Inactivation of Ctcf in cardiac progenitor cells and their derivatives in vivo during development caused severe cardiac defects and death at embryonic day 12.5. Genome wide expression analysis in Ctcf mutant hearts revealed that genes controlling mitochondrial function and protein production, required for cardiomyocyte maturation, were upregulated. However, mitochondria from mutant cardiomyocytes do not mature properly. In contrast, multiple development regulatory genes near predicted heart enhancers, including genes in the IrxA cluster, were downregulated in Ctcf mutants, suggesting that CTCF promotes cardiomyocyte differentiation by facilitating enhancer-promoter interactions. Accordingly, loss of CTCF disrupts gene expression and chromatin interactions as shown by chromatin conformation capture followed by deep sequencing. Furthermore, CRISPR-mediated deletion of an intergenic CTCF site within the IrxA cluster alters gene expression in the developing heart. Thus, CTCF mediates local regulatory interactions to coordinate transcriptional programs controlling transitions in morphology and function during heart development.

  6. CTCF counter-regulates cardiomyocyte development and maturation programs in the embryonic heart.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gomez-Velazquez, Melisa; Badia-Careaga, Claudio; Lechuga-Vieco, Ana Victoria; Nieto-Arellano, Rocio; Tena, Juan J; Rollan, Isabel; Alvarez, Alba; Torroja, Carlos; Caceres, Eva F; Roy, Anna R; Galjart, Niels; Delgado-Olguin, Paul; Sanchez-Cabo, Fatima; Enriquez, Jose Antonio; Gomez-Skarmeta, Jose Luis; Manzanares, Miguel

    2017-08-01

    Cardiac progenitors are specified early in development and progressively differentiate and mature into fully functional cardiomyocytes. This process is controlled by an extensively studied transcriptional program. However, the regulatory events coordinating the progression of such program from development to maturation are largely unknown. Here, we show that the genome organizer CTCF is essential for cardiogenesis and that it mediates genomic interactions to coordinate cardiomyocyte differentiation and maturation in the developing heart. Inactivation of Ctcf in cardiac progenitor cells and their derivatives in vivo during development caused severe cardiac defects and death at embryonic day 12.5. Genome wide expression analysis in Ctcf mutant hearts revealed that genes controlling mitochondrial function and protein production, required for cardiomyocyte maturation, were upregulated. However, mitochondria from mutant cardiomyocytes do not mature properly. In contrast, multiple development regulatory genes near predicted heart enhancers, including genes in the IrxA cluster, were downregulated in Ctcf mutants, suggesting that CTCF promotes cardiomyocyte differentiation by facilitating enhancer-promoter interactions. Accordingly, loss of CTCF disrupts gene expression and chromatin interactions as shown by chromatin conformation capture followed by deep sequencing. Furthermore, CRISPR-mediated deletion of an intergenic CTCF site within the IrxA cluster alters gene expression in the developing heart. Thus, CTCF mediates local regulatory interactions to coordinate transcriptional programs controlling transitions in morphology and function during heart development.

  7. Chick embryo partial ischemia model: a new approach to study ischemia ex vivo.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Syamantak Majumder

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Ischemia is a pathophysiological condition due to blockade in blood supply to a specific tissue thus damaging the physiological activity of the tissue. Different in vivo models are presently available to study ischemia in heart and other tissues. However, no ex vivo ischemia model has been available to date for routine ischemia research and for faster screening of anti-ischemia drugs. In the present study, we took the opportunity to develop an ex vivo model of partial ischemia using the vascular bed of 4(th day incubated chick embryo. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Ischemia was created in chick embryo by ligating the right vitelline artery using sterile surgical suture. Hypoxia inducible factor- 1 alpha (HIF-1alpha, creatine phospho kinase-MB and reactive oxygen species in animal tissues and cells were measured to confirm ischemia in chick embryo. Additionally, ranolazine, N-acetyl cysteine and trimetazidine were administered as an anti-ischemic drug to validate the present model. Results from the present study depicted that blocking blood flow elevates HIF-1alpha, lipid peroxidation, peroxynitrite level in ischemic vessels while ranolazine administration partially attenuates ischemia driven HIF-1alpha expression. Endothelial cell incubated on ischemic blood vessels elucidated a higher level of HIF-1alpha expression with time while ranolazine treatment reduced HIF-1alpha in ischemic cells. Incubation of caprine heart strip on chick embryo ischemia model depicted an elevated creatine phospho kinase-MB activity under ischemic condition while histology of the treated heart sections evoked edema and disruption of myofibril structures. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The present study concluded that chick embryo partial ischemia model can be used as a novel ex vivo model of ischemia. Therefore, the present model can be used parallel with the known in vivo ischemia models in understanding the mechanistic insight of ischemia development and in

  8. Simultaneous estimates of regional myocardial blood flow and metabolism by the developing chick heart using [201]thallium and [14C] 2-deoxyglucose autoradiography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kostreva, D.R.; Wood, J.D.

    1990-01-01

    Little is known about regional myocardial blood flow and metabolism in the developing heart. Simultaneous estimates of regional myocardial blood flow and glucose metabolism have been made in the adult rat by Yonekura et al using [ 201 ] Thallium (THAL) and [ 14 C]2-deoxyglucose (DG) autoradiography. Since glucose is the primary cardiac metabolic substrate during development, glucose utilization is also an estimate of myocardial metabolism. Examination and comparison of the THAL and DG autoradiographs revealed that there is an uncoupling of blood flow and metabolism in the developing chick heart. Areas of the heart which had marked glucose utilization did not always have marked blood flow. Regions of the heart which had marked blood flow but very little glucose utilization were the interventricular septum and the apex. One explanation for this disparity is that although blood flow may be established in these regions, normal cardiac function requiring significant substrate utilization may not be fully developed

  9. Time-Series Interactions of Gene Expression, Vascular Growth and Hemodynamics during Early Embryonic Arterial Development.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Selda Goktas

    Full Text Available The role of hemodynamic forces within the embryo as biomechanical regulators for cardiovascular morphogenesis, growth, and remodeling is well supported through the experimental studies. Furthermore, clinical experience suggests that perturbed flow disrupts the normal vascular growth process as one etiology for congenital heart diseases (CHD and for fetal adaptation to CHD. However, the relationships between hemodynamics, gene expression and embryonic vascular growth are poorly defined due to the lack of concurrent, sequential in vivo data. In this study, a long-term, time-lapse optical coherence tomography (OCT imaging campaign was conducted to acquire simultaneous blood velocity, pulsatile micro-pressure and morphometric data for 3 consecutive early embryonic stages in the chick embryo. In conjunction with the in vivo growth and hemodynamics data, in vitro reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR analysis was performed to track changes in transcript expression relevant to histogenesis and remodeling of the embryonic arterial wall. Our non-invasive extended OCT imaging technique for the microstructural data showed continuous vessel growth. OCT data coupled with the PIV technique revealed significant but intermitted increases in wall shear stress (WSS between first and second assigned stages and a noticeable decrease afterwards. Growth rate, however, did not vary significantly throughout the embryonic period. Among all the genes studied, only the MMP-2 and CASP-3 expression levels remained unchanged during the time course. Concurrent relationships were obtained among the transcriptional modulation of the genes, vascular growth and hemodynamics-related changes. Further studies are indicated to determine cause and effect relationships and reversibility between mechanical and molecular regulation of vasculogenesis.

  10. Expression of the voltage-sensing phosphatase gene in the chick embryonic tissues and in the adult cerebellum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yamaguchi, Shinji; Aoki, Naoya; Kitajima, Takaaki; Okamura, Yasushi; Homma, Koichi J

    2014-10-01

    Voltage-sensing phosphatase (VSP) consists of a transmembrane voltage sensor domain (VSD) and the cytoplasmic domain with phosphoinositide-phosphatase activities. It operates as the voltage sensor and directly translates membrane potential into phosphoinositide turnover by coupling VSD to the cytoplasmic domain. VSPs are evolutionarily conserved from marine invertebrate up to humans. Recently, we demonstrated that ectopic expression of the chick ortholog of VSP, Gg-VSP, in a fibroblast cell line caused characteristic cell process outgrowths. Co-expression of chick PTEN suppressed such morphological change, suggesting that VSP regulates cell shape by increasing PI(3,4)P2. However, the in vivo function of Gg-VSP remains unclear. Here, we showed that in chick embryos Gg-VSP is expressed in the stomach, mesonephros, pharyngeal arch, limb bud, somites, floor plate of neural tube, and notochord. In addition, both Gg-VSP transcripts and the protein were found in the cerebellar Purkinje neurons. These findings provide an insight into the physiological functions of VSP.

  11. Egg temperature and embryonic metabolism of A- and B-eggs of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Macaroni and rockhopper penguins lay two eggs but rear only one chick to independence. The eggs are markedly dimorphic in size and, although the smaller A-egg is laid several days before the B-egg, in nests where both eggs are incubated, the B-egg always hatches first. Incubation temperatures and embryonic oxygen ...

  12. Responses of broiler chicks to radiation processed full-fat rapeseed

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Farag, El-Din Diaa.M.; Abd El-Hakeim, N.F.; Ali, Y.

    1999-01-01

    Studies were undertaken to determine a safe inclusion for full-fat rapeseed processed through radiation treatment, as a step towards detoxification, in broiler chick's diet. Raw and processed full-fat seeds (10 and 20 KGy) were fed to arbor acres broiler chicks from 7 d of 49 d of age. Body weight of chicks fed the control diet were heaviest followed in order against those fed seed irradiated at 20 and 10 KGy weight depression relative to birds fed, over the experimental duration, of chicks fed diets containing raw and irradiated rapeseed at 10 and 20 KGy were-11.2, - 7.2 and - 0.14%, respectively. In general, the study indicates that processed seeds at 20 KGy fed to broilers resulted in body weights (7 wk) similar to the control birds. leg abnormalities were seen in birds fed raw and irradiated rapeseed at 10 and 20 KGy to be 31.1, 17.8 and 8.9%, respectively. Mortality rate of birds fed raw seeds was more pronounced than those fed the irradiated seeds. Birds fed raw seeds showed thyroid and liver enlargement. Processed seeds at 10 and 20 KGy reduced the effect on these organs. Feeding chicks irradiated seed at 10 and 20 KGy did not normalize the weight of thyroid and liver. Meanwhile, there is no significant difference in relative weight of gizzard, pancreas, heart and kidney of chicks fed control diet and those fed irradiated seeds

  13. [Breeding biology of the whiskered auklet (Aethia pygmaea): incubation, chick growth, and feather ontogenesis].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koniukhov, N B; Zubakin, V A; Williams, J; Fischer, J

    2000-01-01

    This is the second publication on the results of studies of the whiskered auklet breeding biology on Buldir Island. In 1993, according to the time of chick hatching the egg-laying period began in late April-early May. The single egg was incubated by both parents, which relieved each other once a day, usually at early night. Among the chicks under observation, the first hatched on June 11; the median of hatching was on June 17. After hatching, the egg shell usually remained in the nest. The chick was continuously brooded by one of parents for the first several days but since the age of 7-9 days, it stayed in the nest by itself during the daytime. Each parent fed the chick once a day, at early night, although occasional feedings were recorded also during daytime and at dawn. A newly hatched chick was covered by typical embryonal (natal) down. The remiges, rectrices, their coverts, and large feathers on pteryla humeralis had a mesoptile stage during their growth (the second down generation). The juvenile plumage consisted of semiplumes of types I and II and contour feathers of type I and, possibly, type II. In fledglings, the ornamental feathers were underdeveloped: the crest was absent and facial plumes only began growing. By reaching 100 g, the chicks left their nests at the age of about 37 days. A longer nesting period than in other Aethia auklets appears to be related to a low feeding rate due to the nocturnal activity in the colony.

  14. Mechanical signaling coordinates the embryonic heartbeat

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chiou, Kevin K.; Rocks, Jason W.; Chen, Christina Yingxian; Cho, Sangkyun; Merkus, Koen E.; Rajaratnam, Anjali; Robison, Patrick; Tewari, Manorama; Vogel, Kenneth; Majkut, Stephanie F.; Prosser, Benjamin L.; Discher, Dennis E.; Liu, Andrea J.

    2016-01-01

    In the beating heart, cardiac myocytes (CMs) contract in a coordinated fashion, generating contractile wave fronts that propagate through the heart with each beat. Coordinating this wave front requires fast and robust signaling mechanisms between CMs. The primary signaling mechanism has long been identified as electrical: gap junctions conduct ions between CMs, triggering membrane depolarization, intracellular calcium release, and actomyosin contraction. In contrast, we propose here that, in the early embryonic heart tube, the signaling mechanism coordinating beats is mechanical rather than electrical. We present a simple biophysical model in which CMs are mechanically excitable inclusions embedded within the extracellular matrix (ECM), modeled as an elastic-fluid biphasic material. Our model predicts strong stiffness dependence in both the heartbeat velocity and strain in isolated hearts, as well as the strain for a hydrogel-cultured CM, in quantitative agreement with recent experiments. We challenge our model with experiments disrupting electrical conduction by perfusing intact adult and embryonic hearts with a gap junction blocker, β-glycyrrhetinic acid (BGA). We find this treatment causes rapid failure in adult hearts but not embryonic hearts—consistent with our hypothesis. Last, our model predicts a minimum matrix stiffness necessary to propagate a mechanically coordinated wave front. The predicted value is in accord with our stiffness measurements at the onset of beating, suggesting that mechanical signaling may initiate the very first heartbeats. PMID:27457951

  15. Differential expression of AMPA-type glutamate receptor subunits during development of the chick optic tectum

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Batista S.S.

    2002-01-01

    Full Text Available Glutamate receptors have been often associated with developmental processes. We used immunohistochemical techniques to evaluate the expression of the AMPA-type glutamate receptor (GluR subunits in the chick optic tectum (TeO. Chick embryos from the 5th through the 20th embryonic day (E5-E20 and one-day-old (P1 chicks were used. The three types of immunoreactivity evaluated (GluR1, GluR2/3, and GluR4 had different temporal and spatial expression patterns in the several layers of the TeO. The GluR1 subunit first appeared as moderate staining on E7 and then increased on E9. The mature GluR1 pattern included intense staining only in layer 5 of the TeO. The GluR2/3 subunits presented low expression on E5, which became intense on E7. The staining for GluR2/3 changed to very intense on E14 in tectal layer 13. Staining of layer 13 neurons is the most prominent feature of GluR immunoreactivity in the adult TeO. The GluR4 subunit generally presented the lowest expression starting on E7, which was similar to the adult pattern. Some instances of transient expression of GluR subunits were observed in specific cell populations from E9 through E20. These results demonstrate a differential expression of the GluR subunits in the embryonic TeO, adding information about their possible functions in the developmental processes of the visual system.

  16. The effects of 1α, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 and transforming growth factor-β3 on bone development in an ex vivo organotypic culture system of embryonic chick femora.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Emma L Smith

    Full Text Available Transforming growth factor-beta3 (TGF-β3 and 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1α,25 (OH 2D3 are essential factors in chondrogenesis and osteogenesis respectively. These factors also play a fundamental role in the developmental processes and the maintenance of skeletal integrity, but their respective direct effects on these processes are not fully understood. Using an organotypic bone rudiment culture system the current study has examined the direct roles the osteotropic factors 1α,25 (OH2D3 and TGF-β3 exert on the development and modulation of the three dimensional structure of the embryonic femur. Isolated embryonic chick femurs (E11 were organotypically cultured for 10 days in basal media, or basal media supplemented with either 1α,25 (OH 2D3 (25 nM or TGF-β3 (5 ng/mL & 15 ng/mL. Analyses of the femurs were undertaken using micro-computed tomography (μCT, histology and immunohistochemistry. 1α,25 (OH2D3 supplemented cultures enhanced osteogenesis directly in the developing femurs with elevated levels of osteogenic markers such as type 1 collagen. In marked contrast organotypic femur cultures supplemented with TGF-β3 (5 ng/mL & 15 ng/mL demonstrated enhanced chondrogenesis with a reduction in osteogenesis. These studies demonstrate the efficacy of the ex vivo organotypic embryonic femur culture employed to elucidate the direct roles of these molecules, 1α,25 (OH 2D3 and TGF-β3 on the structural development of embryonic bone within a three dimensional framework. We conclude that 1α,25(OH2D and TGF-β3 modify directly the various cell populations in bone rudiment organotypic cultures effecting tissue metabolism resulting in significant changes in embryonic bone growth and modulation. Understanding the roles of osteotropic agents in the process of skeletal development is integral to developing new strategies for the recapitulation of bone tissue in later life.

  17. Development of a green fluorescent protein metastatic-cancer chick-embryo drug-screen model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bobek, Vladimir; Plachy, Jiri; Pinterova, Daniela; Kolostova, Katarina; Boubelik, Michael; Jiang, Ping; Yang, Meng; Hoffman, Robert M

    2004-01-01

    The chick-embryo model has been an important tool to study tumor growth, metastasis, and angiogenesis. However, an imageable model with a genetic fluorescent tag in the growing and spreading cancer cells that is stable over time has not been developed. We report here the development of such an imageable fluorescent chick-embryo metastatic cancer model with the use of green fluorescent protein (GFP). Lewis lung carcinoma cells, stably expressing GFP, were injected on the 12th day of incubation in the chick embryo. GFP-Lewis lung carcinoma metastases were visualized by fluorescence, after seven days additional incubation, in the brain, heart, and sternum of the developing chick embryo, with the most frequent site being the brain. The combination of streptokinase and gemcitabine was evaluated in this GFP metastatic model. Twelve-day-old chick embryos were injected intravenously with GFP-Lewis lung cancer cells, along with these two agents either alone or in combination. The streptokinase-gemcitabine combination inhibited metastases at all sites. The effective dose of gemcitabine was found to be 10 mg/kg and streptokinase 2000 IU per embryo. The data in this report suggest that this new stably fluorescent imageable metastatic-cancer chick-embryo model will enable rapid screening of new antimetastatic agents.

  18. Adenosinetriphosphate content and adenosinetriphosphatase activity in cell fractions of the liver and brain of chick embryos and birds treated with gamma-rays

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Todorov, B.

    1977-01-01

    Studies are conducted on the level of ADP and the adenosinetriphosphatase in nuclei, mitochondria, and microsomes taken from the brain and liver of singly gamma-irradiated (1000 rd) chick embryos and birds. As a result of the treatment the ADP content dropped, while the activity of ADP rose. These changes were more strongly expressed in the nuclei, than in the mitochondria, and to a lesser extent - in the microsomes. Twelve-day chick embryos showed more markedly expressed radiosensitivity than newly hatched chicks. This embryonal stage is characterized by intense growth, differentiation and metabolic processes in the liver, which substantiate not only the higher radiosensitivity of this age group but the more strongly expressed changes in the liver as compared with the brain. (author)

  19. Kinking and Torsion Can Significantly Improve the Efficiency of Valveless Pumping in Periodically Compressed Tubular Conduits. Implications for Understanding of the Form-Function Relationship of Embryonic Heart Tubes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Florian Hiermeier

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Valveless pumping phenomena (peristalsis, Liebau-effect can generate unidirectional fluid flow in periodically compressed tubular conduits. Early embryonic hearts are tubular conduits acting as valveless pumps. It is unclear whether such hearts work as peristaltic or Liebau-effect pumps. During the initial phase of its pumping activity, the originally straight embryonic heart is subjected to deforming forces that produce bending, twisting, kinking, and coiling. This deformation process is called cardiac looping. Its function is traditionally seen as generating a configuration needed for establishment of correct alignments of pulmonary and systemic flow pathways in the mature heart of lung-breathing vertebrates. This idea conflicts with the fact that cardiac looping occurs in all vertebrates, including gill-breathing fishes. We speculate that looping morphogenesis may improve the efficiency of valveless pumping. To test the physical plausibility of this hypothesis, we analyzed the pumping performance of a Liebau-effect pump in straight and looped (kinked configurations. Compared to the straight configuration, the looped configuration significantly improved the pumping performance of our pump. This shows that looping can improve the efficiency of valveless pumping driven by the Liebau-effect. Further studies are needed to clarify whether this finding may have implications for understanding of the form-function relationship of embryonic hearts.

  20. Modeling the marine resources consumed in raising a king penguin chick: an energetics approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Halsey, L G; Butler, P J; Fahlman, A; Bost, C-A; Woakes, A J; Handrich, Y

    2008-01-01

    Accurate estimates of penguin energetics would represent an important contribution to our understanding of the trophodynamics of the Southern Ocean ecosystem and our ability to predict effects of environmental change on these species. We used the heart rate-rate of oxygen consumption technique to estimate rate of energy expenditure in adult king penguins raising a chick, in combination with data from the literature on changes in adult mass, chick energy requirements, and prey energy density. Our model estimated a variety of energetic costs and quantities of prey consumption related to raising a king penguin chick during the austral summer. The total energy requirements of a king penguin chick at the Crozet Archipelago from hatching until reaching a mass of 8 kg 90 d later is 271 MJ, representing the consumption of 38.4 kg of myctophid fish. A successfully breeding male requires 0.78 kg d(-1) of fish during the entirety of the incubation period and 1.14 kg d(-1) during the subsequent 90 d of chick rearing. Assuming the same energy requirements for females, the estimated 580,000 pairs of king penguins that breed successfully at Crozet each year, together with their chicks, consume a total of around 190,000 tons of fish during the incubation and summer rearing periods combined. If, due to depletion of fish stocks, the diet of breeders and chicks during the summer becomes identical to the typical diet of adults during the austral winter, the mass of prey required by both adults and chicks combined (where the chick still reaches 8 kg after 90 d) would increase by more than 25%.

  1. Organelle-cytoskeleton relationships in fibroblasts: mitochondria, Golgi apparatus, and endoplasmic reticulum in phases of movement and growth

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Couchman, J R; Rees, D A

    1982-01-01

    When fibroblasts first emerge from explants of embryonic chick heart, most mitochondria are clustered tightly around the nucleus, with very few extending towards the leading lamella. Although cytoplasmic microtubules are well displayed, mitochondria do not obviously codistribute with them. As the...

  2. Exposure to excess phenobarbital negatively influences the osteogenesis of chick embryos

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yu Yan

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Phenobarbital is an antiepileptic drug that is widely used to treat epilepsy in a clinical setting. However, a long term of phenobarbital administration in pregnant women may produce side effects on embryonic skeletogenesis. In this study, we aim to investigate the mechanism by which phenobarbital treatment induces developmental defects in long bones. We first determined that phenobarbital treatment decreased chondrogenesis and inhibited the proliferation of chondrocytes in chick embryos. Phenobarbital treatment also suppressed mineralization in both in vivo and in vitro long bone models. Next, we established that phenobarbital treatment delayed blood vessel invasion in a cartilage template, and this finding was supported by the down-regulation of vascular endothelial growth factor in the hypertrophic zone following phenobarbital treatment. Phenobarbital treatment inhibited tube formation and the migration of human umbilical vein endothelial cells. In addition, it impaired angiogenesis in chick yolk sac membrane model and chorioallantoic membrane model. In summary, phenobarbital exposure led to shortened lengths of long bones during embryogenesis, which might result from inhibiting mesenchyme differentiation, chondrocyte proliferation, and delaying mineralization by impairing vascular invasion.

  3. Evaluation Of Some Blood Biochemical And Hormonal Levels During Different Ages Of Ostrich Embryonic Development

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    ELSAYED, M.A.; FARGHALY, H.A.M.; MAHROSE, KH.

    2010-01-01

    Eighty ostrich eggs were collected from the breeding flock at the ostrich farm in the Nuclear Research Centre, Atomic Energy Authority, Inshas, Sharkia Governorate, Egypt, during the period from March to May 2008 to evaluate some blood constituents during ostrich embryonic development. All adult birds were kept under the same managerial, hygienic and environmental conditions and had 2.1 kg palletized feed per bird per day. Eggs were collected at 15.00 pm each day. Eggs were washed and weighed on an electric balance(±)0.01 g.The eggs were placed in the setter for 39 days at 36.5 0 C and 25 % relative humidity. After 39 days, eggs were transferred to hatcher machine at 35.5 0 C and 40 - 45 % relative humidity until hatch. Blood samples were collected at days 21, 28, 35 and 39 of embryonic development and at one day age after 12 hours of hatch. Serum total protein, albumin, globulin, creatinine, urea and uric acid levels were determined. Serum aspartate transaminase and alanine transaminase, total cholesterol, triglycerides and triiodothyronine levels were estimated. The results showed that chicks of one day old and older embryos of ostriches had significant higher values of serum blood components than younger embryos.On the other hand, blood serum cholesterol level was decreased significantly with age advancement during embryonic development and as well as chicks of one day old.

  4. Effects of egg storage on hatchability, chick quality, performance and immunocompetence parameters of broiler chickens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goliomytis, Michael; Tsipouzian, Theofania; Hager-Theodorides, Ariadne L

    2015-09-01

    Pre-incubation egg storage is a necessity for the poultry industry. This study evaluated the effects of pre-incubation storage length of broiler eggs on hatchability, 1-day-old chick quality, subsequent performance, and immunocompetence. To this end, a total of 360 hatching eggs were stored for 4, 12, or 16 d prior to incubation. Hatchability and chick quality were assessed at hatch, and growth performance and immunocompetence parameters were assessed during a 35 d rearing period. Hatchability of set and fertile eggs, and embryonic mortality, were not affected by egg storage. On the contrary, 1-day-old chick BW and length were linearly negatively correlated with egg storage length (P-linearegg weight prior to setting was unaffected, and corrected chick length was positively affected by storage length. One-day-old chick Tona score, navel quality, and post-hatch growth performance (BW at 7 and 35 d, cumulative feed intake, and feed conversion ratio at 35 d) were unaffected by egg storage (P, P-linear>0.05). Lymphoid organ weights at 2 and 35 d, the titre of maternal anti-NDV antibodies, most of the thymocyte subpopulations defined by CD3, CD4, and CD8 cell surface expression in the thymus of 2-d-old chicks, cellular responses to the PHA skin test, humoral responses to primary SRBC, and NDV immunizations were also not influenced by length of storage (P, P-linear>0.05). On the contrary, the length of egg storage was found to negatively influence the abundance of CD3+CD4-CD8- thymocytes that represent the majority of γδ-T cells in the thymus of 2-day-old chicks, as well as the humoral response to booster NDV immunization of the birds. In brief, pre-incubation storage of broiler hatching eggs for up to 16 d did not affect most developmental and growth parameters investigated, except for BW and length at hatch. Egg storage was found to suppress some aspects of the immunocompetence of the birds, particularly aspects of acquired immunity. © 2015 Poultry Science

  5. Embryonic and foetal Islet-1 positive cells in human hearts are also positive to c-Kit

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. Serradifalco

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available During embryogenesis, the mammalian heart develops from a primitive heart tube originating from two bilateral primary heart fields located in the lateral plate mesoderm. Cells belongings to the pre-cardiac mesoderm will differentiate into early cardiac progenitors, which express early transcription factors which are also common to the Isl-1 positive cardiac progenitor cells isolated from the developing pharyngeal mesoderm and the foetal and post-natal mice hearts. A second population of cardiac progenitor cells positive to c-Kit has been abundantly isolated from adult hearts. Until now, these two populations have been considered two different sets of progenitor cells present in the heart in different stages of an individual life. In the present study we collected embryonic, foetal and infant hearts, and we tested the hypotheses that c-Kit positive cells, usually isolated from the adult heart, are also present in the intra-uterine life and persist in the adult heart after birth, and that foetal Isl-1 positive cells are also positive to c-Kit. Using immunohistochemistry we studied the temporal distribution of Isl-1 positive and c-Kit/CD105 double positive cells, and by immunofluorescence and confocal analysis we studied the co-localization of c-Kit and Isl-1 positive cells. The results indicated that cardiomyocytes and interstitial cells were positive for c-Kit from the 9th to the 19th gestational week, that cells positive for both c-Kit and CD105 appeared in the interstitium at the 17th gestational week and persisted in the postnatal age, and that the Isl-1 positive cells were a subset of the c-Kit positive population.

  6. Isolation of chicken embryonic stem cell and preparation of chicken chimeric model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Yani; Yang, Haiyan; Zhang, Zhentao; Shi, Qingqing; Wang, Dan; Zheng, Mengmeng; Li, Bichun; Song, Jiuzhou

    2013-03-01

    Chicken embryonic stem cells (ESCs) were separated from blastoderms at stage-X and cultured in vitro. Alkaline phosphatase activity and stage-specific embryonic antigen-1 staining was conducted to detect ESCs. Then, chicken ESCs were transfected with linearized plasmid pEGFP-N1 in order to produce chimeric chicken. Firstly, the optimal electrotransfection condition was compared; the results showed the highest transfection efficiency was obtained when the field strength and pulse duration was 280 V and 75 μs, respectively. Secondly, the hatchability of shedding methods, drilling a window at the blunt end of egg and drilling a window at the lateral shell of egg was compared, the results showed that the hatchability was the highest for drilling a window at the lateral shell of egg. Thirdly, the hatchability of microinjection (ESCs was microinjected into chick embryo cavity) was compared too, the results showed there were significant difference between the injection group transfected with ESCs and that of other two groups. In addition, five chimeric chickens were obtained in this study and EGFP gene was expressed in some organs, but only two chimeric chicken expressed EGFP gene in the gonad, indicating that the chimeric chicken could be obtained through chick embryo cavity injection by drilling a window at the lateral shell of egg.

  7. Bending and Twisting the Embryonic Heart: A Computational Model for C-Looping Based on Realistic Geometry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yunfei eShi

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available The morphogenetic process of cardiac looping transforms the straight heart tube into a curved tube that resembles the shape of the future four-chambered heart. Although great progress has been made in identifying the molecular and genetic factors involved in looping, the physical mechanisms that drive this process have remained poorly understood. Recent work, however, has shed new light on this complicated problem. After briefly reviewing the current state of knowledge, we propose a relatively comprehensive hypothesis for the mechanics of the first phase of looping, termed c-looping, as the straight heart tube deforms into a c-shaped tube. According to this hypothesis, differential hypertrophic growth in the myocardium supplies the main forces that cause the heart tube to bend ventrally, while regional growth and contraction in the omphalomesenteric veins (primitive atria and compressive loads exerted by the splanchnopleuric membrane drive rightward torsion. A computational model based on realistic embryonic heart geometry is used to test this hypothesis. The behavior of the model is in reasonable agreement with available experimental data from control and perturbed embryos, offering support for our hypothesis. The results also suggest, however, that several other mechanisms contribute secondarily to normal looping, and we speculate that these mechanisms play backup roles when looping is perturbed. Finally, some outstanding questions are discussed for future study.

  8. Microarray analysis of normal and abnormal chick ventricular myocardial development

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Krejčí, Eliška; Peševski, Živorad; Dealmeida, A.C.; Mrug, M.; Fresco, V.M.; Argraves, W.S.; Barth, J.L.; Cui, X.; Sedmera, David

    2012-01-01

    Roč. 61, Suppl.1 (2012), S137-S144 ISSN 0862-8408 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GAP302/11/1308; GA ČR(CZ) GD204/09/H084 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50110509 Institutional support: RVO:67985823 Keywords : chick embryo * gene chip array * hypoplastic left heart syndrome * hemodynamics * gene expression Subject RIV: EA - Cell Biology Impact factor: 1.531, year: 2012

  9. Effects of in ovo injection of carbohydrates on embryonic metabolism, hatchability, and subsequent somatic characteristics of broiler hatchlings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhai, W; Gerard, P D; Pulikanti, R; Peebles, E D

    2011-10-01

    The effects of the in ovo injection of different carbohydrate solutions on the internal egg temperature (IT), hatchability, and time of hatch of embryonated Ross × Ross 708 broiler hatching eggs were determined. In addition, the BW, liver weight, yolk sac weight (YSW), and yolk-free BW (YFBW) of the embryos on d 19.5 of incubation and of the chicks on day of hatch were determined. Eggs containing live embryos were injected in the amnion on d 18.5 of incubation using an automated multiple-egg injector. Solution injections delivered 1.2 mL of physiological saline (0.85%) alone or with a supplemental carbohydrate. The following supplemental carbohydrates were separately dissolved in saline at a concentration of 0.3 g/mL: glucose, fructose, sucrose, maltose, and dextrin. Temperature transponders were implanted in the air cells of embryonated and nonembryonated eggs after in ovo injection for the detection of IT at 6, 14, and 22 h after injection. The IT of embryonated eggs was significantly greater than that of nonembryonated eggs at all 3 times after the treatment period. Eggs that were injected with saline with or without supplemental carbohydrates experienced a reduction in IT when compared with control eggs whose shells were perforated without solution delivery, and the decrease in IT was associated with a delay in hatch time. Liver weight was negatively related to YSW and positively related to YFBW, and YSW was negatively related to YFBW. Although the saline and carbohydrate solution injections increased chick BW compared with noninjected controls, chick YFBW was decreased in the maltose- and sucrose-injected groups. In conclusion, the injection of 1.2 mL of saline with or without supplemental carbohydrates lowered embryonic metabolism, as reflected by a lower IT and a delay in time of hatch. However, effects of the different carbohydrate solutions on yolk absorption and tissue deposition in yolk-free embryos varied. These results suggest that lower volumes for

  10. Stimulation of a Cd-binding protein, and inhibition of the vitamin D-dependent calcium-binding protein, by zinc or cadmium in organ-cultured embryonic chick duodenum

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Corradino, R.A.; Fullmer, C.S.

    1980-01-01

    Embryonic chick duodenum maintained in organ culture responds to 1 α,25-dihydroxy vitamin D 3 in the culture medium by de novo synthesis of a specific calcium-binding protein (CaBP). The addition of Cd 2+ (3-5 x 10 -5 M) or Zn 2+ (10 -5 -10 -4 M) to the medium inhibited CaBP, but stimulated biosynthesis of a Cd-binding protein (CdBP). CdBP in duodenal homogenate supernatants was assessed in two ways: first, by its 109 Cd-binding activity ( 109 CdBA) using a competitive ion exchange procedure; and, second, by the extent of [ 35 S]-cystine incorporation into a specific peak or band after gel filtration or analytical polyacrylamide disc gel electrophoresis, respectively. Regardless of whether cadmium- or zinc-stimulated, the 35 S-labeled CdBP - the only protein significantly labeled under the conditions employed - migrated identically upon gel filtration and electrophoresis, and comigrated with purified chick liver Cd-metallothionein. Neither actinomycin D nor α-amanitin, in concentrations sufficient to severely inhibit CaBP, significantly reduced CdBP production. However, cycloheximide did inhibit either Cd 2+ - or Zn 2+ -stimulated CdBP by about 50% at an inhibitor concentration which abolished CaBP. The inhibitor studies, coupled with the observations of extensive incorporation of [ 35 S]cystine into CdBP, suggest that the metals stimulated biosynthesis by a mechanism operating at the translational level. The organ-cultured duodenum seems well suited for studies of the regulation of CdBP biosynthesis especially since it responds predictably to the steroid hormone, 1α,25-dihydroxy vitamin D 3 , in the induction of another specific protein, CaBP, at the transcriptional level. The biosynthesis of CaBP thus may serve as a convenient control in studies of CdBP production under various experimental conditions

  11. Detailed analysis of the δ-crystallin mRNA-expressing region in early development of the chick pituitary gland.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Inoue, Makiko; Shiina, Tomoya; Aizawa, Sayaka; Sakata, Ichiro; Takagi, Hiroyasu; Sakai, Takafumi

    2012-06-01

    Although δ-crystallin (δ-crys), also known as lens protein, is transiently expressed in Rathke's pouch (RP) of the chick embryo, detailed temporal and spatial expression patterns have been obscure. In this study, to understand the relationship between the δ-crys mRNA-expressing region and RP formation, we examined the embryonic expression pattern of δ-crys mRNA in the primordium of the adenohypophysis. δ-crys mRNA expression was initially found at stage 15 anterior to the foregut and posterior to the invaginated oral ectoderm. After RP formation, the δ-crys mRNA was expressed in the post-ventral region of RP and the anterior region of RP. δ-crys mRNA expression was then restricted to the cephalic lobe of the pituitary gland. From stage 20, the δ-crys and alpha-glycoprotein subunit (αGSU) mRNA-expressing regions were almost completely overlapping. The αGSU mRNA-expressing region is thought to be the primordium of the pars tuberalis, and these regions were overlapped with the Lhx3 mRNA-expressing region. The intensity of δ-crys mRNA expression gradually decreased with development and completely disappeared by stage 34. These results suggest that the embryonic chick pituitary gland consists of two different regions labeled with δ-crys and Lhx3.

  12. Production of somatic chimera chicks by injection of bone marrow cells into recipient blastoderms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heo, Young Tae; Lee, Sung Ho; Kim, Teoan; Kim, Nam Hyung; Lee, Hoon Taek

    2012-01-01

    Several types of cells, including blastoderm cells, primordial germ cells, and embryonic germ cells were injected into early-stage recipient embryos to produce chimera avians and to gain insights into cell development. However, a limited number of studies of avian adult stem cells have also been conducted. This study is, to the best of our knowledge, the first to evaluate chicken bone marrow cells' (chBMC) ability to differentiate into multiple cell lineages and capability to generate chimera chicks. We induced random differentiation of chBMCs in vitro and injected immunologically selected pluripotent cells in chBMCs into the blastoderms of recipient eggs. The multipotency of BMCs from the barred Plymouth rock (BPR) was confirmed via AP staining, RT-PCR, immunocytochemistry, and FACS using specific markers, such as Oct-4 and SSEA-1, 3 and 4. Isolated chBMCs were found to be able to induce in vitro differentiation to multiple cell lineages. Approximately 5,000 chBMCs were injected into the blastoderms of white leghorn (WL) recipients and proved able to contribute to the generation of somatic chimera chicks with a frequency of 2.7% (2 of 73). Confirmation of chimerism in hatched chicks was achieved via PCR analysis using D-loop-specific primers of BPR and WL. Our study demonstrated the successful production of chimera chicks using chBMC. Therefore, we propose that the use of adult chBMCs may constitute a new possible approach to the production of chimera poultry, and may provide helpful studies in avian developmental biology.

  13. Insulin and IGF receptors are developmentally regulated in the chick embry eye lens

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bassas, L.; Zelenka, P.S.; Serrano, J.; de Pablo, F.

    1987-01-01

    The authors have previously reported that insulin-like growth factor (IGF) receptors appear to predominate over insulin receptors in early stages of embryogenesis in the chick (days 2-3 whole embryo membranes). Overall, [ 125 I]IGF and II binding to specific receptors was maximal when the rate of brain growth is highest. In the present study they used the embryonic chick lens, a well-defined tissue composed of a single type of cell, to analyze whether changes of insulin and IGFI binding are correlated with changes in growth rate and differentiation state of the cells. They show that both insulin receptors and IGF receptors are present in the lens epithelial cells, and that each type is distinctly regulated throughout development. While there is a direct correlation between IFG-binding capability and growth rate of the cells, there is less relation to differentiation status and embryo age. Insulin receptors, by contrast, appear to be mostly related to the differentiated state of cells, decreasing sharply in fibers, irrespective of their developmental age

  14. Increased ventricular preload is compensated by myocyte proliferation in normal and hypoplastic fetal chick left ventricle

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Dealmeida, A.; McQuinn, T. C.; Sedmera, David

    2007-01-01

    Roč. 100, - (2007), s. 1363-1370 ISSN 0009-7330 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50450515 Keywords : chick embryo * hemodynamics * fetal surgery * hypoplastic left heart syndrome Subject RIV: FA - Cardiovascular Disease s incl. Cardiotharic Surgery Impact factor: 9.721, year: 2007

  15. Distinct spatiotemporal expression of ISM1 during mouse and chick development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Osório, Liliana; Wu, Xuewei; Zhou, Zhongjun

    2014-01-01

    Isthmin 1 (ISM1) constitutes the founder of a new family of secreted proteins characterized by the presence of 2 functional domains: thrombospondin type 1 repeat (TSR1) and adhesion-associated domain in MUC4 and other proteins (AMOP). ISM1 was identified in the frog embryo as a member of the FGF8 synexpression group due to its expression in the brain midbrain-hindbrain boundary (MHB) or isthmus. In zebrafish, ISM1 was described as a WNT- and NODAL-regulated gene. The function of ISM1 remains largely elusive. So far, ISM1 has been described as an angiogenesis inhibitor that has a dual function in endothelial cell survival and cell death. For a better understanding of ISM1 function, we examined its spatiotemporal distribution in mouse and chick using RT-PCR, ISH, and IHC analyses. In the mouse, ISM1 transcripts are found in tissues such as the anterior mesendoderm, paraxial and lateral plate mesoderm, MHB and trunk neural tube, as well as in the somites and dermomyotome. In the newborn and adult, ISM1 is prominently expressed in the lung and brain. In addition to its putative role during embryonic and postnatal development, ISM1 may also be important for organ homeostasis in the adult. In the chick embryo, ISM1 transcripts are strongly detected in the ear, eye, and spinal cord primordia. Remarkable differences in ISM1 spatiotemporal expression were found during mouse and chick development, despite the high homology of ISM1 orthologs in these species.

  16. Gastrointestinal obstruction in penguin chicks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perpiñán, David; Curro, Thomas G

    2009-12-01

    A 7-day-old gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua) was found dead and postmortem examination revealed impaction of the ventriculus with feathers. A review of mortality in gentoo penguin chicks from 1997 to 2007 at that institution revealed another case of feather impaction of the ventriculus in a 4-week-old chick, a sibling of the previous chick. A third case of gastrointestinal impaction occurred in a 24-day-old king penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) with omphallitis and enteritis. In this chick, a fibrin mat produced a complete obstruction of the intestine at the level of Meckel's diverticulum.

  17. Comparison of the cell cytoskeleton in migratory and stationary chick fibroblasts

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Badley, R A; Couchman, J R; Rees, D A

    1980-01-01

    The organization of the principal cytoskeletal components (actin, tubulin and 10 nm filament protein) have been compared by immunofluorescence microscopy in two populations of chick heart fibroblasts, previously shown to be adapted respectively for rapid, directed migration or adhesion and growth...... bundles. The variety of patients observed in the migratory cells are documented and the possible roles of the different components of the cytoskeleton in cell locomotion are discussed....

  18. Transferin concentration and location during formation of chick retina: developmental correlates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zeevalk, G.D.; Hyndman, A.G.

    1988-01-01

    The amount of transferrin in chick retina was measured during development and compared to transferrin location seen immunocytochemically. Between embryonic day 6 (E6), and 5 days post hatching, two periods occur in which transferrin concentrations rise sharply and decline. During the first, transferrin concentration rises 5-fold between E6 and 10, then rapidly declines by E14. A second increase begins on E17 and peaks by E19-20. Immunocytochemical findings demonstrate that during the first rise in concentration, transferrin is located primarily in neuritic layers. Later in development, when levels again increase, newly forming photoreceptor outer segments are strongly transferrin positive. These findings are discussed in light of developmental events occurring during retinal maturation (author)

  19. Regulation of proliferation of embryonic heart mesenchyme: Role of transforming growth factor-beta 1 and the interstitial matrix

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choy, M.; Armstrong, M.T.; Armstrong, P.B.

    1990-01-01

    Proliferation of atrioventricular cushion mesenchyme of the embryonic avian heart maintained in three-dimensional aggregate culture is stimulated by interaction with the interstitial matrix. Chicken serum or transforming growth factor-beta 1, which stimulates proliferation, induces matrix deposition in regions of the aggregate showing high labeling indices with tritiated thymidine. Dispersed heart mesenchyme interstitial matrix introduced into serum-free culture is incorporated into the aggregate and stimulates cellular proliferation similar to serum or transforming growth factor-beta 1. Proliferation is reversibly inhibited by the peptide Gly-Arg-Gly-Asp-Ser-Pro. It is suggested that transforming growth factor-beta 1 stimulates the production of interstitial matrix and that a sufficient stimulus for proliferation in this system is the presence of the matrix, which acts as the adhesive support for cellular anchorage

  20. Chick Noir”: Shopaholic Meets Double Indemnity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kennedy Victoria

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available In early 2014, several articles appeared proclaiming the rise to prominence of a new subgenre of the crime novel: “chick noir,” which included popular books like Gone Girl, The Silent Wife, and Before We Met. However, there was also resistance to the new genre label from critics who viewed it as belittling to women’s writing and to female-focused narratives. Indeed, the separation of female-centred books - whether “chick lit” or “chick noir” - from mainstream fiction remains highly problematic and reflects the persistence of a gendered literary hierarchy. However, as this paper suggests, the label “chick noir” also reflects the fact that in these novels the crime thriller has been revitalized through cross-pollination with the so-called chick lit novel. I contend that chick lit and chick noir are two narrative forms addressing many of the same concerns relating to the modern woman, offering two different responses: humour and horror. Comparing the features of chick noir to those of chick lit and noir crime fiction, I suggest that chick noir may be read as a manifestation of feminist anger and anxiety - responses to the contemporary pressure to be “wonder women.”

  1. Morphogenesis and calcification of the statoconia in the chick (Gallus domesticus) embryo - Implications for future studies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fermin, C. D.; Igarashi, M.

    1985-01-01

    The morphogenesis of the statoconia in the chick, Gallus domesticus, injected with a carbon anhydrase inhibitor is studied. The preparation of the embryo specimens for analysis is described. The early, middle, and late stages of embryonic development are examined. The data reveal that acetozolamide inhibits statoconia formation in the middle stage of development and the calcification process follows statoconia formation. The spatial relationship between the development of type 1 and type 2 hair cells and the appearance and maturation of the statoconia is investigated.

  2. Exposure of chick embryos to cadmium changes the extra-embryonic vascular branching pattern and alters expression of VEGF-A and VEGF-R2

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gheorghescu, Anna Kaskova [School of Medicine and Medical Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4 (Ireland); Tywoniuk, Bartlomiej [School of Physics, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4 (Ireland); Complex and Adaptive Systems Laboratory, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4 (Ireland); Duess, Johannes [School of Medicine and Medical Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4 (Ireland); National Children' s Research Centre, Our Lady' s Children' s Hospital, Crumlin, Dublin 12 (Ireland); Buchete, Nicolae-Viorel, E-mail: buchete@ucd.ie [School of Physics, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4 (Ireland); Complex and Adaptive Systems Laboratory, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4 (Ireland); Thompson, Jennifer, E-mail: jennifer.thompson@ucd.ie [School of Medicine and Medical Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4 (Ireland)

    2015-11-15

    Cadmium (Cd) has several industrial applications, and is found in tobacco products, a notable source of human exposure. Vascular endothelial cells are key targets of Cd toxicity. Here, we aim to quantify the alteration to vascular branching pattern following Cd exposure in the chick extra-embryonic membrane (EEM) using fractal analysis, and explore molecular cues to angiogenesis such as VEGF-A and VEGF-R2 expression following Cd treatment. Chicken embryos were incubated for 60 h to Hamburger–Hamilton developmental stage 16–17, then explanted and treated with 50 μL of 50 μmol cadmium acetate (CdAc) or an equivalent volume of equimolar sodium acetate (NaAc). Images of embryos and their area vasculosa (AV) were captured and analyzed at 4 different time points (4, 8, 24 and 48 h) following treatment. Vascular branching in the AV was quantified using its fractal dimension (D{sub f}), estimated using a box counting method. Gallinaceous VEGF ELISA was used to measure the VEGF-A concentration in the EEM following treatment, with determination of the relative expression of VEGF-A and VEGF-R2 using quantitative real-time RT-PCR. Vascular branching increased monotonically in the control group at all time points. The anti-angiogenic effect of Cd exposure on the AV was reflected by a significant reduction in D{sub f} when compared with controls. D{sub f} was more markedly reduced in cultures with abnormal embryos. The expression of VEGF-A protein, and VEGF-A and VEGF-R2 mRNA were reduced in Cd-exposed EEMs. Both molecules contribute to growth, vessel sprouting and branching processes, which supports our findings using fractal analysis. - Highlights: • The chick area vasculosa was undersized in embryos exposed to 50 μM cadmium acetate. • Fractal dimension was reduced in the AV after Cd exposure, indicating decreased branching. • VEGF-A protein was decreased in Cd-treated extraembryonic membranes. • VEGF-A and VEGF-R2 mRNA was decreased in Cd-treated extraembryonic

  3. Modulation of intracellular Ca2+ via L-type calcium channels in heart cells by the autoantibody directed against the second extracellular loop of the alpha1-adrenoceptors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bkaily, Ghassan; El-Bizri, Nesrine; Bui, Michel; Sukarieh, Rami; Jacques, Danielle; Fu, Michael L X

    2003-03-01

    The effects of methoxamine, a selective alpha1-adrenergic receptor agonist, and the autoantibody directed against the second extracellular loop of alpha1-adrenoceptors were studied on intracellular free Ca2+ levels using confocal microscopy and ionic currents using the whole-cell patch clamp technique in single cells of 10-day-old embryonic chick and 20-week-old fetal human hearts. We observed that like methoxamine, the autoantibody directed against the second extracellular loop of alpha1-adrenoreceptors significantly increased the L-type calcium current (I(Ca(L))) but had no effect on the T-type calcium current (I(Ca(T))), the delayed outward potassium current, or the fast sodium current. This effect of the autoantibody was prevented by a prestimulation of the receptors with methoxamine and vice versa. Moreover, treating the cells with prazosin, a selective alpha1-adrenergic receptor antagonist blocked the methoxamine and the autoantibody-induced increase in I(Ca(L)), respectively. In absence of prazosin, both methoxamine and the autoantibody showed a substantial enhancement in the frequency of cell contraction and that of the concomitant cytosolic and nuclear free Ca2+ variations. The subsequent addition of nifedipine, a specific L-type Ca2+ channel blocker, reversed not only the methoxamine or the autoantibody-induced effect but also completely abolished cell contraction. These results demonstrated that functional alpha1-adrenoceptors exist in both 10-day-old embryonic chick and 20-week-old human fetal hearts and that the autoantibody directed against the second extracellular loop of this type of receptors plays an important role in stimulating their activity via activation of L-type calcium channels. This loop seems to have a functional significance by being the target of alpha1-receptor agonists like methoxamine.

  4. Direct localised measurement of electrical resistivity profile in rat and embryonic chick retinas using a microprobe

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Harald van Lintel

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available We report an alternative technique to perform a direct and local measurement of electrical resistivities in a layered retinal tissue. Information on resistivity changes along the depth in a retina is important for modelling retinal stimulation by retinal prostheses. Existing techniques for resistivity-depth profiling have the drawbacks of a complicated experimental setup, a less localised resistivity probing and/or lower stability for measurements. We employed a flexible microprobe to measure local resistivity with bipolar impedance spectroscopy at various depths in isolated rat and chick embryo retinas for the first time. Small electrode spacing permitted high resolution measurements and the probe flexibility contributed to stable resistivity profiling. The resistivity was directly calculated based on the resistive part of the impedance measured with the Peak Resistance Frequency (PRF methodology. The resistivity-depth profiles for both rat and chick embryo models are in accordance with previous mammalian and avian studies in literature. We demonstrate that the measured resistivity at each depth has its own PRF signature. Resistivity profiles obtained with our setup provide the basis for the construction of an electric model of the retina. This model can be used to predict variations in parameters related to retinal stimulation and especially in the design and optimisation of efficient retinal implants.

  5. Case Study: Organotypic human in vitro models of embryonic morphogenetic fusion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morphogenetic fusion of tissues is a common event in embryonic development and disruption of fusion is associated with birth defects of the eye, heart, neural tube, phallus, palate, and other organ systems. Embryonic tissue fusion requires precise regulation of cell-cell and cell...

  6. Melatonin rescues cardiovascular dysfunction during hypoxic development in the chick embryo.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Itani, Nozomi; Skeffington, Katie L; Beck, Christian; Niu, Youguo; Giussani, Dino A

    2016-01-01

    There is a search for rescue therapy against fetal origins of cardiovascular disease in pregnancy complicated by chronic fetal hypoxia, particularly following clinical diagnosis of fetal growth restriction (FGR). Melatonin protects the placenta in adverse pregnancy; however, whether melatonin protects the fetal heart and vasculature in hypoxic pregnancy independent of effects on the placenta is unknown. Whether melatonin can rescue fetal cardiovascular dysfunction when treatment commences following FGR diagnosis is also unknown. We isolated the effects of melatonin on the developing cardiovascular system of the chick embryo during hypoxic incubation. We tested the hypothesis that melatonin directly protects the fetal cardiovascular system in adverse development and that it can rescue dysfunction following FGR diagnosis. Chick embryos were incubated under normoxia or hypoxia (14% O2) from day 1 ± melatonin treatment (1 mg/kg/day) from day 13 of incubation (term ~21 days). Melatonin in hypoxic chick embryos rescued cardiac systolic dysfunction, impaired cardiac contractility and relaxability, increased cardiac sympathetic dominance, and endothelial dysfunction in peripheral circulations. The mechanisms involved included reduced oxidative stress, enhanced antioxidant capacity and restored vascular endothelial growth factor expression, and NO bioavailability. Melatonin treatment of the chick embryo starting at day 13 of incubation, equivalent to ca. 25 wk of gestation in human pregnancy, rescues early origins of cardiovascular dysfunction during hypoxic development. Melatonin may be a suitable antioxidant candidate for translation to human therapy to protect the fetal cardiovascular system in adverse pregnancy. © 2015 The Authors. Journal of Pineal Research. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  7. The effect of excess expression of GFP in a novel heart-specific green fluorescence zebrafish regulated by nppa enhancer at early embryonic development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Wen; Deng, Yun; Dong, Wei; Yuan, Wuzhou; Wan, Yongqi; Mo, Xiaoyan; Li, Yongqing; Wang, Zequn; Wang, Yuequn; Ocorr, Karen; Zhang, Bo; Lin, Shuo; Wu, Xiushan

    2011-02-01

    In order to study the impalpable effect of GFP in homozygous heart-specific GFP-positive zebrafish during the early stage, the researchers analyzed the heart function of morphology and physiology at the first 3 days after fertilization. This zebrafish line was produced by a large-scale Tol2 transposon mediated enhancer trap screen that generated a transgenic zebrafish with a heart-specific expression of green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged under control of the nppa enhancer. In situ hybridization experiments showed that the nppa:GFP line faithfully recapitulated both the spatial and temporal expressions of the endogenous nppa. Green fluorescence was intensively and specifically expressed in the myocardial cells located both in the heart chambers and in the atrioventricular canal. The embryonic heart of nppa:GFP line developed normally compared with those in the wild type. There was no difference between the nappa:GFP and wild type lines with respect to heart rate, overall size, ejection volume, and fractional shortening. Thus the excess expression of GFP in this transgenic line seemed to exert no detrimental effects on zebrafish hearts during the early stages.

  8. Aluminum toxicity perturbs long bone calcification in the embryonic chick

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Firling, C.E.; Univ. of Minnesota, Duluth; Hill, T.A.; Severson, A.R.

    1999-01-01

    Long bone calcification in chick embryos acutely- or chronically-treated with aluminum (Al) citrate was investigated. Acutely treated embryos received 100 μl of 60 mM Al citrate, 60 mM sodium (Na) citrate, or 0.7% sodium chloride on day 8 of incubation. Chronically treated embryos received a daily 25 μl dose of the above solutions beginning on day 8. Following 2-8 days of additional incubation, blood was collected, embryos killed, hind limbs radiographed, and tibias collected. Radiography indicated that Al administration resulted in a persistent angulation in the mid-diaphysis of tibias and femurs and a transient mineralization defect during the 10- to 12-day period of incubation. Tibias from 10- to 12-day embryos which were administered Al contained significantly less (P 45 Ca uptake by tibias of embryos treated with Al was significantly lower on days 10 (acute) and 12 (chronic) with no significant differences in Ca uptake rate among the three treatment groups by day 16. In each treatment group bone alkaline phosphatase (ALPase) activity increased approximately tenfold between days 10 and 16. At all stages, bone ALPase activity was consistently higher and significantly different (chronic) compared with levels in NaCl-treated embryos. In contrast, Al had no significant effect on the rate of tibia collagen and noncollagenous protein synthesis or serum levels of procollagen carboxy-terminal propeptide (PICP), osteocalcin, and parathyroid hormone (PTH). (orig.)

  9. Nitric oxide synthase-3 promotes embryonic development of atrioventricular valves.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yin Liu

    Full Text Available Nitric oxide synthase-3 (NOS3 has recently been shown to promote endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT in the developing atrioventricular (AV canal. The present study was aimed to investigate the role of NOS3 in embryonic development of AV valves. We hypothesized that NOS3 promotes embryonic development of AV valves via EndMT. To test this hypothesis, morphological and functional analysis of AV valves were performed in wild-type (WT and NOS3(-/- mice at postnatal day 0. Our data show that the overall size and length of mitral and tricuspid valves were decreased in NOS3(-/- compared with WT mice. Echocardiographic assessment showed significant regurgitation of mitral and tricuspid valves during systole in NOS3(-/- mice. These phenotypes were all rescued by cardiac specific NOS3 overexpression. To assess EndMT, immunostaining of Snail1 was performed in the embryonic heart. Both total mesenchymal and Snail1(+ cells in the AV cushion were decreased in NOS3(-/- compared with WT mice at E10.5 and E12.5, which was completely restored by cardiac specific NOS3 overexpression. In cultured embryonic hearts, NOS3 promoted transforming growth factor (TGFβ, bone morphogenetic protein (BMP2 and Snail1expression through cGMP. Furthermore, mesenchymal cell formation and migration from cultured AV cushion explants were decreased in the NOS3(-/- compared with WT mice. We conclude that NOS3 promotes AV valve formation during embryonic heart development and deficiency in NOS3 results in AV valve insufficiency.

  10. The Palm-Heart Diameter: A Prospective Simple Screening Tool for Identifying Heart Enlargement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adegbenro Omotuyi John Fakoya

    2017-11-01

    CONCLUSION: This study establishes the correlation between the palm and heart diameters. Since the heart tissue and the upper limb share a similar embryonic origin, being the mesoderm, this study prospects the fact that heart enlargement could be preliminarily identified by measuring the size of the hand.

  11. Expression of neuronal antigens and related ventral and dorsal proteins in the normal spinal cord and a surgically induced open neural tube defect of the spine in chick embryos: an immunohistochemical study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Do-Hun; Phi, Ji Hoon; Chung, You-Nam; Lee, Yun-Jin; Kim, Seung-Ki; Cho, Byung-Kyu; Kim, Dong Won; Park, Moon-Sik; Wang, Kyu-Chang

    2010-05-01

    The aims of this study were to elucidate the processes of neuronal differentiation and ventrodorsal patterning in the spinal cord of the chick embryo from embryonic day (E) 3 to E17 and to study the effect of a prenatal spinal open neural tube defect (ONTD) on these processes. Expression patterns of neuronal antigens (neuronal nuclear antigen, neurofilament-associated protein (NAP), and synaptophysin) and related ventral markers [sonic hedgehog, paired box gene (PAX)6, and islet-1], and dorsal markers (bone morphogenetic protein, Notch homolog 1, and PAX7) were investigated in the normal spinal cord and in a surgically induced spinal ONTD in chick embryos. Four normal and ONTD chick embryos were used for each antigen group. There were no differences in the expression of neuronal and ventrodorsal markers between the control and ONTD groups. NAP and synaptophysin were useful for identifying dorsal structures in the distorted anatomy of the ONTD chicks.

  12. Pattern of trypan blue storage in the chick embryonic kidney reflects development of absorptive capacity of the proximal tubules

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Zemanová, Zdeňka

    2004-01-01

    Roč. 15, č. 3-4 (2004), s. 160-165 ISSN 1470-2061 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA304/04/0972 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z5011922 Keywords : chick embryo * mesonephric nephrons * trypan blue Subject RIV: ED - Physiology Impact factor: 0.724, year: 2004

  13. Rearing of germfree chicks in a vinyl isolator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ishibashi, Teru; Kametaka, Masao; Ozaki, Akira; Yamamoto, Tetsuzo; Kaneuchi, Choji.

    1977-01-01

    A method of rearing germfree chicks in a vinyl isolator was developed, Hatchability of eggs was higher than 95% when eggs were sterilized in a 1.5% mercuric chloride solution on the 2nd day before hatching. Sterility was 93% when 5 to 10 chicks were reared in a vinyl isolator for 2 weeks. Depression of body weight gain was observed in chicks fed diet irradiated at higher than 4 Mrad. However, no effects of irradiation on chick growth were observed when fat and the other components were sterilized separately and mixed before feeding. The growth rates of germfree chicks were higher than those of the conventional chicks which were supplied a diluted solution of fresh cecum feces of young hens with a normal intestinal flora pattern at the first feeding. (auth.)

  14. Leucine and valine requirements of the growing germfree chicks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ishibashi, Teru; Kametaka, Masao; Ozaki, Akira; Yamamoto, Tetsuzo; Mitsuoka, Tomotari.

    1977-01-01

    To compare the requirements of leucine and valine of the growing germfree and conventional chicks, 7-day-old chicks were fed a diet with graded levels of leucine or valine for 7 days. Daily gains of body weight of the germfree chicks were greater than those of the conventional chicks when the dietary leucine or valine level was higher than the requirement level. Adversely, daily gains of body weight of the germfree chicks were less than those of the conventional chicks when the dietary leucine or valine level was very low. Leucine and valine requirements for maximum growth, however, was the same and estimated to be 0.95 and 0.78%, repectively, of the diet for both groups. After the feeding test, the chicks were injected with L-leucine- and L-valine-U- 14 C and expired carbon dioxide was collected for 2 and 3 hours, respectively. From the percentage of recovery of 14 C in the expired carbon dioxide, the leucine and valine requirements were found to be 0.80 and 0.53% of the diet for both groups, respectively. Three hours after feeding test, the plasma free valine concentration was estimated in the chicks which was not injected the isotope. The requirement of valine was estimated to be 0.59% for the germfree chicks and 0.54% for the conventional chicks. From the above data, it may be concluded that no difference, or very small if any, is found in the requirements of leucine and valine between the germfree chicks and those of the conventional chicks. (auth.)

  15. Integrating toxicity risk in bird eggs and chicks: using chick down feathers to estimate mercury concentrations in eggs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ackerman, Joshua T; Eagles-Smith, Collin A

    2009-03-15

    The concentration of mercury (Hg) in eggs that causes reduced hatching success is regarded as a critical end point for Hg toxicity in birds. However, incorporating effects of in ovo mercury exposure on chick health and survival could improve risk assessment. We developed equations to predict Hg in eggs using Hg in chick down feathers, and vice versa, by assessing the relationship between Hg in feathers (0.5-32.4 microg g(-1) fw) and eggs (0.04-2.79 microg g(-1) fww) for three waterbird species in San Francisco Bay, CA. Feather Hg sampled from embryos of pipping eggs was highly correlated with fresh whole-egg Hg (n=94, r2 = 0.96). Additionally, using an egg microsampling technique, albumen Hg was correlated with feather Hg sampled from chicks in the same nest (n=28, r2 = 0.79). Down feather Hg in recaptured chicks (feather Hg at hatching (feathers of chicks < or =10 days of age to nonlethally predict Hg in eggs and thus provide the ability to develop exposure thresholds for eggs that incorporate in ovo Hg's effects on both egg hatchability and subsequent chick mortality.

  16. Heart Development, Diseases, and Regeneration - New Approaches From Innervation, Fibroblasts, and Reprogramming.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ieda, Masaki

    2016-09-23

    It is well known that cardiac function is tightly controlled by neural activity; however, the molecular mechanism of cardiac innervation during development and the relationship with heart disease remain undetermined. My work has revealed the molecular networks that govern cardiac innervation and its critical roles in heart diseases such as silent myocardial ischemia and arrhythmias. Cardiomyocytes proliferate during embryonic development, but lose their proliferative capacity after birth. Cardiac fibroblasts are a major source of cells during fibrosis and induce cardiac hypertrophy after myocardial injury in the adult heart. Despite the importance of fibroblasts in the adult heart, the role of fibroblasts in embryonic heart development was previously not determined. I demonstrated that cardiac fibroblasts play important roles in myocardial growth and cardiomyocyte proliferation during embryonic development, and I identified key paracrine factors and signaling pathways. In contrast to embryonic cardiomyocytes, adult cardiomyocytes have little regenerative capacity, leading to heart failure and high mortality rates after myocardial infarction. Leveraging the knowledge of developmental biology, I identified cardiac reprogramming factors that can directly convert resident cardiac fibroblasts into cardiomyocytes for heart regeneration. These findings greatly improved our understanding of heart development and diseases, and provide a new strategy for heart regenerative therapy. (Circ J 2016; 80: 2081-2088).

  17. Efficacy of using radio transmitters to monitor least tern chicks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Whittier, Joanna B.; Leslie, David M.

    2005-01-01

    Little is known about Least Tern (Sterna antillarum) chicks from the time they leave the nest until fledging because they are highly mobile and cryptically colored. We evaluated the efficacy of using radiotelemetry to monitor Interior Least Tern (S. a. athalassos) chicks at Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge, Oklahoma. In 1999, we attached radio transmitters to 26 Least Tern chicks and tracked them for 2-17 days. No adults abandoned their chicks after transmitters were attached. Transmitters did not appear to alter growth rates of transmittered chicks (P = 0.36) or prevent feather growth, although dermal irritation was observed on one chick. However, without frequent reattachment, transmitters generally did not remain on chicks feather growth and transmitter removal, presumably by adult terns. Although the presence of transmitters did not adversely affect Least Tern chicks, future assessments should investigate nonintrusive methods to improve retention of transmitters on young chicks and reduce the number of times that chicks need to be handled.

  18. How the embryonic brain tube twists

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Zi; Guo, Qiaohang; Forsch, Nickolas; Taber, Larry

    2014-03-01

    During early development, the tubular brain of the chick embryo undergoes a combination of progressive ventral bending and rightward torsion. This deformation is one of the major organ-level symmetry-breaking events in development. Available evidence suggests that bending is caused by differential growth, but the mechanism for torsion remains poorly understood. Since the heart almost always loops in the same direction that the brain twists, researchers have speculated that heart looping affects the direction of brain torsion. However, direct evidence is virtually nonexistent, nor is the mechanical origin of such torsion understood. In our study, experimental perturbations show that the bending and torsional deformations in the brain are coupled and that the vitelline membrane applies an external load necessary for torsion to occur. In addition, the asymmetry of the looping heart gives rise to the chirality of the twisted brain. A computational model is used to interpret these findings. Our work clarifies the mechanical origins of brain torsion and the associated left-right asymmetry, reminiscent of D'Arcy Thompson's view of biological form as ``diagram of forces''.

  19. The adrenocortical response of tufted puffin chicks to nutritional deficits

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kitaysky, A.S.; Romano, Marc D.; Piatt, John F.; Wingfield, J.C.; Kikuchi, M.

    2005-01-01

    In several seabirds, nutritional state of a nest-bound chick is negatively correlated with the activity of its hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Increased corticosterone (cort) secretion has been shown to facilitate changes in behavior that allow hungry chicks to obtain more food from parents. However, if parents are not willing/able to buffer their young from temporary food shortages, increased cort secretion could be detrimental to undernourished chicks. In a system where parents are insensitive to chick demands, low benefits and high costs of activation of the HPA-axis in hungry chicks should lead to a disassociation of the nutritional state of the young and the activity of its HPA-axis. We tested this novel hypothesis for the tufted puffin (Fratercula cirrhata), a seabird with intermittent provisioning of a nest-bound semi-precocial chick. We examined the HPA-axis activity of captive chicks exposed to the following: (1) a short-term (24 h) food deprivation; and (2) an array of prolonged (3 weeks) restrictions in feeding regimens. We found that in response to a short-term food deprivation chicks decreased baseline levels of cort and thyroid hormones. In response to prolonged restrictions, food-limited chicks exhibited signs of nutritional deficit: they had lower body mass, endogenous lipid reserves, and thyroid hormone titers compared to chicks fed ad libitum. However, baseline and maximum acute stress-induced levels of cort were also lower in food-restricted chicks compared to those of chicks fed ad libitum. These results support a major prediction of the study hypothesis that puffin chicks suppress HPA-axis activity in response to short- and long-term nutritional deficits. This physiological adaptation may allow a chick to extend its development in the nest, while eluding detrimental effects of chronic cort elevation. 

  20. Rediscovering the chick embryo as a model to study retinal development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vergara, M Natalia; Canto-Soler, M Valeria

    2012-06-27

    The embryonic chick occupies a privileged place among animal models used in developmental studies. Its rapid development and accessibility for visualization and experimental manipulation are just some of the characteristics that have made it a vertebrate model of choice for more than two millennia. Until a few years ago, the inability to perform genetic manipulations constituted a major drawback of this system. However, the completion of the chicken genome project and the development of techniques to manipulate gene expression have allowed this classic animal model to enter the molecular age. Such techniques, combined with the embryological manipulations that this system is well known for, provide a unique toolkit to study the genetic basis of neural development. A major advantage of these approaches is that they permit targeted gene misexpression with extremely high spatiotemporal resolution and over a large range of developmental stages, allowing functional analysis at a level, speed and ease that is difficult to achieve in other systems. This article provides a general overview of the chick as a developmental model focusing more specifically on its application to the study of eye development. Special emphasis is given to the state of the art of the techniques that have made gene gain- and loss-of-function studies in this model a reality. In addition, we discuss some methodological considerations derived from our own experience that we believe will be beneficial to researchers working with this system.

  1. Rediscovering the chick embryo as a model to study retinal development

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vergara M Natalia

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract The embryonic chick occupies a privileged place among animal models used in developmental studies. Its rapid development and accessibility for visualization and experimental manipulation are just some of the characteristics that have made it a vertebrate model of choice for more than two millennia. Until a few years ago, the inability to perform genetic manipulations constituted a major drawback of this system. However, the completion of the chicken genome project and the development of techniques to manipulate gene expression have allowed this classic animal model to enter the molecular age. Such techniques, combined with the embryological manipulations that this system is well known for, provide a unique toolkit to study the genetic basis of neural development. A major advantage of these approaches is that they permit targeted gene misexpression with extremely high spatiotemporal resolution and over a large range of developmental stages, allowing functional analysis at a level, speed and ease that is difficult to achieve in other systems. This article provides a general overview of the chick as a developmental model focusing more specifically on its application to the study of eye development. Special emphasis is given to the state of the art of the techniques that have made gene gain- and loss-of-function studies in this model a reality. In addition, we discuss some methodological considerations derived from our own experience that we believe will be beneficial to researchers working with this system.

  2. Histone methylations in heart development, congenital and adult heart diseases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Qing-Jun; Liu, Zhi-Ping

    2015-01-01

    Heart development comprises myocyte specification, differentiation and cardiac morphogenesis. These processes are regulated by a group of core cardiac transcription factors in a coordinated temporal and spatial manner. Histone methylation is an emerging epigenetic mechanism for regulating gene transcription. Interplay among cardiac transcription factors and histone lysine modifiers plays important role in heart development. Aberrant expression and mutation of the histone lysine modifiers during development and in adult life can cause either embryonic lethality or congenital heart diseases, and influences the response of adult hearts to pathological stresses. In this review, we describe current body of literature on the role of several common histone methylations and their modifying enzymes in heart development, congenital and adult heart diseases.

  3. Ontogeny of thermoregulation and energy metabolism in pygoscelid penguin chicks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taylor, J R

    1985-01-01

    The ontogeny of thermoregulation and energy metabolism of chinstrap (Pygoscelis antarctica) and gentoo (P. papua) penguins was studied on King George Island, South Shetland Island, Antarctica. The major findings of this study are: Chinstrap and gentoo penguin chicks hatched completely poikilothermic, due to their poor heat-production ability at low ambient temperatures. They were able to maintain high body temperatures and metabolic rates only by being brooded by adults. Newly hatched chinstrap penguin chicks had, at a specified ambient temperature, significantly higher metabolic rates than newly hatched gentoos. Moreover, chinstrap chicks maintained a significantly higher body temperature. It is suggested that this is a non-acclimatory metabolic adaptation of chinstrap penguin chicks to the lower mean temperatures of their breeding areas. On the 15th day after hatching, chinstrap chicks were completely, and gentoo chicks almost completely, homeothermic. In spite of their high thermogenic capacity from about day 10, chicks were not at that time capable of controlling heat dissipation, and were still dependent on their parents. In older downy chicks and fledglings, heat loss at low temperatures, expressed as heat conductance (CA), was similar to that found for the adults of other penguin species. Just before moulting the CA of chicks was lower than after moulting. Moulting alone did not cause a clear increase in CA. Towards the end of their stay on land the CA of pre-fledged gentoos decreased by 31%. This decrease was not connected with the development of feathers or growth in the chicks' weight. The combination of the low CA and high SMR of chicks gave very low lower critical temperatures, near -15 degrees C. The wide thermoneutral zones of the chicks covered the whole range of air temperature variations in the breeding colonies of both species studied on King George Island. The CA values of homeothermic chinstrap chicks were not lower than those of gentoos

  4. Fibroblast Growth Factor-2 regulates proliferation of cardiac myocytes in normal and hypoplastic left ventricles in the developing chick

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Dealmeida, A.; Sedmera, David

    2009-01-01

    Roč. 19, č. 2 (2009), s. 159-169 ISSN 1047-9511 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA304/08/0615 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50450515; CEZ:AV0Z50110509 Keywords : Chick embryo * Hypoplastic left heart syndrome * Adenovirus Subject RIV: EA - Cell Biology Impact factor: 1.183, year: 2009

  5. Epicardium-Derived Heart Repair

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anke M. Smits

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available In the last decade, cell replacement therapy has emerged as a potential approach to treat patients suffering from myocardial infarction (MI. The transplantation or local stimulation of progenitor cells with the ability to form new cardiac tissue provides a novel strategy to overcome the massive loss of myocardium after MI. In this regard the epicardium, the outer layer of the heart, is a tractable local progenitor cell population for therapeutic pursuit. The epicardium has a crucial role in formation of the embryonic heart. After activation and migration into the developing myocardium, epicardial cells differentiate into several cardiac cells types. Additionally, the epicardium provides instructive signals for the growth of the myocardium and coronary angiogenesis. In the adult heart, the epicardium is quiescent, but recent evidence suggests that it becomes reactivated upon damage and recapitulates at least part of its embryonic functions. In this review we provide an update on the current knowledge regarding the contribution of epicardial cells to the adult mammalian heart during the injury response.

  6. Effect of coniine on the developing chick embryo.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Forsyth, C S; Frank, A A; Watrous, B J; Bohn, A A

    1994-04-01

    Coniine, an alkaloid from Conium maculatum (poison hemlock), has been shown to be teratogenic in livestock. The major teratogenic outcome is arthrogryposis, presumably due to nicotinic receptor blockade. However, coniine has failed to produce arthrogryposis in rats or mice and is only weakly teratogenic in rabbits. The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare the effects of coniine and nicotine in the developing chick. Concentrations of coniine and nicotine sulfate were 0.015%, 0.03%, 0.075%, 0.15%, 0.75%, 1.5%, 3%, and 6% and 1%, 5%, and 10%, respectively. Both compounds caused deformations and lethality in a dose-dependent manner. All concentrations of nicotine sulfate caused some lethality but a no effect level for coniine lethality was 0.75%. The deformations caused by both coniine and nicotine sulfate were excessive flexion or extension of one or more toes. No histopathological alterations or differences in bone formation were seen in the limbs or toes of any chicks from any group; however, extensive cranial hemorrhage occurred in all nicotine sulfate-treated chicks. There was a statistically significant (P < or = 0.01) decrease in movement in coniine and nicotine sulfate treated chicks as determined by ultrasound. Control chicks were in motion an average of 33.67% of the time, while coniine-treated chicks were only moving 8.95% of a 5-min interval, and no movement was observed for nicotine sulfate treated chicks. In summary, the chick embryo provides a reliable and simple experimental animal model of coniine-induced arthrogryposis. Data from this model support a mechanism involving nicotinic receptor blockade with subsequent decreased fetal movement.

  7. Lesions in Broiler Chicks Following Experimental Contamination ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    SH

    Average daily food intake (ADFI), average daily gain (ADG), and ... that contamination of feed for broilers chicks beyond 0.5% is detrimental to the performance of broiler chicks. Introduction ... nearly all manufacturing industries. Disposal of ...

  8. Tbx1 coordinates addition of posterior second heart field progenitor cells to the arterial and venous poles of the heart

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Rana, M. Sameer; Théveniau-Ruissy, Magali; de Bono, Christopher; Mesbah, Karim; Francou, Alexandre; Rammah, Mayyasa; Domínguez, Jorge N.; Roux, Marine; Laforest, Brigitte; Anderson, Robert H.; Mohun, Timothy; Zaffran, Stephane; Christoffels, Vincent M.; Kelly, Robert G.

    2014-01-01

    Cardiac progenitor cells from the second heart field (SHF) contribute to rapid growth of the embryonic heart, giving rise to right ventricular and outflow tract (OFT) myocardium at the arterial pole of the heart, and atrial myocardium at the venous pole. Recent clonal analysis and cell-tracing

  9. Peripheral Insulin Doesn’t Alter Appetite of Broiler Chicks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lei Liu

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available An experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of peripheral insulin treatment on appetite in chicks. Six-d-age chicks with ad libitum feeding or fasting for 3 h before injection received a subcutaneous injection of 0, 1, 3, 5, 10, or 20 IU of insulin or vehicle (saline. The results showed peripheral insulin treatment (1 to 20 IU did not alter significantly the feed intake in chicks under either ad libitum feeding or fasting conditions within 4 h (p>0.05. Compared with the control, plasma glucose concentration was significantly decreased after insulin treatment of 3, 5, 10, and 20 IU for 4 h in chicks with ad libitum feeding (p0.05. All results suggest peripheral administration of insulin has no effect on appetite in chicks.

  10. Predicting chick body mass by artificial intelligence-based models

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Patricia Ferreira Ponciano Ferraz

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this work was to develop, validate, and compare 190 artificial intelligence-based models for predicting the body mass of chicks from 2 to 21 days of age subjected to different duration and intensities of thermal challenge. The experiment was conducted inside four climate-controlled wind tunnels using 210 chicks. A database containing 840 datasets (from 2 to 21-day-old chicks - with the variables dry-bulb air temperature, duration of thermal stress (days, chick age (days, and the daily body mass of chicks - was used for network training, validation, and tests of models based on artificial neural networks (ANNs and neuro-fuzzy networks (NFNs. The ANNs were most accurate in predicting the body mass of chicks from 2 to 21 days of age after they were subjected to the input variables, and they showed an R² of 0.9993 and a standard error of 4.62 g. The ANNs enable the simulation of different scenarios, which can assist in managerial decision-making, and they can be embedded in the heating control systems.

  11. Creatine kinase isozyme expression in embryonic chicken heart

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Lamers, W. H.; Geerts, W. J.; Moorman, A. F.; Dottin, R. P.

    1989-01-01

    The distribution pattern of creatine kinase (EC 2.7.3.2) isozymes in developing chicken heart was studied by immunohistochemistry. Creatine kinase M, which is absent from adult heart, is transiently expressed between 4 and 11 days of incubation. During that period, numerous muscular cells in the

  12. ChIP-seq Identification of Weakly Conserved Heart Enhancers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Blow, Matthew J.; McCulley, David J.; Li, Zirong; Zhang, Tao; Akiyama, Jennifer A.; Holt, Amy; Plajzer-Frick, Ingrid; Shoukry, Malak; Wright, Crystal; Chen, Feng; Afzal, Veena; Bristow, James; Ren, Bing; Black, Brian L.; Rubin, Edward M.; Visel, Axel; Pennacchio, Len A.

    2010-07-01

    Accurate control of tissue-specific gene expression plays a pivotal role in heart development, but few cardiac transcriptional enhancers have thus far been identified. Extreme non-coding sequence conservation successfully predicts enhancers active in many tissues, but fails to identify substantial numbers of heart enhancers. Here we used ChIP-seq with the enhancer-associated protein p300 from mouse embryonic day 11.5 heart tissue to identify over three thousand candidate heart enhancers genome-wide. Compared to other tissues studied at this time-point, most candidate heart enhancers are less deeply conserved in vertebrate evolution. Nevertheless, the testing of 130 candidate regions in a transgenic mouse assay revealed that most of them reproducibly function as enhancers active in the heart, irrespective of their degree of evolutionary constraint. These results provide evidence for a large population of poorly conserved heart enhancers and suggest that the evolutionary constraint of embryonic enhancers can vary depending on tissue type.

  13. Stress and strain adaptation in load-dependent remodeling of the embryonic left ventrikle

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Buffinton, Ch. M.; Fass, D.; Sedmera, David

    2013-01-01

    Roč. 12, č. 5 (2013), s. 1037-1051 ISSN 1617-7959 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA304/08/0615; GA ČR(CZ) GAP302/11/1308 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50110509 Institutional support: RVO:67985823 Keywords : chick embryo * heart development * finite element analysis * left ventricle Subject RIV: EA - Cell Biology Impact factor: 3.251, year: 2013

  14. Inotropic effect, binding properties, and calcium flux effects of the calcium channel agonist CGP 28392 in intact cultured embryonic chick ventricular cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Laurent, S.; Kim, D.; Smith, T.W.; Marsh, J.D.

    1985-01-01

    CGP 28392 is a recently described dihydropyridine derivative with positive inotropic properties. To study the mechanism of action of this putative calcium channel agonist, we have related the effects of CGP 28392 on contraction (measured with an optical video system) and radioactive calcium uptake to ligand-binding studies in cultured, spontaneously beating chick embryo ventricular cells. CGP 28392 produced a concentration-dependent increase in amplitude and velocity of contraction (EC 50 = 2 x 10(-7) M; maximum contractile effect = 85% of the calcium 3.6 mM response). Nifedipine produced a shift to the right of the concentration-effect curve for CGP 28392 without decreasing the maximum contractile response, suggesting competitive antagonism (pA2 = 8.3). Computer analysis of displacement of [ 3 H]nitrendipine binding to intact heart cells by unlabeled CGP 28392 indicated a K /sub D/ = 2.2 +/- 0.95 x 10(-7) M, in good agreement with the EC 50 for the inotropic effect. CGP 28392 increased the rate of radioactive calcium influx (+39% at 10 seconds) without altering beating rate, while nifedipine decreased radioactive calcium influx and antagonized the CGP 28392-induced increase in calcium influx. Our results indicate that, in intact cultured myocytes, CGP 28392 acts as a calcium channel agonist and competes for the dihydropyridine-binding site of the slow calcium channel. In contrast to calcium channel blockers, CGP 28392 increases calcium influx and enhances the contractile state

  15. Bradykinin induced a positive chronotropic effect via stimulation of T- and L-type calcium currents in heart cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    El-Bizri, Nesrine; Bkaily, Ghassan; Wang, Shimin; Jacques, Danielle; Regoli, Domenico; D'Orléans-Juste, Pedro; Sukarieh, Rami

    2003-03-01

    Using Fluo-3 calcium dye confocal microscopy and spontaneously contracting embryonic chick heart cells, bradykinin (10(-10) M) was found to induce positive chronotropic effects by increasing the frequency of the transient increase of cytosolic and nuclear free Ca2+. Pretreatment of the cells with either B1 or B2 receptor antagonists (R126 and R817, respectively) completely prevented bradykinin (BK) induced positive chronotropic effects on spontaneously contracting single heart cells. Using the whole-cell voltage clamp technique and ionic substitution to separate the different ionic current species, our results showed that BK (10(-6) M) had no effect on fast Na+ inward current and delayed outward potassium current. However, both L- and T-type Ca2+ currents were found to be increased by BK in a dose-dependent manner (10(-10)-10(-7) M). The effects of BK on T- and L-type Ca2+ currents were partially blocked by the B1 receptor antagonist [Leu8]des-Arg9-BK (R592) (10(-7) M) and completely reversed by the B2 receptor antagonist D-Arg[Hyp3,D-Phe7,Leu8]BK (R-588) (10(-7) M) or pretreatment with pertussis toxin (PTX). These results demonstrate that BK induced a positive chronotropic effect via stimulation of T- and L-type Ca2+ currents in heart cells mainly via stimulation of B2 receptor coupled to PTX-sensitive G-proteins. The increase of both types of Ca2+ current by BK in heart cells may explain the positive inotropic and chronotropic effects of this hormone.

  16. Heart regeneration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Breckwoldt, Kaja; Weinberger, Florian; Eschenhagen, Thomas

    2016-07-01

    Regenerating an injured heart holds great promise for millions of patients suffering from heart diseases. Since the human heart has very limited regenerative capacity, this is a challenging task. Numerous strategies aiming to improve heart function have been developed. In this review we focus on approaches intending to replace damaged heart muscle by new cardiomyocytes. Different strategies for the production of cardiomyocytes from human embryonic stem cells or human induced pluripotent stem cells, by direct reprogramming and induction of cardiomyocyte proliferation are discussed regarding their therapeutic potential and respective advantages and disadvantages. Furthermore, different methods for the transplantation of pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes are described and their clinical perspectives are discussed. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Cardiomyocyte Biology: Integration of Developmental and Environmental Cues in the Heart edited by Marcus Schaub and Hughes Abriel. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. Neuronal damage in chick and rat embryos following X-irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schneider, B.F.; Norton, S.

    1980-01-01

    Exposure of rat and chick embryos to X-irradiation at the time of development of neurons at the telencephalic-diencephalic border results in prolonged damage to neurons in this area as measured by neuronal nuclear size. A dose of 100 rads to the seven-day-old chick embryo has about the same effect as 125 rads to the 15-day-old rat fetus. The nuclear volume of large, multipolar neurons in the chick paleostriatum primitivum and the rat lateral preoptic area are reduced from 10 to 15%. Larger doses of X-irradiation to the chick (150 and 200 rads) cause progressively greater reductions in nuclear size. The large neurons which were measured in the rat and chick are morphologically similar in the two species. Both contain cytoplasmic acetylcholinesterase and have several branched, spiny dendritic processes. The similarity of response of chick and rat neurons to X-irradiation diminishes the significance of maternal factors as the cause of the effects of fetal irradiation in these experiments

  18. California gull chicks raised near colony edges have elevated stress levels

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herring, Garth; Ackerman, Joshua T.

    2011-01-01

    Coloniality in nesting birds represents an important life history strategy for maximizing reproductive success. Birds nesting near the edge of colonies tend to have lower reproductive success than individuals nesting near colony centers, and offspring of edge-nesting parents may be impaired relative to those of central-nesting parents. We used fecal corticosterone metabolites in California gull chicks (Larus californicus) to examine whether colony size or location within the colony influenced a chick's physiological condition. We found that chicks being raised near colony edges had higher fecal corticosterone metabolite concentrations than chicks raised near colony centers, but that colony size (ranging from 150 to 11,554 nests) had no influence on fecal corticosterone levels. Fecal corticosterone metabolite concentrations also increased with chick age. Our results suggest that similarly aged California gull chicks raised near colony edges may be more physiologically stressed, as indicated by corticosterone metabolites, than chicks raised near colony centers.

  19. Frequency of different congenital anomalies in prenatally valproic acid treated chick embryos

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Akhtar, L.; Khan, M.Y.

    2016-01-01

    To determine the frequency of different congenital anomalies in surviving chick embryo on hatching after the prenatal administration of valproic acid by comparing with age-matched controls. Study Design: Experimental study. Place and Duration of Study: Anatomy Department, College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (CPSP) Regional Centre, Islamabad, from February 2010 to February 2011. Material and Methods: Thirty fertilized chicken eggs were injected with valproic acid, incubated and then evaluated for different gross congenital anomalies, on hatching or day 22 of incubation whichever was earlier. Chicks of this group were labeled as experimental group-A. Similarly, another group of thirty fertilized chicken eggs labeled as control group-B, underwent sham treatment using normal saline. The weight and length of alive chicks, the total number of chicks with gross anomalies and the number of different types of gross anomalies in both groups were noted and statistically compared. Results: In control group-B, 28 chicks hatch out on 21 day of hatching with no visible gross deformities. Whereas in experimental group-A, 23 chicks were alive, out of which, 9 chicks were with delayed hatching on 22 days of hatching. The chicks with gross deformities were 8 (p=0.0008) which included: limb abnormalities (i.e. inverted feet) in 6 chicks (p=0.006), eye abnormality (i.e. closed palpebral fissure of both eyes) in 2 chick (p=0.2), 1 chick showed multiple deformities including gastroschisis, closed palpebral fissures and inverted foot (p=0.45). There were behavioral changes in 10 chicks (p=0.0001). There was statistically significant difference in their weights (p=0.03). Conclusion: Prenatal exposure of chick embryos to valproic acid increased the incidence of different gross deformities. (author)

  20. Lesions in Broiler Chicks Following Experimental Contamination ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of feed contamination with battery waste on the performance, organs weights as well as the histology of some internal organs of broiler chicks. A total of 120 1- d old broiler chicks were allotted to four dietary treatments in a completely randomized design.

  1. Effects of antibodies to EG-VEGF on angiogenesis in the chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feflea, Stefana; Cimpean, Anca Maria; Ceausu, Raluca Amalia; Gaje, Pusa; Raica, Marius

    2012-01-01

    Endocrine gland-related vascular endothelial growth factor (EG-VEGF), is an angiogenic factor specifically targeting endothelial cells derived from endocrine tissues. The inhibition of the EG-VEGF/prokineticin receptor pathway could represent a selective antiangiogenic and anticancer strategy. to evaluate the impact of an antibody to EG-VEGF on the rapidly growing capillary plexus of the chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM). The in ovo CAM assay was performed for the humanized EG-VEGF antibody. Hemorrhagic damage was induced in the capillaries, which led to early death of the embryos. Upon morphological staining, there was evidence of vascular disruption and extravasation of red blood cells in the chorion. Signs of vacuolization of the covering epithelium were also observed. Blocking endogenous EG-VEGF might represent a valuable approach of impairing or inhibiting angiogenesis in steroidogenic-derived embryonic tissues.

  2. Changes in cholinergic parameters associated with failure of conotruncal septation in embryonic chick hearts after neural crest ablation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kirby, M.L.; Aronstam, R.S.; Buccafusco, J.J.

    1985-01-01

    Cells from the neural crest over occipital somites migrate to the heart, where they give rise to parasympathetic postganglionic neurons as well as ectomesenchymal elements which contribute to conotruncal septation. With a microcautery needle, the neural crest over occipital somites was ablated bilaterally in chicken embryos at an early stage of development. Histological examination on incubation day 15 revealed conotruncal malformations, involving malformation or absence of the conotruncal septum in all embryos. Two peaks of embryo mortality were observed. One peak (incubation days 6-8) occurred at the same time as conotruncal septal closure; the second peak (incubation days 11-13) was concurrent with the onset of functional parasympathetic innervation. A disruption of parasympathetic innervation was indicated by: (1) a decrease in acetylcholinesterase staining, (2) a decrease (27%) in the number of ganglion cells in the conotruncus, (3) decreases in the acetylcholine content of atrium (31%) and ventricle (39%), and (4) a decrease (21%) in muscarinic acetylcholine receptor density on incubation day 15. Radiolabeled ligand-binding studies revealed no change in the affinity of cardiac muscarinic receptors for [ 3 H]methylscopolamine (K/sub D/ . 0.17-0.21 nM). Agonist-binding affinity and sensitivity to guanine nucleotides were similarly unaffected. The reasons for the limited extent of the parasympathetic lesion are unclear, but may involve recruitment of precursor cells from other regions of the neural crest, partial regeneration of the neural crest following surgical removal, or an alteration in the contribution of incoming sympathetic or preganglionic parasympathetic elements. No such plasticity was associated with neural crest contributions to the structural development of the conotruncus. Malformations were observed in all lesioned embryos

  3. Influence of a mobile robot on the spatial behaviour of quail chicks

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    De Margerie, E; Lumineau, S; Houdelier, C; Richard Yris, M-A, E-mail: emmanuel.demargerie@univ-rennes1.fr [CNRS UMR 6552 Ethologie Animale et Humaine, Universite Rennes 1, Rennes (France)

    2011-09-15

    Quail chicks encountered an autonomous mobile robot during their early development. The robot incorporated a heat source that stimulated following of chicks. The spatial behaviour of grown-up chicks was tested in an exploration test and a detour test. Chicks that grew with the mobile robot exhibited better spatial abilities than chicks grown with a static heat source. We discuss these results in the perspective of animal-robot interaction and of the role of early spatial experience on the behavioural development. (communication)

  4. Influence of a mobile robot on the spatial behaviour of quail chicks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    De Margerie, E; Lumineau, S; Houdelier, C; Richard Yris, M-A

    2011-01-01

    Quail chicks encountered an autonomous mobile robot during their early development. The robot incorporated a heat source that stimulated following of chicks. The spatial behaviour of grown-up chicks was tested in an exploration test and a detour test. Chicks that grew with the mobile robot exhibited better spatial abilities than chicks grown with a static heat source. We discuss these results in the perspective of animal-robot interaction and of the role of early spatial experience on the behavioural development. (communication)

  5. Ott1 (Rbm15) is essential for placental vascular branching morphogenesis and embryonic development of the heart and spleen.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raffel, Glen D; Chu, Gerald C; Jesneck, Jonathan L; Cullen, Dana E; Bronson, Roderick T; Bernard, Olivier A; Gilliland, D Gary

    2009-01-01

    The infant leukemia-associated gene Ott1 (Rbm15) has broad regulatory effects within murine hematopoiesis. However, germ line Ott1 deletion results in fetal demise prior to embryonic day 10.5, indicating additional developmental requirements for Ott1. The spen gene family, to which Ott1 belongs, has a transcriptional activation/repression domain and RNA recognition motifs and has a significant role in the development of the head and thorax in Drosophila melanogaster. Early Ott1-deficient embryos show growth retardation and incomplete closure of the notochord. Further analysis demonstrated placental defects in the spongiotrophoblast and syncytiotrophoblast layers, resulting in an arrest of vascular branching morphogenesis. The rescue of the placental defect using a conditional allele with a trophoblast-sparing cre transgene allowed embryos to form a normal placenta and survive gestation. This outcome showed that the process of vascular branching morphogenesis in Ott1-deficient animals was regulated by the trophoblast compartment rather than the fetal vasculature. Mice surviving to term manifested hyposplenia and abnormal cardiac development. Analysis of global gene expression of Ott1-deficient embryonic hearts showed an enrichment of hypoxia-related genes and a significant alteration of several candidate genes critical for cardiac development. Thus, Ott1-dependent pathways, in addition to being implicated in leukemogenesis, may also be important for the pathogenesis of placental insufficiency and cardiac malformations.

  6. The Early Stages of Heart Development: Insights from Chicken Embryos

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Johannes G. Wittig

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available The heart is the first functioning organ in the developing embryo and a detailed understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in its formation provides insights into congenital malformations affecting its function and therefore the survival of the organism. Because many developmental mechanisms are highly conserved, it is possible to extrapolate from observations made in invertebrate and vertebrate model organisms to humans. This review will highlight the contributions made through studying heart development in avian embryos, particularly the chicken. The major advantage of chick embryos is their accessibility for surgical manipulation and functional interference approaches, both gain- and loss-of-function. In addition to experiments performed in ovo, the dissection of tissues for ex vivo culture, genomic, or biochemical approaches is straightforward. Furthermore, embryos can be cultured for time-lapse imaging, which enables tracking of fluorescently labeled cells and detailed analysis of tissue morphogenesis. Owing to these features, investigations in chick embryos have led to important discoveries, often complementing genetic studies in mice and zebrafish. As well as including some historical aspects, we cover here some of the crucial advances made in understanding early heart development using the chicken model.

  7. EFFECT OF DIETARY SUPPLEMENTATION OF NON-STARCH POLYSACCHARIDE DEGRADING ENZYMES ON GROWTH PERFORMANCE OF BROILER CHICKS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. A. Nadeem, M. I. Anjum, A. G. Khan and A. Azim

    2005-10-01

    Full Text Available An experiment was conducted to study the performance and carcass parameters of broilers chicks fed diets with and without supplementing non-starch polysaccharide degrading enzymes (NSPDE at the rate of 0.5 g/kg diet. A total of 300 day-old broiler chicks were randomly divided into 12 sets (replicates each comprising 25 chicks and three sets per treatment group, reared on deep litter from 1-42 days post-hatch. Group A was fed diets without NSPDE supplementation, while group B was fed diets supplemented with NSPDE (0.5 g/kg. Group C was fed diets containing 50 kcal/kg less metabolizable energy (ME without NSPDE and group D was fed diets having 50 kcal/kg less ME with NSPDE (0.5 g/kg supplementation. Feed and water were provided ad libitum. Feed intake and feed conversion ratio (FCR from 1-28 days and 1-42 days was significantly (p<0.05 improved in chicks fed NSPDE supplemented diets (groups B and D compared to non-supplemented diets (groups A and C. However, during 29-42 days of growing period enzymes supplementation did not influence feed intake and FCR. Body weight gain, dressing percentage and relative weights of heart, gizzard and shank at 42 days of age was found to be non-significantly different among all groups. However, liver weight reduced significantly (p<0.05 in NSPDE supplemented groups. The study suggested that NSPDE supplementation was beneficial in enhancing feed utilization during the starter phase, while its effects on weight gain, dressing percentage and weights of organs, except liver weight, were found to be non-significant.

  8. Simple explant culture of the embryonic chicken retina with long-term preservation of photoreceptors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thangaraj, Gopenath; Greif, Alexander; Layer, Paul G

    2011-10-01

    Structurally stable in vitro-model systems are indispensible to analyse neural development during embryogenesis, follow cellular differentiation and evaluate neurotoxicological or growth factor effects. Here we describe a three-dimensional, long-term in vitro-culture system of the embryonic chick retina which supports photoreceptor development. Retinal tissue was isolated from E6 chick eye, and cultured as explants by continuous orbital rotation to allow free floatation without any supporting materials. Young stage (E6) immature retinas were cultured for various time periods in order to follow the differentiation of cell types and plexiform layers by immunocytochemical methods. These explants could be cultured for at least 2-3 weeks with remarkable retention of retinal architecture. Interestingly, photoreceptors developed in the absence of pigment epithelium. Electron microscopic studies revealed formation of structures resembling photoreceptor outer segments, a feature not reported previously. Thus, the verification of photoreceptors, Müller cells, inner retinal cells and the inner plexiform layer described in our study establishes this explant culture as a valuable in vivo-like model system. Crown Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Identification of mechanosensitive genes during embryonic bone formation.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Niamh C Nowlan

    2008-12-01

    Full Text Available Although it is known that mechanical forces are needed for normal bone development, the current understanding of how biophysical stimuli are interpreted by and integrated with genetic regulatory mechanisms is limited. Mechanical forces are thought to be mediated in cells by "mechanosensitive" genes, but it is a challenge to demonstrate that the genetic regulation of the biological system is dependant on particular mechanical forces in vivo. We propose a new means of selecting candidate mechanosensitive genes by comparing in vivo gene expression patterns with patterns of biophysical stimuli, computed using finite element analysis. In this study, finite element analyses of the avian embryonic limb were performed using anatomically realistic rudiment and muscle morphologies, and patterns of biophysical stimuli were compared with the expression patterns of four candidate mechanosensitive genes integral to bone development. The expression patterns of two genes, Collagen X (ColX and Indian hedgehog (Ihh, were shown to colocalise with biophysical stimuli induced by embryonic muscle contractions, identifying them as potentially being involved in the mechanoregulation of bone formation. An altered mechanical environment was induced in the embryonic chick, where a neuromuscular blocking agent was administered in ovo to modify skeletal muscle contractions. Finite element analyses predicted dramatic changes in levels and patterns of biophysical stimuli, and a number of immobilised specimens exhibited differences in ColX and Ihh expression. The results obtained indicate that computationally derived patterns of biophysical stimuli can be used to inform a directed search for genes that may play a mechanoregulatory role in particular in vivo events or processes. Furthermore, the experimental data demonstrate that ColX and Ihh are involved in mechanoregulatory pathways and may be key mediators in translating information from the mechanical environment to the

  10. Performance of Broiler Chicks Fed Irradiated Sorghum Grains

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Farag, M.D.D.; Farag, M.F. S. El-D.; Afify, A.S.

    2003-01-01

    Substitution of yellow corn with raw sorghum grains in chick diets resulted in decreases in live body weight, accumulative feed consumption and efficiency of feed utilization as compared with reference diet. Relative to raw sorghum diet, inclusion of sorghum grains irradiated at 60 and 100 kGy and/or supplemented with PEG in chick diets resulted in increases in accumulative feed consumption an efficiency feed utilization. The study suggested that irradiation treatment up to 100 kGy up grade broiler chicks performance and the combinations between radiation and PEG treatments sustain the effect of each other

  11. Responses of commercial broiler chicks to 60Co gamma-rays

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shebaita, M.K.; Kamar, G.A.R.; El-Barkouky, E.E.M.

    1981-01-01

    A total of 360 chicks of Nichols line at one-day old were used in this study. Within each sex, the chicks were divided into three exposure treatments (non-irradiated, 400 rads and 800 rads). The source of irradiation was 60 Co gamma-rays. The results can be summarized as follows: Of the 360 chicks used in this study, only 10 chicks died during the experimental period. Radiation induced a reduction in body weight in both sexes during the growth period. Gamma-rays reduce the feed intake in both sexes. Moreover, the feed conversion ratio for the irradiated chicks was higher than that the non-irradiated birds. While red blood cells and hemoglobin content were higher in the irradiated chicks, white blood cells count and especially lymphocytes did not affect by 60 Co gamma-rays. Gamma-rays had no effect on carcass, bone, meat and giblets as fractions of body weight in both sexes. Moreover, meat water content decreased and meat fat content increased in irradiated chicks. The total length and the total weight of the GI tract decreased due to 60 Co gamma-rays. The response of the different regions of the GI tract to this rays is different. Moreover, the effect of this radiation on the GI tract is dependent upon the body weight irrespective of the sex. (orig./MG) [de

  12. Enhanced learning of natural visual sequences in newborn chicks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wood, Justin N; Prasad, Aditya; Goldman, Jason G; Wood, Samantha M W

    2016-07-01

    To what extent are newborn brains designed to operate over natural visual input? To address this question, we used a high-throughput controlled-rearing method to examine whether newborn chicks (Gallus gallus) show enhanced learning of natural visual sequences at the onset of vision. We took the same set of images and grouped them into either natural sequences (i.e., sequences showing different viewpoints of the same real-world object) or unnatural sequences (i.e., sequences showing different images of different real-world objects). When raised in virtual worlds containing natural sequences, newborn chicks developed the ability to recognize familiar images of objects. Conversely, when raised in virtual worlds containing unnatural sequences, newborn chicks' object recognition abilities were severely impaired. In fact, the majority of the chicks raised with the unnatural sequences failed to recognize familiar images of objects despite acquiring over 100 h of visual experience with those images. Thus, newborn chicks show enhanced learning of natural visual sequences at the onset of vision. These results indicate that newborn brains are designed to operate over natural visual input.

  13. Multipotent embryonic isl1+ progenitor cells lead to cardiac, smooth muscle, and endothelial cell diversification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moretti, Alessandra; Caron, Leslie; Nakano, Atsushi; Lam, Jason T; Bernshausen, Alexandra; Chen, Yinhong; Qyang, Yibing; Bu, Lei; Sasaki, Mika; Martin-Puig, Silvia; Sun, Yunfu; Evans, Sylvia M; Laugwitz, Karl-Ludwig; Chien, Kenneth R

    2006-12-15

    Cardiogenesis requires the generation of endothelial, cardiac, and smooth muscle cells, thought to arise from distinct embryonic precursors. We use genetic fate-mapping studies to document that isl1(+) precursors from the second heart field can generate each of these diverse cardiovascular cell types in vivo. Utilizing embryonic stem (ES) cells, we clonally amplified a cellular hierarchy of isl1(+) cardiovascular progenitors, which resemble the developmental precursors in the embryonic heart. The transcriptional signature of isl1(+)/Nkx2.5(+)/flk1(+) defines a multipotent cardiovascular progenitor, which can give rise to cells of all three lineages. These studies document a developmental paradigm for cardiogenesis, where muscle and endothelial lineage diversification arises from a single cell-level decision of a multipotent isl1(+) cardiovascular progenitor cell (MICP). The discovery of ES cell-derived MICPs suggests a strategy for cardiovascular tissue regeneration via their isolation, renewal, and directed differentiation into specific mature cardiac, pacemaker, smooth muscle, and endothelial cell types.

  14. Face recognition in newly hatched chicks at the onset of vision.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wood, Samantha M W; Wood, Justin N

    2015-04-01

    How does face recognition emerge in the newborn brain? To address this question, we used an automated controlled-rearing method with a newborn animal model: the domestic chick (Gallus gallus). This automated method allowed us to examine chicks' face recognition abilities at the onset of both face experience and object experience. In the first week of life, newly hatched chicks were raised in controlled-rearing chambers that contained no objects other than a single virtual human face. In the second week of life, we used an automated forced-choice testing procedure to examine whether chicks could distinguish that familiar face from a variety of unfamiliar faces. Chicks successfully distinguished the familiar face from most of the unfamiliar faces-for example, chicks were sensitive to changes in the face's age, gender, and orientation (upright vs. inverted). Thus, chicks can build an accurate representation of the first face they see in their life. These results show that the initial state of face recognition is surprisingly powerful: Newborn visual systems can begin encoding and recognizing faces at the onset of vision. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

  15. Teening chick lit?

    OpenAIRE

    Whelehan, Imelda, 1960-

    2009-01-01

    online article - free to access This essay concerns itself with two examples of contemporary teen romance and examines the similarities with adult chick lit. These texts are compared with Judy Blume's classic 'Forever' written in 1975 to emphasis continuities between contemporary teen fiction and its more overty feminist forebears

  16. Isomyosin expression patterns during rat heart morphogenesis: an immunohistochemical study

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    de Groot, I. J.; Lamers, W. H.; Moorman, A. F.

    1989-01-01

    An immunohistochemical study of cardiac alpha and beta myosin heavy chain (MHC) expression during rat heart morphogenesis was performed. In tubular hearts (embryonic days, ED10-11) coexpression of both cardiac alpha and beta MHC was found throughout the heart, except for the left free wall of the

  17. Evaluation of growth performance of broiler chicks fed with raw and processed leucaena eucociphala seed

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Minari, J.B.; Odutuga, A.A.

    2014-01-01

    Fourty-eight broiler chicks (day-old) were used in a 4 weeks feeding experiment to assess the growth response and the performance of broiler chicks fed raw Leucaena leucociphala seed meal (RLSM), roasted L. leucociphala seed meal (RoLSM) and steamed L. leucociphala seed meal (SLSM). The L. leucociphala seed, which serve as a source of protein were subjected to two treatments (roasting and steaming). Soybean based diet served as the control. There were four (4) experimental groups, each made up of four birds in three replicates allocated to the experimental diets. The results showed that the average final live weight, average weekly weight gain and average feed intake of birds fed with RoLSM performed better than birds fed with RLSM and SLSM. It was observed that the percentage organ to body weight of birds fed with the processed LSM were significantly (P < 0.05), higher as compared to the RLSM. A significant (P < 0.05) increase in the activity of aspartate transferase in the organs (heart, kidney and liver) of broilers fed with RoLSM was observed as compared to those fed with RLSM. The results showed a significant (P < 0.05), reduction in the activity of alanine transferase of organs of broilers chicks fed with processed L. leucociphala compared to the control. It is therefore, concluded that the processing techniques applied were able to improve the nutritional quality of L. leucociphala seed meal but relatively lower to the soybean based meal. (author)

  18. Effects of Multivitamins and Known Teratogens on Chick Cardiomyocytes Micromass Culture Assay

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Samreen Memon

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available   Objective(s: This study aimed to find out whether the chick cardiomyocyte micromass (MM system could be employed to predict the teratogenecity of common environmental factors. Different multivitamins and over the counter drugs were used in this study.   Materials and Methods: White Leghorn 5-day-old embryo hearts were dissected and trypsinized to produce a cardiomyocyte cell suspension in Dulbecco's Modified Eagle's Medium. The cultures were incubated at 370C in 5% CO2 in air, and observations were made at 24, 48 and 144 hr, for the detection of cell beating. Cellular viability was assessed using the resazurin assay and cell protein content was assessed by the kenacid blue assay. It was observed that while not affecting total cell number folic acid, vitamin C, sodium fluoride and ginseng did not significantly reduced cell activity and beating. However cadmium chloride significantly reduced the beating, cell viability and cell protein content in micromass cultures. Results: The results demonstrate the potential of the chick cardiomyocyte MM culture assay to identify teratogens/embryotoxins that alter morphology and function, which may result in either teratogenic outcome or cytotoxicity. Conclusion: This could form part of a screen for developmental toxicity related to cardiac function

  19. Pharmacokinetics of paracetamol in chicks treated with metronidazole

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S.M. Hussain

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Effect of metronidazole on the pharmacokinetics of paracetamol were examined in chicks. Chicks were dosed orally with metronidazole at 350 mg\\kg of body weight daily (10 -13 days of age. On the last day of metronidazole dosing, chicks injected intraperitoneally with paracetamol at of 50 mg\\kg of body weight. Paracetamol appeared in chick plasma at 52.00, 45.00, 40.75, 32.75, 23.25 µg \\ml after 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, 1, 2, 4 hours of injection respectively. A significantly decreased the concentration paracetamol at times of 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, 1, 4 hours post injection and appeared at concentrations of 36.62, 35.37, 25.62, 20.50, 11.00 µg\\ml. These was reflected by changes in the pharmacokinetics of paracetamol as show by the increase elimination rate constant (48% and decrease in the half-life (32 % and increase in volume distribution (29% and increase in clearance by (96% and decrease in the area under the plasma curve (33% and decrease in the area under moment curve 65% and lack mean residence time (33%. These results indicate that oral dosing of chicks with metronidazole for four consecutive days and this effect increase in the elemination rate of paracetamol and this effect must be considered when therapy with paracetamol when given during metronidazole therapy.

  20. Chick Hairy1 protein interacts with Sap18, a component of the Sin3/HDAC transcriptional repressor complex

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrade Raquel P

    2007-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The vertebrate adult axial skeleton, trunk and limb skeletal muscles and dermis of the back all arise from early embryonic structures called somites. Somites are symmetrically positioned flanking the embryo axial structures (neural tube and notochord and are periodically formed in a anterior-posterior direction from the presomitic mesoderm. The time required to form a somite pair is constant and species-specific. This extraordinary periodicity is proposed to depend on an underlying somitogenesis molecular clock, firstly evidenced by the cyclic expression of the chick hairy1 gene in the unsegmented presomitic mesoderm with a 90 min periodicity, corresponding to the time required to form a somite pair in the chick embryo. The number of hairy1 oscillations at any given moment is proposed to provide the cell with both temporal and positional information along the embryo's anterior-posterior axis. Nevertheless, how this is accomplished and what biological processes are involved is still unknown. Aiming at understanding the molecular events triggered by the somitogenesis clock Hairy1 protein, we have employed the yeast two-hybrid system to identify Hairy1 interaction partners. Results Sap18, an adaptor molecule of the Sin3/HDAC transcriptional repressor complex, was found to interact with the C-terminal portion of the Hairy1 protein in a yeast two-hybrid assay and the Hairy1/Sap18 interaction was independently confirmed by co-immunoprecipitation experiments. We have characterized the expression patterns of both sap18 and sin3a genes during chick embryo development, using in situ hybridization experiments. We found that both sap18 and sin3a expression patterns co-localize in vivo with hairy1 expression domains in chick rostral presomitic mesoderm and caudal region of somites. Conclusion Hairy1 belongs to the hairy-enhancer-of-split family of transcriptional repressor proteins. Our results indicate that during chick somitogenesis

  1. Critical windows in embryonic development: Shifting incubation temperatures alter heart rate and oxygen consumption of Lake Whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) embryos and hatchlings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eme, J; Mueller, C A; Manzon, R G; Somers, C M; Boreham, D R; Wilson, J Y

    2015-01-01

    Critical windows are periods of developmental susceptibility when the phenotype of an embryonic, juvenile or adult animal may be vulnerable to environmental fluctuations. Temperature has pervasive effects on poikilotherm physiology, and embryos are especially vulnerable to temperature shifts. To identify critical windows, we incubated whitefish embryos at control temperatures of 2°C, 5°C, or 8°C, and shifted treatments among temperatures at the end of gastrulation or organogenesis. Heart rate (fH) and oxygen consumption ( [Formula: see text] ) were measured across embryonic development, and [Formula: see text] was measured in 1-day old hatchlings. Thermal shifts, up or down, from initial incubation temperatures caused persistent changes in fH and [Formula: see text] compared to control embryos measured at the same temperature (2°C, 5°C, or 8°C). Most prominently, when embryos were measured at organogenesis, shifting incubation temperature after gastrulation significantly lowered [Formula: see text] or fH. Incubation at 2°C or 5°C through gastrulation significantly lowered [Formula: see text] (42% decrease) and fH (20% decrease) at 8°C, incubation at 2°C significantly lowered [Formula: see text] (40% decrease) and fH (30% decrease) at 5°C, and incubation at 5°C and 8°C significantly lowered [Formula: see text] at 2°C (27% decrease). Through the latter half of development, [Formula: see text] and fH in embryos were not different from control values for thermally shifted treatments. However, in hatchlings measured at 2°C, [Formula: see text] was higher in groups incubated at 5°C or 8°C through organogenesis, compared to 2°C controls (43 or 65% increase, respectively). Collectively, these data suggest that embryonic development through organogenesis represents a critical window of embryonic and hatchling phenotypic plasticity. This study presents an experimental design that identified thermally sensitive periods for fish embryos. Crown Copyright

  2. Early development of the circumferential axonal pathway in mouse and chick spinal cord.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Holley, J A

    1982-03-10

    The early development of the circumferential axonal pathway in the brachial and lumbar spinal cord of mouse and chick embryos was studied by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The cellular processes which comprise this pathway grow in the transverse plane and along the lateral margin of the marginal zone (i.e., circumferentially oriented), as typified by the early embryonic commissural axons. The first formative event observed was in the ventrolateral margin of the primitive spinal cord ventricular zone. Cellular processes were found near the external limiting membrane that appeared to grow a variable distance either dorsally or ventrally. Later in development, presumptive motor column neurons migrated into the ventrolateral region, distal to these early circumferentially oriented processes. Concurrently, other circumferentially oriented perikarya and processes appeared along the dorsolateral margin. Due to their aligned sites of origin and parallel growth, the circumferential processes formed a more or less continuous line or pathway, which in about 10% of the scanned specimens could be followed along the entire lateral margin of the embryonic spinal cord. Several specimens later in development had two sets of aligned circumferential processes in the ventral region. Large numbers of circumferential axons were then found to follow the preformed pathway by fasciculation, after the primitive motor column had become established. Since the earliest circumferential processes appeared to differentiate into axons and were found nearly 24 hours prior to growth of most circumferential axons, their role in guidance as pioneering axons was suggested.

  3. A new take on an old story: chick limb organ culture for skeletal niche development and regenerative medicine evaluation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    EL Smith

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available Scientific research and progress, particularly in the drug discovery and regenerative medicine fields, is typically dependent on suitable animal models to develop new and improved clinical therapies for injuries and diseases. In vivo model systems are frequently utilised, but these models are expensive, highly complex and pose a number of ethical considerations leading to the development and use of a number of alternative ex vivo model systems. The ex vivo embryonic chick long bone and limb bud models have been utilised in the scientific research field as a model to understand skeletal development for over eighty years. The rapid development of avian skeletal tissues, coupled with the ease of experimental manipulation, availability of genome sequence and the presence of multiple cell and tissue types has seen such model systems gain significant research interest in the last few years in the tissue engineering field. The models have been explored both as systems for understanding the developmental bone niche and as potential testing tools for tissue engineering strategies for bone repair and regeneration. This review details the evolution of the chick limb organ culture system and presents recent innovative developments and emerging techniques and technologies applied to these models that are aiding our understanding of skeletal developmental and regenerative medicine research and application.

  4. Responses of commercial broiler chicks to /sup 60/Co gamma-rays

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shebaita, M.K.; Kamar, G.A.R.; El-Barkouky, E.E.M.

    1981-12-01

    A total of 360 chicks of Nichols line at one-day old were used in this study. Within each sex, the chicks were divided into three exposure treatments (non-irradiated, 400 rads and 800 rads). The source of irradiation was /sup 60/Co gamma rays. The results can be summarized as follows: Of the 360 chicks used in this study, only 10 chicks died during the experimental period. Radiation induced a reduction in body weight in both sexes during the growth period. Gamma rays reduce the feed intake in both sexes. Moreover, the feed conversion ratio for the irradiated chicks was higher than that the non-irradiated birds. While red blood cells and hemoglobin content were higher in the irradiated chicks, white blood cells count and especially lymphocytes were not affected by /sup 60/Co gamma rays. Gamma rays had no effect on carcass, bone, meat and giblets as fractions of body weight in both sexes. Moreover, meat water content decreased and meat fat content increased in irradiated chicks. The total length and the total weight of the GI tract decreased due to /sup 60/Co gamma rays. The response of the different regions of the GI tract to these rays is different. Moreover, the effect of this radiation on the GI tract is dependent upon the body weight irrespective of the sex.

  5. Effects of breeder age and pre-incubation storage of eggs

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    S..

    South African Journal of Animal Science 2005, 35 (2) ... weight, chick weight and percentage yolk weight were significantly higher in eggs ... interactions for water loss in chicks, early embryonic death, late embryonic ... in which hatching eggs are commonly stored for three to seven days prior .... The negative impacts were.

  6. Embryonic chicken transplantation is a promising model for studying the invasive behaviour of melanoma cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aparna eJayachandran

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition is a hallmark event in the metastatic cascade conferring invasive ability to tumor cells. There are ongoing efforts to replicate the physiological events occurring during mobilization of tumor cells in model systems. However, few systems are able to capture these complex in vivo events. The embryonic chicken transplantation model has emerged as a useful system to assess melanoma cells including functions that are relevant to the metastatic process, namely invasion and plasticity. The chicken embryo represents an accessible and economical 3-dimensional in vivo model for investigating melanoma cell invasion as it exploits the ancestral relationship between melanoma and its precursor neural crest cells. We describe a methodology which enables the interrogation of melanoma cell motility within the developing avian embryo. This model involves the injection of melanoma cells into the neural tube of chicken embryos. Melanoma cells are labelled using fluorescent tracker dye, Vybrant DiO, then cultured as hanging drops for 24 hours to aggregate the cells. Groups of approximately 700 cells are placed into the neural tube of chicken embryos prior to the onset of neural crest migration at the hindbrain level (embryonic day 1.5 or trunk level (embryonic day 2.5. Chick embryos are reincubated and analysed after 48 hours for the location of melanoma cells using fluorescent microscopy on whole mounts and cross-sections of the embryos. Using this system, we compared the in vivo invasive behavior of epithelial-like and mesenchymal-like melanoma cells. We report that the developing embryonic microenvironment confers motile abilities to both types of melanoma cells. Hence the embryonic chicken transplantation model has potential to become a valuable tool for in vivo melanoma invasion studies. Importantly, it may provide novel insights into and reveal previously unknown mediators of the metastatic steps of invasion and

  7. Growth of Audouin's gull chicks: the role of prehatch and posthatch factors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elena Villuendas

    2003-07-01

    Full Text Available We compared the growth rates of Audouin´s Gull (Larus audouinii chicks from the Ebro Delta and Columbretes Islands. Chicks from the Columbretes Islands were reared in captivity and fed ad libitum. Wild chicks from the Ebro Delta weighed more than chicks hatched from Columbretes eggs but attained a lower weight at fledging. Chicks from Columbretes eggs hatched with a longer wing length but rates did not differ between samples during the early stages of growth. Eggs from the Ebro Delta were significantly larger than eggs from Columbretes. Hence, differences in growth appeared not to be related to differences in egg size (prehatch factor but only in parental quality (posthatch factor through the amount of food delivered to chicks. These differences could be due to the incapacity of parents to provide enough food during the last stages of chick development, in part because of reduced food availability at the Ebro Delta during the study period. Alternatively, differences could be attributed to a trade-off between present and future reproduction. Demographic consequences of reduced food availability for the 1993 Ebro Delta cohort should be explored in future work.

  8. Development of homeothermy in chicks of sub-Antarctic burrowing ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    On average, chicks of grey petrels, great-winged petrels and Salvin's prions attained homeothermy within five days of hatching, but some individuals exhibited well-developed homeothermy within 24 h of hatching. Chicks demonstrated a high capacity for heat production and maximum cold-induced oxygen consumptions ...

  9. Insoluble granite-grit allows broiler chicks to have better growth performance and gut health

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Güray Erener

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of insoluble granite-grit on growth performance and gut health status of broiler chicks. One hundred and sixty 14-day-old broiler chicks were allocated to experimental groups control and grit feeding. Each group included 80 birds divided by four replicates, each consisting of 20 birds, 10 males and 10 females. Feed intake, body weight gain, feed conversion ratio, carcass weight, dressing percentage, gut length, abdominal fat pad, and liver, heart, and gizzard weights were determined. Starter diet included 230 g crude protein (CP kg−1 and 3.15 Mcal metabolizable energy (ME kg−1 during the days 14 to 21; grower diet included 212 g CP kg−1 and 3.20 Mcal ME kg−1; and finisher diet included 190 g CP kg−1 and 3.20 Mcal ME kg-1. Control birds were fed broiler diets, while grit-fed birds were allowed to consume broiler diets, including 3% insoluble granite-grit. Grit feeding improved the final body weight (2268 vs. 2336 g with better feed efficiency (2.03 vs. 1.95 and less feed intake (3780 vs. 3764 g. Grit feeding increased gizzard weight (31.63 vs. 48.00 g without affecting carcass weight (1643 vs. 1708 g, dressing percentage (73.50 vs. 73.60%, liver weight (42.69 vs. 40.69 g, heart weight (12.00 vs. 11.63 g, abdominal fat pad (34.50 vs. 35.38 g, and gut length (229.3 vs. 220.7 cm of broilers. Grit feeding affects daily gain, feed intake, and feed conversion ratio positively by increasing gizzard development and health.

  10. Mechanical origins of rightward torsion in early chick brain development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Zi; Guo, Qiaohang; Dai, Eric; Taber, Larry

    2015-03-01

    During early development, the neural tube of the chick embryo undergoes a combination of progressive ventral bending and rightward torsion. This torsional deformation is one of the major organ-level left-right asymmetry events in development. Previous studies suggested that bending is mainly due to differential growth, however, the mechanism for torsion remains poorly understood. Since the heart almost always loops rightwards that the brain twists, researchers have speculated that heart looping affects the direction of brain torsion. However, direct evidence is lacking, nor is the mechanical origin of such torsion understood. In our study, experimental perturbations show that the bending and torsional deformations in the brain are coupled and that the vitelline membrane applies an external load necessary for torsion to occur. Moreover, the asymmetry of the looping heart gives rise to the chirality of the twisted brain. A computational model and a 3D printed physical model are employed to help interpret these findings. Our work clarifies the mechanical origins of brain torsion and the associated left-right asymmetry, and further reveals that the asymmetric development in one organ can induce the asymmetry of another developing organ through mechanics, reminiscent of D'Arcy Thompson's view of biological form as ``diagram of forces''. Z.C. is supported by the Society in Science - Branco Weiss fellowship, administered by ETH Zurich. L.A.T acknowledges the support from NIH Grants R01 GM075200 and R01 NS070918.

  11. Embryonic exposure to lead: comparison of immune and cellular responses in unchallenged and virally stressed chickens

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Ji-Eun; Kao, Elizabeth; Dietert, Rodney R. [Institute for Comparative and Environmental Toxicology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (United States); Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (United States); Naqi, Syed A. [Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (United States)

    2002-01-01

    Lead, a ubiquitous environmental contaminant, has been shown to modulate various functions of the immune system and decrease host resistance to infectious disease. However, limited information is available concerning the direct effects of lead on the host immune response to an infectious agent after developmental exposure. The current study utilized chickens to examine the effect of embryonic lead exposure on immune and cellular responses during viral challenge. Sublethal doses of lead were introduced into fertilized Cornell K Strain White Leghorn chicken eggs via the air sac at day 5 or day 12 of embryonic development (designated as E5 and E12, respectively). Four-week-old female chickens were inoculated with infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) strain M41. Antibody titer to IBV, delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) response against bovine serum albumin (BSA), the absolute number and percentage of leukocyte subpopulations, and interferon-{gamma} (IFN-{gamma})-like cytokine production by splenocytes were evaluated at 5-6 weeks of age. While antibody response to IBV in juvenile chicks was unaffected by the in ovo lead exposure, IFN-{gamma}-like cytokine production by splenocytes was significantly depressed following lead exposure at both developmental stages. In contrast with this pattern, the DTH response against BSA was unaffected following E5 exposure, but was significantly decreased after E12 exposure to lead. These changes were similar to those previously reported in chickens not exposed to IBV. While lead exposure at E5 induced significant changes in the percentage of circulating heterophils at 1 day postinfection (dpi), lead did not cause any change in relative leukocyte counts after E12 exposure. At 7 dpi, E5 lead exposure resulted in decreased absolute number and percentage of circulating lymphocytes, while total leukocyte counts, and the absolute number and percentage of circulating monocytes and heterophils were significantly reduced in E12 lead

  12. Sex identification of Nigerian indigenous chicks using Auto-sexing ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Sexing has been a challenging task in Nigerian indigenous chickens due to the monomorphism of chicks which makes it impossible to distinguish the male from the female until eight weeks. . Therefore, this study was carried out to determine the sex of Nigerian indigenous chicks using the common auto-sexing methods.

  13. Development of homeothermy in chicks of sub-Antarctic burrowing ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    1988-05-06

    May 6, 1988 ... temperatures at low ambient temperatures soon after hatching (Farner ... intervals during the experiment. Chamber .... chicks in each age class used in the experiments. (figures in ..... dence in chicks at a relatively low metabolic cost com- pared to that which ... knowledge of heat transfer physics. We thank ...

  14. Kidnapping of chicks in emperor penguins: a hormonal by-product?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Angelier, Frédéric; Barbraud, Christophe; Lormée, Hervé; Prud'homme, François; Chastel, Olivier

    2006-04-01

    The function and causes of kidnapping juveniles are little understood because individuals sustain some breeding costs to rear an unrelated offspring. Here we focus on the proximal causes of this behaviour in emperor penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri), whose failed breeders often kidnap chicks. We experimentally tested the hypothesis that kidnapping behaviour was the result of high residual levels of prolactin (PRL), a hormone involved in parental behaviour. Penguins with artificially decreased PRL levels by bromocriptine administration kidnapped chicks less often than control penguins. Within the bromocriptine treated group, kidnapping behaviour was not totally suppressed and the probability of kidnapping a chick was positively correlated to PRL levels measured before treatment. During breeding, emperor penguins have to forage in remote ice-free areas. In these birds, PRL secretion is poorly influenced by chick stimuli and has probably evolved to maintain a willingness to return to the colony after a long absence at sea. Therefore, penguins that have lost their chick during a foraging trip still maintain high residual PRL levels and this, combined with colonial breeding, probably facilitates kidnapping. We suggest that kidnapping in non-cooperative systems may result from a hormonal byproduct of a reproductive adaptation to extreme conditions.

  15. Detour behaviour, imprinting and visual lateralization in the domestic chick.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vallortigara, G; Regolin, L; Pagni, P

    1999-01-01

    Detour behaviour was studied in chicks faced with a vertical-bar barrier behind where an imprinting object (a red ball) was located. Right-eyed chicks took less time to detour the barrier than left-eyed chicks, and binocular chicks showed a bias to detour the barrier on the left side, thus maintaining visual contact with the imprinting object using the lateral field of the right eye, while circling around the barrier. In males, the asymmetries were consistent all along the first two weeks of life, whereas in females they disappeared on days 8 and 11. When tested with a slightly novel version of the original imprinting object (i.e., a ball of a different color), binocular chicks showed a bias to detour the barrier on the right side, thus showing preferential use of the left eye. The same bias occurred when unfamiliar conspecifics were used as goal-objects. Results suggest that cerebral lateralization in birds can directly affect visually-guided motor responses through selective use of the lateral field of vision of the eye contralateral to the hemisphere which has to be put in charge of control of overt behaviour. Copyright 1999 Elsevier Science B.V.

  16. Organochlorine concentrations in diseased vs. healthy gull chicks from the northern Baltic

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hario, Martti; Hirvi, Juha-Pekka; Hollmen, Tuula; Rudbaeck, Eeva

    2004-01-01

    The population decline of the nominate lesser black-backed gull Larus fuscus fuscus in the Gulf of Finland (northern Baltic) is caused by an exceedingly high chick mortality due to diseases. The chick diseases include degeneration in various internal organs (primarily liver), inflammations (mainly intestinal), and sepsis, the final cause of death. The hypothesis of starvation causing intestinal inflammations (leading to sepsis) was tested by attempting to reproduce lesions in apparently healthy herring gull L. argentatus chicks in captivity. The herring gull chicks were provided a similar low food-intake frequency as observed for the diseased chicks in the wild. However, empty alimentary tract per se did not induce the intestinal inflammations and therefore, inflammations seem to be innate or caused by other environmental factors in the diseased lesser black-backed chicks. They had very high concentrations of PCB in their liver; but the concentrations were not significantly higher than those of the healthy herring gull chicks, indicating a common exposure area for both species (i.e. the Baltic Sea). When compared to NOEL and LOEL values for TEQs in bird eggs our TEQ levels clearly exceed most or all of the values associated with effects. Compared with published data on fish-eating waterbirds, the DDE concentrations in the diseased lesser black-backed chicks were well above the levels previously correlated with decreased reproduction, while the residues in apparently healthy herring gulls were below those levels. The DDE/PCB ratio in lesser black-backs was significantly elevated, indicating an increased exposure to DDTs as compared with most other Baltic and circumpolar seabirds. The possible exposure areas of DDT in relation to differential migration habits of the two gull species are discussed. - Elevated DDE/PCB ratio correlates with a high rate of chick diseases in the endangered nominate lesser black-backed gull

  17. Organochlorine concentrations in diseased vs. healthy gull chicks from the northern Baltic

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hario, Martti; Hirvi, Juha-Pekka; Hollmen, Tuula; Rudbaeck, Eeva

    2004-02-01

    The population decline of the nominate lesser black-backed gull Larus fuscus fuscus in the Gulf of Finland (northern Baltic) is caused by an exceedingly high chick mortality due to diseases. The chick diseases include degeneration in various internal organs (primarily liver), inflammations (mainly intestinal), and sepsis, the final cause of death. The hypothesis of starvation causing intestinal inflammations (leading to sepsis) was tested by attempting to reproduce lesions in apparently healthy herring gull L. argentatus chicks in captivity. The herring gull chicks were provided a similar low food-intake frequency as observed for the diseased chicks in the wild. However, empty alimentary tract per se did not induce the intestinal inflammations and therefore, inflammations seem to be innate or caused by other environmental factors in the diseased lesser black-backed chicks. They had very high concentrations of PCB in their liver; but the concentrations were not significantly higher than those of the healthy herring gull chicks, indicating a common exposure area for both species (i.e. the Baltic Sea). When compared to NOEL and LOEL values for TEQs in bird eggs our TEQ levels clearly exceed most or all of the values associated with effects. Compared with published data on fish-eating waterbirds, the DDE concentrations in the diseased lesser black-backed chicks were well above the levels previously correlated with decreased reproduction, while the residues in apparently healthy herring gulls were below those levels. The DDE/PCB ratio in lesser black-backs was significantly elevated, indicating an increased exposure to DDTs as compared with most other Baltic and circumpolar seabirds. The possible exposure areas of DDT in relation to differential migration habits of the two gull species are discussed. - Elevated DDE/PCB ratio correlates with a high rate of chick diseases in the endangered nominate lesser black-backed gull.

  18. The Immune Response of Maternally Immune Chicks to Vaccination ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The Immune Response of Maternally Immune Chicks to Vaccination with Newcastle Disease Virus. ... G A El-Tayeb, M Y El-Ttegani, I E Hajer, M A Mohammed ... This study was conducted to determine the persistence of maternally derived antibodies (MDA) to Newcastle disease virus (NDV) in newly hatched chicks and the ...

  19. 8-Oxoguanine DNA glycosylase 1 (ogg1) maintains the function of cardiac progenitor cells during heart formation in zebrafish

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yan, Lifeng [State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Institute of Toxicology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029 (China); Key Laboratory of Modern Toxicology of Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029 (China); Zhou, Yong [Key Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology, Institute of Health Sciences, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025 (China); Yu, Shanhe [Shanghai Institute of Hematology, RuiJin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025 (China); Ji, Guixiang [Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences/Key Laboratory of Pesticide Environmental Assessment and Pollution Control, Ministry of Environmental Protection, Nanjing 210042 (China); Wang, Lei [Key Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology, Institute of Health Sciences, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025 (China); Liu, Wei [State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Institute of Toxicology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029 (China); Key Laboratory of Modern Toxicology of Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029 (China); Gu, Aihua, E-mail: aihuagu@njmu.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Institute of Toxicology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029 (China); Key Laboratory of Modern Toxicology of Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029 (China)

    2013-11-15

    Genomic damage may devastate the potential of progenitor cells and consequently impair early organogenesis. We found that ogg1, a key enzyme initiating the base-excision repair, was enriched in the embryonic heart in zebrafish. So far, little is known about DNA repair in cardiogenesis. Here, we addressed the critical role of ogg1 in cardiogenesis for the first time. ogg1 mainly expressed in the anterior lateral plate mesoderm (ALPM), the primary heart tube, and subsequently the embryonic myocardium by in situ hybridisation. Loss of ogg1 resulted in severe cardiac morphogenesis and functional abnormalities, including the short heart length, arrhythmia, decreased cardiomyocytes and nkx2.5{sup +} cardiac progenitor cells. Moreover, the increased apoptosis and repressed proliferation of progenitor cells caused by ogg1 deficiency might contribute to the heart phenotype. The microarray analysis showed that the expression of genes involved in embryonic heart tube morphogenesis and heart structure were significantly changed due to the lack of ogg1. Among those, foxh1 is an important partner of ogg1 in the cardiac development in response to DNA damage. Our work demonstrates the requirement of ogg1 in cardiac progenitors and heart development in zebrafish. These findings may be helpful for understanding the aetiology of congenital cardiac deficits. - Highlights: • A key DNA repair enzyme ogg1 is expressed in the embryonic heart in zebrafish. • We found that ogg1 is essential for normal cardiac morphogenesis in zebrafish. • The production of embryonic cardiomyocytes requires appropriate ogg1 expression. • Ogg1 critically regulated proliferation of cardiac progenitor cells in zebrafish. • foxh1 is a partner of ogg1 in the cardiac development in response to DNA damage.

  20. Development of teeth in chick embryos after mouse neural crest transplantations

    OpenAIRE

    Mitsiadis, Thimios A.; Chéraud, Yvonnick; Sharpe, Paul; Fontaine-Pérus, Josiane

    2003-01-01

    Teeth were lost in birds 70–80 million years ago. Current thinking holds that it is the avian cranial neural crest-derived mesenchyme that has lost odontogenic capacity, whereas the oral epithelium retains the signaling properties required to induce odontogenesis. To investigate the odontogenic capacity of ectomesenchyme, we have used neural tube transplantations from mice to chick embryos to replace the chick neural crest cell populations with mouse neural crest cells. The mouse/chick ...

  1. Case Study: Organotypic human in vitro models of embryonic ...

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morphogenetic fusion of tissues is a common event in embryonic development and disruption of fusion is associated with birth defects of the eye, heart, neural tube, phallus, palate, and other organ systems. Embryonic tissue fusion requires precise regulation of cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions that drive proliferation, differentiation, and morphogenesis. Chemical low-dose exposures can disrupt morphogenesis across space and time by interfering with key embryonic fusion events. The Morphogenetic Fusion Task uses computer and in vitro models to elucidate consequences of developmental exposures. The Morphogenetic Fusion Task integrates multiple approaches to model responses to chemicals that leaad to birth defects, including integrative mining on ToxCast DB, ToxRefDB, and chemical structures, advanced computer agent-based models, and human cell-based cultures that model disruption of cellular and molecular behaviors including mechanisms predicted from integrative data mining and agent-based models. The purpose of the poster is to indicate progress on the CSS 17.02 Virtual Tissue Models Morphogenesis Task 1 products for the Board of Scientific Counselors meeting on Nov 16-17.

  2. Zinc bioavailability in the chick

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hempe, J.M.

    1987-01-01

    Methods for assessing zinc bioavailability were evaluated in the chick. A low-zinc chick diet was developed using rehydrated, spray-dried egg white autoclaved at 121 C for 30 min as the primary protein source. The relative bioavailability of zinc from soy flour and beef was determined by whole-body retention of extrinsic 65 Zn, and in slope ratio assays for growth rate and tissue zinc. Compared to zinc carbonate added to an egg white-based diet, all methods gave similar estimates of approximately 100% zinc bioavailability for beef but estimates for soy flour varied widely. The slope ratio assay for growth rate gave the best estimate of zinc bioavailability for soy flour. True absorption, as measured by percent isotope retention from extrinsically labeled soy flour, was 47%

  3. Survival costs of chick rearing in black-legged kittiwakes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Golet, Gregory H.; Irons, David B.; Estes, James A.

    1998-01-01

    1. We tested for costs of chick rearing in the black-legged kittiwake Rissa tridactyla (Linnaeus) by removing entire clutches from 149 of 405 randomly selected nests, in which one or both mates was colour-banded. After the manipulation, we monitored adult nest attendance and body condition at unmanipulated and manipulated nests, and measured the survival and fecundity of these adults the following year.2. Late in the chick-rearing period, adults from unmanipulated nests (i.e. with chicks) went on significantly longer foraging trips, and were significantly lighter for their size, than adults from manipulated nests (i.e. without chicks).3. Adults from unmanipulated nests also survived to the following nesting season at a significantly lower rate than those from the manipulated nests (0·898 vs. 0·953), suggesting that attempting to raise chicks can reduce life expectancy by 55%.4. There was a tendency for adults from nests that were unmanipulated in year one to have lower reproductive success in year two, primarily because of reduced fledging success, and a higher incidence of non-breeding.5. These findings suggest that mass loss in kittiwakes during chick rearing may not be adaptive. Raising chicks can lead to reproductive costs, and the causal mechanism appears to be a reduction in body condition.6. We compare our results with previous brood (or clutch) size manipulation experiments that have measured adult body condition, survival and/or future fecundity. Although the empirical evidence suggests that long-lived species are more likely to experience survival costs than short-lived species, we believe the opposite may be true. We suggest that shifting the experimental protocol of cost of reproduction studies from brood enlargements (an approach taken in most prior studies) to brood reductions will provide more accurate quantifications of naturally occurring costs.7. The cost of reproduction is one mechanism proposed to explain the reduced survival rates reported

  4. Performance of broiler chicks fed on irradiated full-fat soybeans

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Diaa El-Din, M.; Farag, H.; Abd El-Hakeim, N.F.; Ali, S.Y.

    1999-01-01

    A N experiment was conducted to evaluate physiological and biochemical responses of arbor chicks from 7 to 49 days fed on diets containing raw and full-fat soybeans processed at 20 and 50 KGy. The results demonstrate that feeding chicks on raw soybeans significantly depressed growth rate and increased feed intake. A significant thyroid, liver, pancreas and gizzard enlargement were also noticed, in addition a significant reduction was found in total plasma protein and albumin during the experimental period. These responses were not as pronounced as when soybeans irradiated at 20 KGy were fad. Soybeans processed at 50 KGy markedly reduced trypsin inhibitors and haemagglutinating agent (71% and 87%, respectively) and resulted in improved chick performance and normalized thyroid, liver, pancreas and gizzard weight and total plasma protein and albumin concentrations. Plasma transaminase activities were similar in all chicks during the experimental period. The improvement in performance of groups fed processed soybeans was the correlated with reduction of trypsin inhibitors and haemagglutinating agent. It is concluded that the radiation processing of soybeans up to 50 KGy is sufficiently suitable to have potential in the feed industry without any deleterious effect on chicks' performance as evidenced by the physiological and biochemical responses

  5. Spontaneous generalization of abstract multimodal patterns in young domestic chicks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Versace, Elisabetta; Spierings, Michelle J; Caffini, Matteo; Ten Cate, Carel; Vallortigara, Giorgio

    2017-05-01

    From the early stages of life, learning the regularities associated with specific objects is crucial for making sense of experiences. Through filial imprinting, young precocial birds quickly learn the features of their social partners by mere exposure. It is not clear though to what extent chicks can extract abstract patterns of the visual and acoustic stimuli present in the imprinting object, and how they combine them. To investigate this issue, we exposed chicks (Gallus gallus) to three days of visual and acoustic imprinting, using either patterns with two identical items or patterns with two different items, presented visually, acoustically or in both modalities. Next, chicks were given a choice between the familiar and the unfamiliar pattern, present in either the multimodal, visual or acoustic modality. The responses to the novel stimuli were affected by their imprinting experience, and the effect was stronger for chicks imprinted with multimodal patterns than for the other groups. Interestingly, males and females adopted a different strategy, with males more attracted by unfamiliar patterns and females more attracted by familiar patterns. Our data show that chicks can generalize abstract patterns by mere exposure through filial imprinting and that multimodal stimulation is more effective than unimodal stimulation for pattern learning.

  6. Simultaneous oral administration of Salmonella Infantis and S. Typhimurium in chicks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murakami, Koichi; Maeda-Mitani, Eriko; Onozuka, Daisuke; Noda, Tamie; Sera, Nobuyuki; Kimura, Hirokazu; Fujimoto, Shuji; Murakami, Satoshi

    2017-01-01

    To confirm the hypothesis that Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serovar ( S. ) Infantis has higher basic reproductive rates in chicks compared with other Salmonella serovars, 1-day-old specific-pathogen-free chicks ( n  = 8) were challenged simultaneously with S. Infantis and S. Typhimurium per os . Challenged chicks (Group A) were then housed with non-infected chicks (Group B, n  = 4) for 6 days (from 2 to 8 days of age). Group B birds were then housed with other non-infected birds (Group C, n  = 4), which were then transferred to cages containing a further group of untreated chicks (Group D, n  = 2). A control group consisting of four non-infected chicks was used for comparison. All chickens were humanely sacrificed at 18 days of age, and Salmonella from bowel and liver samples were enumerated. Both serovars were isolated from all groups except the control group. S. Typhimurium was isolated at a greater frequency than S. Infantis from the bowel samples of chicks from Groups B, C and D, while no differences in colonisation rates were observed between the two serovars in liver samples from Groups B, C and D. S. Typhimurium, but not S. Infantis, was immunohistochemically detected in the lamina propria of the cecum and rectum in five birds of Group A. Despite the competitive administration, neither of the two serovars completely excluded the other, and no differences were observed in basic reproductive rates between the two serovars. These findings, together with data from previous studies, suggest that the initial quantitative domination of S. Infantis in chicken flocks may explain why this serovar is predominant in broiler chickens.

  7. Effect of pre and or post-hatching treatment of broiler eggs with thyroxin and growth hormones on thyroid histology and function of growing chicks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gamal, M.H.; El-Gendi, G.M.

    2003-01-01

    A total number of 1340 eggs from arbor acres parent breed were used in this study. Eggs were divided into two divisions were then sub divided according to the incubation relative humidity (48% and 52%). Eggs of each division were then subdivided into ten groups, eggs of 1 s t, 2 n d groups were injected with 0.05, 0.10 and 0.15 MU elroxin, respectively, those of the 4 t h, 5 t h, and 6 t h groups wereinjectived with 0.05, 0.10 and 0.15 mg carbimazole, respectively, while eggs of the 7 t h, 8 t h and 9 t h groups were injected with 0.005, 0.02 and 0.04 I.U. growth hormone respectively. Eggs of the 10 t h group was injected with distilled water and used as control group. Each group was divided into two divisions, eggs of the first division were injected just before incubation (into the air cell) and those of the second division were injected at the 9 t h day of incubation period (into the embryonic allantoic cavity). A total number of 960 hatched chicks were randomly selected (24chicks of each group)

  8. Ethical euthanasia and short-term anesthesia of the chick embryo.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aleksandrowicz, Ewa; Herr, Ingrid

    2015-01-01

    Fertilized chicken eggs are suggested as an alternative to mammalian models. The chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) of the chick embryo is widely used for examination of angiogenesis, xenotransplants and for virus production. Unfortunately, it is mostly not taken into account, that the chick embryo's ability to experience pain starts to develop at day 7 of breeding. In our view, this model is only in accordance with the 3 R principles, if an appropriate anesthesia of the chick embryo in potentially painful procedures is provided. Although many experimental approaches are performed on the none-innervated CAM, the euthanasia of the embryo strongly requires a more human technique than the usually used freezing at -20°C, decapitation or in ovo fixation with paraformaldehyde without prior anesthesia. However, protocols regarding feasible and ethical methods for anesthesia and euthanasia of avian embryos are currently not available. Therefore, we established an easy and reliable method for the euthanasia and short-term anesthesia of the chick embryo.

  9. Causes of mortality of albatross chicks at Midway Atoll

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sileo, L.; Sievert, P.R.; Samuel, M.D.

    1990-01-01

    As part of an investigation of the effect of plastic ingestion on seabirds in Hawaii, we necropsied the carcasses of 137 Laysan albatross (Diomedea immutabilis) chicks from Midway Atoll in the Pacific Ocean during the summer of 1987. Selected tissues were collected for microbiological, parasitological, toxicological or histopathological examinations. Dehydration was the most common cause of death. Lead poisoning, trauma, emaciation (starvation) and trombidiosis were other causes of death; nonfatal nocardiosis and avian pox also were present. There was no evidence that ingested plastic caused mechanical lesions or mortality in 1987, but most of the chicks had considerably less plastic in them than chicks from earlier years. Human activity (lead poisoning and vehicular trauma) caused mortality at Midway Atoll and represented additive mortality for pre-fledgling albatrosses.

  10. Conjoined twins: morphogenesis of the heart and a review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gilbert-Barness, Enid; Debich-Spicer, Diane; Opitz, John M

    2003-08-01

    Five cases of conjoined twins have been studied. These included three thoracopagus twins, one monocephalus diprosopus (prosop = face), and one dicephalus dipus dibrachus. The thoracopagus twins were conjoined only from the upper thorax to the umbilicus with a normal foregut. These three cases shared a single complex multiventricular heart, one with a four chambered heart with one atrium and one ventricle belonging to each twin with complex venous and arterial connection; two had a seven chambered heart with four atria and three ventricles. The mono-cephalus diprosopus twins had a single heart with tetralogy of Fallot. The dicephalus twins had two separate axial skeletons to the sacrum, two separate hearts were connected between the right atria with a shared inferior vena cava. Thoracopagus twinning is associated with complex cardiac malformations. The cardiac anlagen in cephalopagus or diprosopus are diverted and divided along with the entire rostral end of the embryonic disc and result in two relatively normal shared hearts. However, in thoracopagus twins the single heart is multiventricular and suggests very early union with fusion of the cardiac anlagen before significant differentiation. Cardiac morphogenesis in conjoined twins therefore appears to depend on the site of the conjoined fusion and the temporal and spatial influence that determines morphogenesis as well as abnormally oriented embryonic axes. Copyright 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  11. Organochlorine concentrations in diseased vs. healthy gull chicks from the northern Baltic.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hario, Martti; Hirvi, Juha-Pekka; Hollmén, Tuula; Rudbäck, Eeva

    2004-01-01

    The population decline of the nominate lesser black-backed gull Larus fuscus fuscus in the Gulf of Finland (northern Baltic) is caused by an exceedingly high chick mortality due to diseases. The chick diseases include degeneration in various internal organs (primarily liver), inflammations (mainly intestinal), and sepsis, the final cause of death. The hypothesis of starvation causing intestinal inflammations (leading to sepsis) was tested by attempting to reproduce lesions in apparently healthy herring gull L. argentatus chicks in captivity. The herring gull chicks were provided a similar low food-intake frequency as observed for the diseased chicks in the wild. However, empty alimentary tract per se did not induce the intestinal inflammations and therefore, inflammations seem to be innate or caused by other environmental factors in the diseased lesser black-backed chicks. They had very high concentrations of PCB in their liver; but the concentrations were not significantly higher than those of the healthy herring gull chicks, indicating a common exposure area for both species (i.e. the Baltic Sea). When compared to NOEL and LOEL values for TEQs in bird eggs our TEQ levels clearly exceed most or all of the values associated with effects. Compared with published data on fish-eating waterbirds, the DDE concentrations in the diseased lesser black-backed chicks were well above the levels previously correlated with decreased reproduction, while the residues in apparently healthy herring gulls were below those levels. The DDE/PCB ratio in lesser black-backs was significantly elevated, indicating an increased exposure to DDTs as compared with most other Baltic and circumpolar seabirds. The possible exposure areas of DDT in relation to differential migration habits of the two gull species are discussed.

  12. PTBP1 is required for embryonic development before gastrulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suckale, Jakob; Wendling, Olivia; Masjkur, Jimmy; Jäger, Melanie; Münster, Carla; Anastassiadis, Konstantinos; Stewart, A Francis; Solimena, Michele

    2011-02-17

    Polypyrimidine-tract binding protein 1 (PTBP1) is an important cellular regulator of messenger RNAs influencing the alternative splicing profile of a cell as well as its mRNA stability, location and translation. In addition, it is diverted by some viruses to facilitate their replication. Here, we used a novel PTBP1 knockout mouse to analyse the tissue expression pattern of PTBP1 as well as the effect of its complete removal during development. We found evidence of strong PTBP1 expression in embryonic stem cells and throughout embryonic development, especially in the developing brain and spinal cord, the olfactory and auditory systems, the heart, the liver, the kidney, the brown fat and cartilage primordia. This widespread distribution points towards a role of PTBP1 during embryonic development. Homozygous offspring, identified by PCR and immunofluorescence, were able to implant but were arrested or retarded in growth. At day 7.5 of embryonic development (E7.5) the null mutants were about 5x smaller than the control littermates and the gap in body size widened with time. At mid-gestation, all homozygous embryos were resorbed/degraded. No homozygous mice were genotyped at E12 and the age of weaning. Embryos lacking PTBP1 did not display differentiation into the 3 germ layers and cavitation of the epiblast, which are hallmarks of gastrulation. In addition, homozygous mutants displayed malformed ectoplacental cones and yolk sacs, both early supportive structure of the embryo proper. We conclude that PTBP1 is not required for the earliest isovolumetric divisions and differentiation steps of the zygote up to the formation of the blastocyst. However, further post-implantation development requires PTBP1 and stalls in homozygous null animals with a phenotype of dramatically reduced size and aberration in embryonic and extra-embryonic structures.

  13. Hydrocortisone and Vitamin D3 stimulation of 32Psub(i)-phosphate accumulation by organ-cultured chick embryo duodenum

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Corradino, R.A.

    1979-01-01

    Either vitamin D 3 (or 1 α,25-(OH) 2 -D 3 ) or hydrocortisone (HC) stimulated phosphate accumulation by organ-cultured embryonic chick duodenum. In combination, these two steroids stimulated phosphate uptake synergistically. Phosphate accumulation appeared to be independent of other vitamin D 3 -stimulated processes: CaBP concentration, cAMP concentration, or alkaline phosphataseactivity. L-phenylalanine, a reported alkaline phosphate inhibitor, when added to the culture medium progressively inhibited either D 3 - or HC-stimulated phosphate uptake subsequent to culture, but did not inhibit the synergistic action under these conditions L-phenylalanine had no consistent effect on alkaline phosphotase activity but unexpectedly, greatly inhibited vitamin D 3 - stimulated CaBP concentration, but only in the absence of HC. Some limited suggestion of an intestinal phosphoprotein sensitve to either vitamin D 3 or HC was observed. (orig.) [de

  14. Effect of X-irradiation and vitamin C on DNA degradation and endogenous DNAase in embryonic chick lens cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Trevithick, J.R.; Chaudun, E.; Muel, A.S.; Courtois, Y.; Counis, M.F.

    1987-01-01

    The lens is an organ in which epithelial cells become elongated fibers. During this process, nuclei are transformed and the DNA is degraded. In previous studies, we described an autodigestion of the chromatin in isolated fiber nuclei but not in epithelial nuclei, but the level of DNAase activity was found to be identical in both epithelial and fiber nuclei of lenses at 11 days of development. In this study, we have investigated the possibility that x-irradiation might stimulate the nuclear endogenous activity responsible for chromatin breakdown or epithelial cells to a level comparable to that observed in fiber cells. We have observed that x-irradiation does not increase the nuclear epithelial DNAase activity. Conversely, vitamin C, suspected to prevent cataract formation by protecting DNA against free radical formation, has a damaging effect on the DNA of the lens of chick embryo in vitro. (author)

  15. Chick Development and Asynchroneous Hatching in the Zebra Finch (Taeniopygia guttata castanotis).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ikebuchi, Maki; Okanoya, Kazuo; Hasegawa, Toshikazu; Bischof, Hans-Joachim

    2017-10-01

    The mode of hatching in birds has important impacts on both parents and chicks, including the costs and risks of breeding for parents, and sibling competition in a clutch. Birds with multiple eggs in a single clutch often begin incubating when most eggs are laid, thereby reducing time of incubation, nursing burden, and sibling competition. In some songbirds and some other species, however, incubation starts immediately after the first egg is laid, and the chicks thus hatch asynchronously. This may result in differences in parental care and in sibling competition based on body size differences among older and younger chicks, which in turn might produce asynchronous development among siblings favoring the first hatchling, and further affect the development and fitness of the chicks after fledging. To determine whether such processes in fact occur in the zebra finch, we observed chick development in 18 clutches of zebra finches. We found that there were effects of asynchronous hatching, but these were smaller than expected and mostly not significant. Our observations suggest that the amount of care given to each chick may be equated with such factors as a camouflage effect of the down feathers, and that the low illumination within the nest also complicates the determination of the hatching order by the parents.

  16. Investigation of an outbreak of craniofacial deformity in yellow-eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes) chicks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buckle, K N; Young, M J; Alley, M R

    2014-09-01

    To investigate an outbreak of severe craniofacial deformity in yellow-eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes, hōiho) chicks at a single breeding site on the Otago Peninsula in the South Island of New Zealand. Morbidity and mortality of yellow-eyed penguins breeding on the coastal regions of Otago was monitored from November 2008 to March 2009. Dead chicks and unhatched eggs were recovered and examined. Between October and December 2008 32 eggs were recorded at 17 nests in the Okia Reserve. Eleven chicks survived to about 90 days of age, of which eight were found to have moderate to severe craniofacial deformity. The six most severe chicks were subject to euthanasia and examined in detail at necropsy, and the remaining two affected chicks were released to the wild after a period of care in a rehabilitation centre. Post-mortem samples were analysed for inorganic and organic toxins. The six deformed chicks all had severe shortening of the mandible and maxilla by 20-50 mm. The rostral and caudal regions of the skull were approximately 40 and 80% of normal length, respectively. Other, more variable lesions included cross bill deformity, malformed bill keratin, microphthalmia with misshapen scleral ossicles and oral soft tissue excess thought to be secondary to bony malformations. During the same year, mild sporadic bill deformities were also reported in 10 unrelated chicks from >167 chicks at other breeding sites on the southern Otago coast. Concentrations of organic toxins and heavy metals in body tissues from affected chicks were apparently similar to those in unaffected chicks on other beaches. No cause of this outbreak of craniofacial deformity could be established although the high prevalence at a single site suggests that it was due to an unidentified local teratogen.

  17. Ontogeny of thermoregulatory mechanisms in king penguin chicks (Aptenodytes patagonicus).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duchamp, Claude; Rouanet, Jean Louis; Barré, Hervé

    2002-04-01

    The rapid maturation of thermoregulatory mechanisms may be of critical importance for optimising chick growth and survival and parental energy investment under harsh climatic conditions. The ontogeny of thermoregulatory mechanisms was studied in growing king penguin chicks from hatching to the full emancipation observed at 1 month of age in the sub-Antarctic area (Crozet Archipelago). Newly hatched chicks showed small, but significant regulatory thermogenesis (21% rise in heat production assessed by indirect calorimetry), but rapidly became hypothermic. Within a few days, both resting (+32%) and peak (+52%) metabolic rates increased. The first week of life was characterised by a two-fold rise in thermogenic capacity in the cold, while thermal insulation was not improved. During the second and third weeks of age, thermal insulation markedly rose (two-fold drop in thermal conductance) in relation to down growth, while resting heat production was slightly reduced (-13%). Shivering (assessed by electromyography) was visible right after hatching, although its efficiency was limited. Thermogenic efficiency of shivering increased five-fold with age during the first weeks of life, but there was no sign of non-shivering thermogenesis. We conclude that thermal emancipation of king penguin chicks may be primarily determined by improvement of thermal insulation after thermogenic processes have become sufficiently matured. Both insulative and metabolic adaptations are required for the rapid ontogeny of thermoregulation and thermal emancipation in growing king penguin chicks.

  18. Influence of hydrogen peroxide in drinking water on diazepam pharmacokinetics in chicks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yaareb J. Mousa

    Full Text Available Aim: Stressful conditions affect drug pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. This study examines the effect of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2 in drinking water on the pharmacokinetics of diazepam in a chick model of oxidative stress. Materials and Methods: Day old chicks were either provided with plane tap water (control group or H2O2 in tap water as 0.5% v/v drinking solution for two weeks in order to produce oxidative stress. On treatment days 7–14, the chicks were treated with a sedative dose of diazepam at 10 mg/kg, intramuscularly. Blood samples were obtained from chicks (5/each sampling time at times of between 0.17 to 4 h. The concentrations of diazepam in the plasma were determined by an HPLC method with UV-detector. Pharmacokinetic parameters of diazepam were calculated from the mean drug concentrations in the plasma by a non-compartmental analysis using a Windows-based computer program. Results: Injection of diazepam resulted in the appearance of the drug in the plasma of control and H2O2 -treated chicks at mean concentrations ranging between 0.11 to 0.444 and 0.131 to 0.535 μg/ml, respectively when measured between 0.17 to 4 h after administration. Diazepam concentrations of the H O -treated chicks were significantly higher than those of the control group at the sampling times 0.5, 0.75, 1 and 4 h. The highest concentration of diazepam in the plasma of both the control and H2O2 treated chicks occurred one h after the injection. The elimination half-life, mean residence time, maximum plasma concentration, area under the moment curve and area under plasma concentration-time curve in the H2O2 -treated chicks were higher than those of the control group by 35, 28, 23, 91 and 49%, respectively. Correspondingly, the steady state volume of distribution, elimination rate constant and total body clearance in the H2O2 -treated chicks decreased from those of the respective control values by 15, 24 and 33%. Conclusion: The data suggest that oral

  19. Monitoring phthalates in the tissues of broiler chicks with feedstuffs different phthalate contents

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alžbeta Jarošová

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available For the monitoring of distribution and accumulation of phthalic acid esters (PAE in animal tissues, samples of muscle, mesenteric fat (fat, skin and liver from broiler chicks ROSS 308 were used. The chicks were divided into 4 groups (50 chicks each. All the chicks were given commercial diets (complete feed, KKS for broiler chicks (starter – BR1; grower – BR2 and finisher – BR3. The experimental diets were supplemented with vegetable oil (RO with low (group N or high (group V phthalate contents, or animal fat with a high phthalate content (group Z. Neither the control diets (K, nor the grower (BR1 diets contained vegetable oils or animal fat. The N chicks were given the grower (BR2 and finisher (BR3 diets supplemented with 5% and 3% vegetable oil, respectively. The V chicks were given BR2 and BR3 diets with 5% and 3% vegetable oil, respectively. The Z chicks were given BR2 and BR3 diets with 5% and 3% animal fat, respectively. Di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP and di-(2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP were found in the tissues of chicks in all the experimental groups. The DBP content in the muscle ranged from 0.03 to 0.55 mg . kg−1, in the adipose tissue from < 0.20 to 2.56 mg . kg−1, in the skin from < 0.20 to 1.49 mg . kg−1, and in the liver from 0.03 to 0.13 mg . kg−1. The content of DEHP in the muscle ranged from 0.03 to 1.15 mg . kg−1, in the adipose tissue from 0.25 to 9.85 mg . kg−1, in the skin from < 0.20 to 4.68 mg . kg−1, and in the liver from 0.16 to 0.24 mg . kg−1. The highest concentrations of DBP of 1.28 ± 1.00 mg . kg−1 of fresh sample (an average value from 8 chicks was determined in the adipose tissue of V chicks. The highest concentration of DEHP of 3.27 ± 2.87 mg . kg−1 of fresh sample (mean of 8 chicks was also determined in the V group. The accumulation of DEHP was 3.2; 2.6 and 2.9 times higher than that of DBP in the muscle, adipose tissue and skin

  20. Effects of ionizing radiation on the metabolism and longitudinal growth of cartilaginous embryonic chick tibiae in vitro

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ridder, L. de; Thierens, H.; Cornelissen, M.; Segaert, O.

    1988-01-01

    The effect of ionizing radiation on the metabolism and longitudinal growth of cartilaginous tibiae of 6.5-day-old chick embryos was studied in vitro over a 3-day period. Before being cultured, tibiae received absorbed doses of 2 to 200 Gy. Of each pair, the counterpart served as control. Compared to the strong inhibition of [ 3 H]thymidine incorporation, already 50% at 10 Gy, the effects of ionizing radiation on [ 3 H]uridine and [ 3 H]proline incorporation were limited: 20 and 40% respectively at 150 Gy. Metabolism of the cartilage cells in our organ culture was almost completely arrested at 200 Gy. Light and electron microscopy showed no morphological differences between irradiated and sham-irradiated tibiae until 150 Gy. At 200 Gy necrosis of most of the cells was observed. No differences in form and arrangement of extracellular fibers were noticed. The results of the metabolic studies and the morphological observations were correlated with the effects of ionizing radiation on the longitudinal growth. In contrast to DNA synthesis, RNA transcription and synthesis of collagen fibres were radioresistant processes. (author)

  1. Effects of ionizing radiation on the metabolism and longitudinal growth of cartilaginous embryonic chick tibiae in vitro

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ridder, L. de; Thierens, H.; Cornelissen, M.; Segaert, O.

    1988-06-01

    The effect of ionizing radiation on the metabolism and longitudinal growth of cartilaginous tibiae of 6.5-day-old chick embryos was studied in vitro over a 3-day period. Before being cultured, tibiae received absorbed doses of 2 to 200 Gy. Of each pair, the counterpart served as control. Compared to the strong inhibition of (/sup 3/H)thymidine incorporation, already 50% at 10 Gy, the effects of ionizing radiation on (/sup 3/H)uridine and (/sup 3/H)proline incorporation were limited: 20 and 40% respectively at 150 Gy. Metabolism of the cartilage cells in our organ culture was almost completely arrested at 200 Gy. Light and electron microscopy showed no morphological differences between irradiated and sham-irradiated tibiae until 150 Gy. At 200 Gy necrosis of most of the cells was observed. No differences in form and arrangement of extracellular fibers were noticed. The results of the metabolic studies and the morphological observations were correlated with the effects of ionizing radiation on the longitudinal growth. In contrast to DNA synthesis, RNA transcription and synthesis of collagen fibres were radioresistant processes.

  2. Social facilitation revisited: increase in foraging efforts and synchronization of running in domestic chicks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yukiko eOgura

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available Social influences on foraging efforts were examined in domestic chicks by investigating the frequency of runs made to feeders and the amount of pecking to gain food. Single or paired chicks foraged in an I-shaped maze equipped with a millet feeder on each end, that distributed one or two grains at variable intervals. Regardless of when the grain(s were dispensed, chicks ran back and forth between the feeders. Analyses of their movement patterns revealed: (1 running patterns were not directly synchronized with the dispensing of grain(s, (2 running distance was longer in paired chicks than in single chicks, (3 paired chicks partially synchronized their runs between feeders, and (4 social effects were immediate but cumulative after repeated blocks. We further examined the social effects on running by dividing the I-maze into two parallel lanes separated by a transparent wall, so that kleptoparasitic interference of food did not occur. Again, the chicks increased their running speed and were even more synchronized with their partner’s movements, indicating that food competition alone was not responsible for increased foraging effort. The number of pecks to get grains was also assessed under conditions where the food tray was gradually replaced, from an easy one to more difficult ones. When tested in the separated I-maze, paired chicks pecked more in the difficult food situation without increase in the number of gained grains. Results suggest that (i social facilitation leads to increased foraging efforts and (ii the presence of a conspecific is alone may lead to enhanced foraging efforts in chicks. These findings are discussed in terms of possible ecological background of social facilitation.

  3. Embryonic hypoxia programmes postprandial cardiovascular function in adult common snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wearing, Oliver H; Conner, Justin; Nelson, Derek; Crossley, Janna; Crossley, Dane A

    2017-07-15

    Reduced oxygen availability (hypoxia) is a potent stressor during embryonic development, altering the trajectory of trait maturation and organismal phenotype. We previously documented that chronic embryonic hypoxia has a lasting impact on the metabolic response to feeding in juvenile snapping turtles ( Chelydra serpentina ). Turtles exposed to hypoxia as embryos [10% O 2 (H10)] exhibited an earlier and increased peak postprandial oxygen consumption rate, compared with control turtles [21% O 2 (N21)]. In the current study, we measured central blood flow patterns to determine whether the elevated postprandial metabolic response in H10 turtles is linked to lasting impacts on convective transport. Five years after hatching, turtles were instrumented to quantify systemic ([Formula: see text]) and pulmonary ([Formula: see text]) blood flows and heart rate ( f H ) before and after a ∼5% body mass meal. In adult N21 and H10 turtles, f H was increased significantly by feeding. Although total stroke volume ( V S,tot ) remained at fasted values, this tachycardia contributed to an elevation in total cardiac output ([Formula: see text]). However, there was a postprandial reduction in a net left-right (L-R) shunt in N21 snapping turtles only. Relative to N21 turtles, H10 animals exhibited higher [Formula: see text] due to increased blood flow through the right systemic outflow vessels of the heart. This effect of hypoxic embryonic development, reducing a net L-R cardiac shunt, may support the increased postprandial metabolic rate we previously reported in H10 turtles, and is further demonstration of adult reptile cardiovascular physiology being programmed by embryonic hypoxia. © 2017. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

  4. [Embryonic stem cells. Future perspectives].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Groebner, M; David, R; Franz, W M

    2006-05-01

    Embryonic stem cells (ES cells) are able to differentiate into any cell type, and therefore represent an excellent source for cellular replacement therapies in the case of widespread diseases, for example heart failure, diabetes, Parkinson's disease and spinal cord injury. A major prerequisite for their efficient and safe clinical application is the availability of pure populations for direct cell transplantation or tissue engineering as well as the immunological compatibility of the transplanted cells. The expression of human surface markers under the control of cell type specific promoters represents a promising approach for the selection of cardiomyocytes and other cell types for therapeutic applications. The first human clinical trial using ES cells will start in the United States this year.

  5. Development of teeth in chick embryos after mouse neural crest transplantations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mitsiadis, Thimios A; Chéraud, Yvonnick; Sharpe, Paul; Fontaine-Pérus, Josiane

    2003-05-27

    Teeth were lost in birds 70-80 million years ago. Current thinking holds that it is the avian cranial neural crest-derived mesenchyme that has lost odontogenic capacity, whereas the oral epithelium retains the signaling properties required to induce odontogenesis. To investigate the odontogenic capacity of ectomesenchyme, we have used neural tube transplantations from mice to chick embryos to replace the chick neural crest cell populations with mouse neural crest cells. The mouse/chick chimeras obtained show evidence of tooth formation showing that avian oral epithelium is able to induce a nonavian developmental program in mouse neural crest-derived mesenchymal cells.

  6. Nonshivering thermogenesis in king penguin chicks. I. Role of skeletal muscle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duchamp, C; Barré, H; Rouanet, J L; Lanni, A; Cohen-Adad, F; Berne, G; Brebion, P

    1991-12-01

    In cold-acclimatized (CA) king penguin chicks exhibiting nonshivering thermogenesis (NST), protein content and cytochrome oxidase (CO) activity of tissue homogenates were measured together with protein content, CO, and respiration rates of isolated mitochondria from skeletal muscle (gastrocnemius and pectoralis) and liver. The comparison was made with chicks reared at thermoneutrality (TN) for at least 3 wk. In CA chicks showing a NST despite the lack of brown adipose tissue, an increase in thermogenic capacity was observed in skeletal muscle in which the oxidative capacity rose (+28% and +50% in gastrocnemius and pectoralis muscles, respectively), whereas no change occurred in the liver. Oxidative capacity of skeletal muscle increased together with the development of mitochondrial inner membrane plus cristae in muscles of CA chicks contrary to their TN littermates (+30 to +50%). Subsarcolemmal mitochondria of CA chicks had a higher protein content (+65% in gastrocnemius muscle) and higher oxidative capacities than in controls. The lower respiratory control ratio of these mitochondria might result from a low ADP phosphorylation rate. No change occurred in the intermyofibrillar fraction nor in liver mitochondria. These findings together with earlier results obtained in cold-acclimated ducklings indicate the marked and suited adaptation of skeletal muscle and in particular of subsarcolemmal mitochondria allowing them to play a role in NST.

  7. Identification of the heart as the critical site of adenosine mediated embryo protection

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Greene Robert W

    2010-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Our understanding of the mechanisms that protect the developing embryo from intrauterine stress is limited. Recently, adenosine has been demonstrated to play a critical role in protecting the embryo against hypoxia via adenosine A1 receptors (A1ARs, which are expressed in the heart, nervous system, and other sites during development. However, the sites of A1AR action that mediate embryo protection are not known. To determine if the heart is a key site of adenosine-mediated embryo protection, A1ARs were selectively deleted in the embryonic heart using a Cre-LoxP system in which the alpha-myosin heavy chain promoter drives Cre-recombinase expression and excision of the A1AR gene from cardiomyocytes. Results With increasing exposure of maternal hypoxia (10% O2 from 48-96 hours beginning at embryonic day (E 8.5, embryo viability decreased in the cardiac-A1AR deleted embryos. 48 hours of hypoxia reduced embryonic viability by 49% in embryos exposed from E10.5-12.5 but no effect on viability was observed in younger embryos exposed to hypoxia from E8.5-10.5. After 72 hours of hypoxia, 57.8% of the cardiac-A1AR deleted embryos were either dead or re-absorbed compared to 13.7% of control littermates and after 96 hours 81.6% of cardiac-A1AR deleted embryos were dead or re-absorbed. After 72 hours of hypoxia, cardiac size was reduced significantly more in the cardiac-A1AR deleted hearts compared to controls. Gene expression analysis revealed clusters of genes that are regulated by both hypoxia and A1AR expression. Conclusions These data identify the embryonic heart as the critical site where adenosine acts to protect the embryo against hypoxia. As such these studies identify a previously unrecognized mechanism of embryo protection.

  8. Nonshivering thermogenesis and adaptation to fasting in king penguin chicks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duchamp, C; Barre, H; Delage, D; Rouanet, J L; Cohen-Adad, F; Minaire, Y

    1989-10-01

    The ability to develop nonshivering thermogenesis (NST) and the effect of fasting on thermogenic response to cold were studied in winter-acclimatized king penguin chicks. Metabolic rate (MR) and integrated electrical muscle activity were measured at different ambient temperatures. In cold-acclimatized (5 degrees C) fed chicks, shivering threshold temperature (STT) was 9.4 degrees C lower than lower critical temperature (LCT), indicating that NST (0.7 W/kg) occurs at moderate cold, whereas in control chicks fed and reared at 25 degrees C for 3 wk, LCT and STT were similar. Chicks reared in the cold and fasting for 3 wk or 4-5 mo (natural winter fast) developed an NST of 0.8 and 2.4 W/kg, respectively, despite the fast. In fasting chicks, the intercept of the metabolic curve with the abscissa at zero MR was far below body temperature, contrasting with the classic model for heat loss. Their low LCT indicates the capacity of a large reduction in convective conductance characteristic of diving animals and allows energy sparing in moderate cold. Below LCT, conductance reincreases progressively, leading to a steeper than expected slope of the metabolic curve and allowing preservation of a threshold temperature in the shell. These results show for the first time in a wild young bird the development of NST after cold acclimatization. Further, at the temperature of cold acclimatization, an energy-sparing mechanism is shown in response to long-term fast adaptation.

  9. Sex-based differences in Adelie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) chick growth rates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jennings, Scott; Varsani, Arvind; Dugger, Catherine; Ballard, Grant; Ainley, David G.

    2016-01-01

    Sexually size-dimorphic species must show some difference between the sexes in growth rate and/or length of growing period. Such differences in growth parameters can cause the sexes to be impacted by environmental variability in different ways, and understanding these differences allows a better understanding of patterns in productivity between individuals and populations. We investigated differences in growth rate and diet between male and female Adélie Penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) chicks during two breeding seasons at Cape Crozier, Ross Island, Antarctica. Adélie Penguins are a slightly dimorphic species, with adult males averaging larger than adult females in mass (~11%) as well as bill (~8%) and flipper length (~3%). We measured mass and length of flipper, bill, tibiotarsus, and foot at 5-day intervals for 45 male and 40 female individually-marked chicks. Chick sex was molecularly determined from feathers. We used linear mixed effects models to estimate daily growth rate as a function of chick sex, while controlling for hatching order, brood size, year, and potential variation in breeding quality between pairs of parents. Accounting for season and hatching order, male chicks gained mass an average of 15.6 g d-1 faster than females. Similarly, growth in bill length was faster for males, and the calculated bill size difference at fledging was similar to that observed in adults. There was no evidence for sex-based differences in growth of other morphological features. Adélie diet at Ross Island is composed almost entirely of two species—one krill (Euphausia crystallorophias) and one fish (Pleuragramma antarctica), with fish having a higher caloric value. Using isotopic analyses of feather samples, we also determined that male chicks were fed a higher proportion of fish than female chicks. The related differences in provisioning and growth rates of male and female offspring provides a greater understanding of the ways in which ecological factors may impact

  10. Effect of Low Dose Radiation Upon Antioxidant Parameters in Skeletal Muscle of Chick Embryo

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vilic, M.; Pirsljin, J.; Beer Ljubic, B.; Miljanic, S.; Kraljevic, P.

    2008-01-01

    In this paper an attempt was made to determine the effect of irradiation of eggs with low dose ionizing radiation upon lipid peroxide (TBARS) level, glutathione (GSH) level, activity of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) in skeletal muscle of chick embryo and newly hatched chicks. The eggs of a heavy breeding chickens were irradiated with a dose of 0.3 Gy gamma radiation (60Co source) on the 19th day of incubation. Along with the irradiated chick embryos, there was a control group of non-irradiated chick embryos. The antioxidant parameters were measured in breast muscle (m. pectoralis superficialis) and thigh muscle (m. biceps femoris) of chick embryos on 1, 3, 6, 24 and 72 h after egg irradiation. All parameters were determined spectrophotometrically. Lipid peroxidation, GSH level and CAT activity decreased in the breast and thigh muscle of chick embryos on the first hour after irradiation, while the activity of GSH-Px increased in the thigh muscle on the 1st hour after irradiation. CAT activity decreased in the breast muscle of chick embryos on the hour 24 after irradiation. The GSH level increased in the breast and thigh muscle of chick embryos on the hour 72 after irradiation while the activity of GSH-Px increased in the breast muscle. At the same time CAT activity decreased in breast muscle while lipid peroxidation decreased in thigh muscle. The obtained results showed that acute irradiation of chicken eggs on the 19th day of incubation with the dose of 0.3 Gy gamma radiation could be an oxidative stress in both types of muscles immediately after irradiation. However, at the one-day old chicks (72 hours after irradiation) this dose could have a stimulating effect upon GSH level in both breast and thigh muscle.(author)

  11. PGC-1α and Reactive Oxygen Species Regulate Human Embryonic Stem Cell-Derived Cardiomyocyte Function

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Birket, Matthew J.; Casini, Simona; Kosmidis, Georgios; Elliott, David A.; Gerencser, Akos A.; Baartscheer, Antonius; Schumacher, Cees; Mastroberardino, Pier G.; Elefanty, Andrew G.; Stanley, Ed G.; Mummery, Christine L.

    2013-01-01

    Diminished mitochondrial function is causally related to some heart diseases. Here, we developed a human disease model based on cardiomyocytes from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), in which an important pathway of mitochondrial gene expression was inactivated. Repression of PGC-1α, which is

  12. Effects of egg weight on hatchability, chick hatch-weight and ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Egg weight was positively and strongly correlated with egg hatchability (r2 = 0.727) and chick hatch-weight (r2 = 0.953). Heavier-sized eggs hatched chicks had higher mortality rates. Growth rate and live weight of the chickens were optimized at different egg weights of 56 (r2 = 0.657) and 60 (r2 = 0.870) g, respectively, ...

  13. Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor from Embryonic Status to Cardiovascular Pathology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohsen Azimi-Nezhad

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF is a multifunctional cytokine with distinct functions in angiogenesis, lymphangiogenesis, vascular permeability, and hematopoiesis. VEGF is a highly conserved, disulfide-bonded dimeric glycoprotein of 34 to 45 kDa produced by several cell types including fibroblasts, neutrophils, endothelial cells, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells, particularly T lymphocytes and macrophages. Six VEGF isoforms are generated as a result of alternative splicing from a single VEGF gene, consisting of 121, 145, 165, 183, 189, or 206 amino acids. VEGF121, VEGF145, and VEGF165 are secreted whereas VEGF183, VEGF189, and VEGF206 are cell membrane-bound. VEGF145 has a key role during the vascularization of the human ovarian follicle and corpus luteum, in the placentation and embryonic periods, and in bone and wound healing, while VEGF165 is the most abundant and biologically active isoform. VEGF has been linked with a number of vascular pathologies including cardiovascular diseases such ischemic heart disease, heart failure, stroke, and diabetes and its related complications. In this review we aimed to present some important roles of VEGF in a number of clinical issues and indicate its involvement in several phenomena from the initial steps of the embryonic period to cardiovascular diseases.

  14. Weight Gain Of Broiler Chicks Fed A Maize-Soya bean Diet ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    An experiment was carried out to investigate the effect of substituting synthetic methionine with sodium sulphate and sodium sulphite in a maize-soyabean diet fed to broiler chicks. Two hundred and forty (240) unsexed Hubbard day old broiler chicks were fed iso-caloric and iso-trogenous maize-soyabean ...

  15. Physiological responses of newly hatched broiler chicks to increasing journey distance during road transportation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Heshmatollah Khosravinia

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available This study was conducted to examine the effects on weight loss (WL, residual yolk (RY utilization and serum biochemical parameters of transport distance (TD in newly hatched broiler chicks. Just after hatching, 200 Ross 308 broiler chicks were traveled over 1000 km. At hatchery and after 200, 400, 600, 800 and 1000 km journey, a random sample of 20 birds were killed for blood collection, WL and yolk weight assessment. Live weight decreased linearly by 0.42 and 0.48 g per 100 km of journey in males and female chicks, respectively. Yolk sac residual utilized by 0.071 and 0.069 g per 100 km of travel in males and females chicks, respectively, over journey distances up to 800 km. Extended journey from 800 to 1000 km caused a great decline of 0.51 and 0.58 g per 100 km in yolk weight in male and female chicks, respectively. Serum Ca concentration reduced in TDs up to 400 km, then increased for longer journeys (P<0.05. Over 1000 km journey, serum GLU level of 196.24 mg/dL at hatchery was decreased to 117.31 mg/dL at the end of journey. Serum urea, uric acid and cholesterol concentrations were increased with the extended TDs (P<0.05. In conclusion increasing transportation distance causes intensified physiological stress in broiler chicks with varying effect on different stress indicators. Stress indicators in newly hatched chicks in transit may differ from those proposed for replaced chicks and the broiler chicken at later ages.

  16. Immunomodulation in gut-associated lymphoid tissue of neonatal chicks by immunobiotic diets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sato, K; Takahashi, K; Tohno, M; Miura, Y; Kamada, T; Ikegami, S; Kitazawa, H

    2009-12-01

    Developmental changes in immunocompetent cells of the gut during the first week posthatch were determined in broiler chicks fed immunobiotic lactic acid bacteria in the form of Lactobacillus jensenii TL2937-, Lactobacillus gasseri JCM1131(T)-, Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus NIAIB6-, or L. gasseri TL2919-supplemented diets. The relative weights of spleen and bursa of Fabricius in chicks fed the immunobiotic diets were slightly higher than the control valued at 1 and 3 d of age, with the exception of spleen weight in the L. gasseri JCM1131(T) at 3 d of age, the bursa of Fabricius weight in the L. gasseri JCM1131(T) at 1 and 3 d of age, and bursa of Fabricius weight in the L. gasseri TL2919 group at 1 d of age. There were no significant differences in body and liver weights among the treatments. When chicks were fed the L. jensenii TL2937- or L. gasseri TL2919-supplemented diets, expression of T cell-related mRNA [cluster of differentiation 3 (CD3), interleukin-2 (IL-2), and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma)] in the foregut was significantly higher than that of control chicks at 3 or 7 d of age. Expression levels of toll-like receptor (TLR) mRNA tended to increase in the foregut of chicks fed the immunobiotic diets, except for the L. delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus NIAIB6, compared with expression levels in control chicks. The Bu-1 mRNA expression levels in the bursa of Fabricius were not affected by the supplementations with immunobiotic lactic acid bacteria. These results show that immunobiotics, particularly L. gasseri TL2919, might be useful as immunomodulators to stimulate the gut-associated immune system in neonatal chicks, and thereby protect them from disease without decreasing growth performance as a possible substitution of antibiotics.

  17. Fibrous osteodystrophy in two Northern Royal albatross chicks (Diomedea sanfordi).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morgan, K J; Alley, M R; Gartrell, B D; Thompson, K G; Perriman, L

    2011-09-01

    In February 2004, two Northern Royal albatross chicks aged 20 and 25 days old were presented for necropsy. Both chicks had been hand-fed in situ at a breeding colony, from 2-3 days post-hatch. The hand-rearing diet consisted of boneless hoki fillets (Macraronus novaezelandiae), electrolytes, and sooty shearwater (Puffinus griseus) proventricular oil obtained as a by-product of cultural harvest. Routine necropsies on the affected chicks revealed many bones were soft and easily bent. Radiography and histopathology revealed decreased bone density, pathological fractures, and extensive remodelling suggestive of fibrous osteodystrophy. Nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism, resulting from an imbalance in the dietary Ca:P ratio. The imbalance in the dietary Ca:P ratio was a result of feeding deboned and eviscerated fish. This investigation also highlighted potential health risks associated with the practice of feeding stored rancid proventricular oil, including the destruction of fat-soluble vitamins. It is therefore possible that oxidative degradation of vitamin D may have contributed to the development of nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism. Subsequently, dietary recommendations for supplementary feeding of orphaned Northern Royal albatross chicks include the feeding of whole human-grade fish with an appropriate Ca:P ratio, and the exclusion of proventricular oil. These cases highlight the need for scientific input into wildlife conservation projects, as lack of appropriate nutritional advice resulted in the feeding of a nutritionally inadequate diet. Following the recommended changes in diet, no further cases of osteodystrophy have been diagnosed in hand-raised chicks in the albatross colony.

  18. Effect of selenium deficiency on 75Se and 45Ca metabolism in chicks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Edwardly, J.S.

    1981-01-01

    Two hundred, 1 day old broiler chicks were used to study the effect of selenium deficiency on 75 Se and 45 Ca metabolism in chicks. The chicks were randomly divided into five groups. One group was fed a purified basal diet low in selenium ( 75 Se or 45 Ca. Levels of radioisotopes in blood and tissue, as well as total body excretion of radioactivity were determined. Whole body retention of 75 Se was significantly higher (p 45 Ca was significantly higher in selenium deficient chicks than in supplemented animals. Total Ca concentration in muscle was also higher in this group. Studies of red cell uptake of 75 Se demonstrated a clear difference between Se repleted and selenium deficient groups. (author)

  19. Caffeine exposure alters cardiac gene expression in embryonic cardiomyocytes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fang, Xiefan; Mei, Wenbin; Barbazuk, William B.; Rivkees, Scott A.

    2014-01-01

    Previous studies demonstrated that in utero caffeine treatment at embryonic day (E) 8.5 alters DNA methylation patterns, gene expression, and cardiac function in adult mice. To provide insight into the mechanisms, we examined cardiac gene and microRNA (miRNA) expression in cardiomyocytes shortly after exposure to physiologically relevant doses of caffeine. In HL-1 and primary embryonic cardiomyocytes, caffeine treatment for 48 h significantly altered the expression of cardiac structural genes (Myh6, Myh7, Myh7b, Tnni3), hormonal genes (Anp and BnP), cardiac transcription factors (Gata4, Mef2c, Mef2d, Nfatc1), and microRNAs (miRNAs; miR208a, miR208b, miR499). In addition, expressions of these genes were significantly altered in embryonic hearts exposed to in utero caffeine. For in utero experiments, pregnant CD-1 dams were treated with 20–60 mg/kg of caffeine, which resulted in maternal circulation levels of 37.3–65.3 μM 2 h after treatment. RNA sequencing was performed on embryonic ventricles treated with vehicle or 20 mg/kg of caffeine daily from E6.5-9.5. Differential expression (DE) analysis revealed that 124 genes and 849 transcripts were significantly altered, and differential exon usage (DEU) analysis identified 597 exons that were changed in response to prenatal caffeine exposure. Among the DE genes identified by RNA sequencing were several cardiac structural genes and genes that control DNA methylation and histone modification. Pathway analysis revealed that pathways related to cardiovascular development and diseases were significantly affected by caffeine. In addition, global cardiac DNA methylation was reduced in caffeine-treated cardiomyocytes. Collectively, these data demonstrate that caffeine exposure alters gene expression and DNA methylation in embryonic cardiomyocytes. PMID:25354728

  20. Hepatic glutathione and glutathione S-transferase in selenium deficiency and toxicity in the chick

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Y. S.

    1989-01-01

    First, the hepatic activity of GSH-T CDNB was increased only under conditions of severe oxidative stress produced by combined Se- and vitamin E (VE)-deficiency, indicating that VE also affects GSH metabolism. Second, the incorporation of 35 S-methionine into GSH and protein was about 4- and 2-fold higher, respectively, in Se- and VE-deficient chick hepatocytes as compared to controls. Third, chicks injected with the glutathione peroxidase (SeGSHpx) inhibitor, aurothioglucose (AuTG), showed increase hepatic GSH-T CDNB activity and plasma GSH concentration regardless of their Se status. Fourth, the effect of ascorbic acid (AA), on GSH metabolism was studied. Chicks fed 1000 ppm AA showed decreased hepatic GSH concentration compared to chicks fed no AA in a Se- and VE-deficient diet. Fifth, chicks fed excess Se showed increase hepatic activity of GSH-T CDNB and GSH concentration regardless of VE status

  1. Perinatal broiler physiology between hatching and chick collection in 2 hatching systems

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ven, van de L.J.F.; Wagenberg, van A.V.; Decuypere, E.; Kemp, B.; Brand, van den H.

    2013-01-01

    Little is known about physiological responses of early- versus late-hatching chicks to early posthatch conditions in broiler practice. We investigated effects of hatching time on perinatal broiler physiology in 2 hatching systems, differing in conditions: a conventional hatcher, where chicks are

  2. A caudal proliferating growth center contributes to both poles of the forming heart tube

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van den Berg, G.; Abu-Issa, R.; de Boer, B.A.; Hutson, M.R.; de Boer, P.A.J.; Soufan, A.T.; Ruijter, J.M.; Kirby, M.L.; van den Hoff, M.J.B.; Moorman, A.F.M.

    2009-01-01

    Recent studies have shown that the primary heart tube continues to grow by addition of cells from the coelomic wall. This growth occurs concomitantly with embryonic folding and formation of the coelomic cavity, making early heart formation morphologically complex. A scarcity of data on localized

  3. Chick Begging Calls Reflect Degree of Hunger in Three Auk Species (Charadriiformes: Alcidae.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anna V Klenova

    Full Text Available Begging behaviour is an important element in the parent-offspring conflict; it has been studied in many avian species. However, the majority of the studies have been entirely based on the call counts, and they agreed that vocal activity was a good indicator of chick's nutritional need and/or condition. Fewer researches were dedicated to the temporal-frequency variables of the begging calls themselves and they showed contrary results. Here begging behaviour in three burrow nested, uniparous species of auks (Alcidae was studied. These objects provide an opportunity to study the signalling value of begging calls in the absence of important confounding factors such as nestling competition and predation pressure. I recorded calls of individual chicks in two conditions: during natural feeding and after experimental four-hour food deprivation. I found that almost all measured acoustic variables contain information about the chick's state in all studied species. The hungry chicks produced calls higher in fundamental frequency and power variables and at higher calling rate compared to naturally feeding chicks. The effect of food deprivation on most acoustic variables exceeded both the effects of individuality and species. In all studied species, the frequency variables were stronger affected by hunger than the calling rate and call durations. I suppose that such strong change of acoustic variables after food deprivation can be explained by absence of vocal individual identification in these birds. As parents do not need to check individuality of the chick in the burrow, which they find visually during the day time, the chicks could use all of the acoustic variables to communicate about their nutritional needs.

  4. Mitochondrial phenotypic flexibility enhances energy savings during winter fast in king penguin chicks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Monternier, Pierre-Axel; Marmillot, Vincent; Rouanet, Jean-Louis; Roussel, Damien

    2014-08-01

    Energy conservation is a key priority for organisms that live in environments with seasonal shortages in resource supplies or that spontaneously fast during their annual cycle. The aim of this study was to determine whether the high fasting endurance of winter-acclimatized king penguin chicks (Aptenodytes patagonicus) is associated with an adjustment of mitochondrial bioenergetics in pectoralis muscle, the largest skeletal muscle in penguins. The rates of mitochondrial oxygen consumption, and ATP synthesis and mitochondrial efficiency (ATP/O ratio) were measured in winter-acclimatized chicks. We used pyruvate/malate and palmitoyl-l-carnitine/malate as respiratory substrates and results from naturally fasted chicks were compared to experimentally re-fed chicks. Bioenergetics analysis of pectoralis muscle revealed that mitochondria are on average 15% more energy efficient in naturally fasted than in experimentally fed chicks, indicating that fasted birds consume less nutrients to sustain their energy-demanding processes. We also found that moderate reductions in temperature from 38°C to 30°C further increase by 23% the energy coupling efficiency at the level of mitochondria, suggesting that king penguin chicks realize additional energy savings while becoming hypothermic during winter. It has been calculated that this adjustment of mitochondrial efficiency in skeletal muscle may contribute to nearly 25% of fasting-induced reduction in mass-specific metabolic rate measured in vivo. The present study shows that the regulation of mitochondrial efficiency triggers the development of an economical management of resources, which would maximize the conservation of endogenous fuel stores by decreasing the cost of living in fasted winter-acclimatized king penguin chicks. © 2014. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

  5. Activity blockade and GABAA receptor blockade produce synaptic scaling through chloride accumulation in embryonic spinal motoneurons and interneurons.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Casie Lindsly

    Full Text Available Synaptic scaling represents a process whereby the distribution of a cell's synaptic strengths are altered by a multiplicative scaling factor. Scaling is thought to be a compensatory response that homeostatically controls spiking activity levels in the cell or network. Previously, we observed GABAergic synaptic scaling in embryonic spinal motoneurons following in vivo blockade of either spiking activity or GABAA receptors (GABAARs. We had determined that activity blockade triggered upward GABAergic scaling through chloride accumulation, thus increasing the driving force for these currents. To determine whether chloride accumulation also underlies GABAergic scaling following GABAAR blockade we have developed a new technique. We expressed a genetically encoded chloride-indicator, Clomeleon, in the embryonic chick spinal cord, which provides a non-invasive fast measure of intracellular chloride. Using this technique we now show that chloride accumulation underlies GABAergic scaling following blockade of either spiking activity or the GABAAR. The finding that GABAAR blockade and activity blockade trigger scaling via a common mechanism supports our hypothesis that activity blockade reduces GABAAR activation, which triggers synaptic scaling. In addition, Clomeleon imaging demonstrated the time course and widespread nature of GABAergic scaling through chloride accumulation, as it was also observed in spinal interneurons. This suggests that homeostatic scaling via chloride accumulation is a common feature in many neuronal classes within the embryonic spinal cord and opens the possibility that this process may occur throughout the nervous system at early stages of development.

  6. Temperature manipulation during layer chick embryogenesis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Walstra, I.; Napel, ten J.; Kemp, B.; Brand, van den H.

    2010-01-01

    The current study investigated the effects of temperature manipulation (TM) during late embryogenesis on temperature preference, response to high environmental temperature, behavior, and performance in young layer chicks. Control (CC) embryos (n = 96) were incubated at 37.8°C eggshell temperature

  7. Changes in free amino acid and monoamine concentrations in the chick brain associated with feeding behavior

    OpenAIRE

    Tran, Phuong V; Chowdhury, Vishwajit S; Nagasawa, Mao; Furuse, Mitsuhiro

    2015-01-01

    Domesticated chicks are precocial and therefore have relatively well-developed feeding behavior. The role of hypothalamic neuropeptides in food-intake regulation in chicks has been reported for decades. However, we hypothesized that nutrients and their metabolites in the brain may be involved in food intake in chicks because these animals exhibit a very frequent feeding pattern. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the feeding behavior of chicks as well as the associated change...

  8. Artificially Increased Yolk Hormone Levels and Neophobia in Domestic Chicks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aline Bertin

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available In birds there is compelling evidence that the development and expression of behavior is affected by maternal factors, particularly via variation in yolk hormone concentrations of maternal origin. In the present study we tested whether variation in yolk hormone levels lead to variation in the expression of neophobia in young domestic chicks. Understanding how the prenatal environment could predispose chicks to express fear-related behaviors is essential in order to propose preventive actions and improve animal welfare. We simulated the consequences of a maternal stress by experimentally enhancing yolk progesterone, testosterone and estradiol concentrations in hen eggs prior to incubation. The chicks from these hormone-treated eggs (H and from sham embryos (C that received the vehicle-only were exposed to novel food, novel object and novel environment tests. H chicks approached a novel object significantly faster and were significantly more active in a novel environment than controls, suggesting less fearfulness. Conversely, no effect of the treatment was found in food neophobia tests. Our study highlights a developmental influence of yolk hormones on a specific aspect of neophobia. The results suggest that increased yolk hormone levels modulate specifically the probability of exploring novel environments or novel objects in the environment.

  9. Cutaneous form of pox infection among captive peafowl (Pavo cristatus) chicks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khan, Ahrar; Yousaf, Arfan; Khan, M Zargham; Siddique, Muhammad; Gul, S Tehseen; Mahmood, Fazal

    2009-02-01

    The present study was carried out to investigate the epidemiology and lesions of avian pox in captive peafowl chicks. Overall values of morbidity, mortality and case fatality were 45.2%, 27.1% and 60.0%, respectively. The chicks of 9 to 12 weeks of age showed a significantly (P<0.001) higher prevalence rate than other age groups. The morbidity and mortality due to avian pox in peafowl chicks was significantly (P<0.001) reduced when kept in mosquito-proof cages and hatched under broody chicken hens. Morbidity due to poxvirus infection on the peafowl farm was 82%, 26% and 12% in successive years. This reduction might have been the result of the introduction of mosquito-proof nets after year 1, although this was not the subject of a controlled experiment. All of the peafowl chicks suffering from dry pox showed pustular and nodular lesions on eye lids, beak, legs and toes. Distribution of lesions in different body parts varied significantly (P<0.023). Lesion diameters were less than 1 cm (59.73%), 1 to 2 cm (23.75%) and more than 2 cm (16.87%). Histopathological studies revealed extensive proliferation of subdermal connective tissue and infiltration of heterophils and macrophages. The keratinocytes showed degenerative changes in the form of cytoplasmic vacuolation, ballooning and hyper-chromatic nuclei. Eosinophilic intracytoplasmic inclusions (Bollinger bodies) in keratinocytes were consistently present. It was concluded that avian pox rendered high morbidity, mortality and case fatality in peafowl chicks.

  10. Blood flow patterns underlie developmental heart defects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Midgett, Madeline; Thornburg, Kent; Rugonyi, Sandra

    2017-03-01

    Although cardiac malformations at birth are typically associated with genetic anomalies, blood flow dynamics also play a crucial role in heart formation. However, the relationship between blood flow patterns in the early embryo and later cardiovascular malformation has not been determined. We used the chicken embryo model to quantify the extent to which anomalous blood flow patterns predict cardiac defects that resemble those in humans and found that restricting either the inflow to the heart or the outflow led to reproducible abnormalities with a dose-response type relationship between blood flow stimuli and the expression of cardiac phenotypes. Constricting the outflow tract by 10-35% led predominantly to ventricular septal defects, whereas constricting by 35-60% most often led to double outlet right ventricle. Ligation of the vitelline vein caused mostly pharyngeal arch artery malformations. We show that both cardiac inflow reduction and graded outflow constriction strongly influence the development of specific and persistent abnormal cardiac structure and function. Moreover, the hemodynamic-associated cardiac defects recapitulate those caused by genetic disorders. Thus our data demonstrate the importance of investigating embryonic blood flow conditions to understand the root causes of congenital heart disease as a prerequisite to future prevention and treatment. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Congenital heart defects result from genetic anomalies, teratogen exposure, and altered blood flow during embryonic development. We show here a novel "dose-response" type relationship between the level of blood flow alteration and manifestation of specific cardiac phenotypes. We speculate that abnormal blood flow may frequently underlie congenital heart defects. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society.

  11. Elevated temperatures are associated with stress in rooftop-nesting Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor) chicks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Newberry, Gretchen N; Swanson, David L

    2018-01-01

    Grasslands and riparian forests in southeastern South Dakota have been greatly reduced since historical times, primarily due to conversion to row-crop agriculture. Common Nighthawk ( Chordeiles minor ) nesting habitat includes grasslands, open woodlands and urban rooftops, but nesting sites in southeastern South Dakota are confined to rooftops, as natural nesting habitat is limited. Nighthawks nesting on exposed rooftop habitats may encounter thermal conditions that increase operative temperatures relative to vegetated land cover types. Mean humidity has increased and mean wind speed and cloud cover have decreased during the nighthawk breeding season from 1948 to 2016 in southeastern South Dakota. These changes might contribute to increasing operative temperatures at exposed rooftop nest sites and this could influence chick condition. We studied nest micro-climate and the plasma stress response for 24 rooftop-nesting nighthawk chicks from 17 nests during 2015 and 2016. High humidity prior to blood collection reduced both baseline and stress-induced plasma corticosterone (CORT). In contrast, high maximum temperatures during the day before sampling increased stress-induced CORT. The magnitude of the chick stress response was significantly negatively related to maximum wind speed for the week prior to CORT measurement. Other weather and micro-climate variables were not significant effectors of CORT metrics. Most chicks had low baseline CORT and were able to mount a stress response, but a subset of chicks ( n = 4) showed elevated baseline CORT and a negative association between the magnitude of stress response and ambient temperature. For this subset, mean ambient temperature for the day before sampling was significantly higher (2.3°C) than for chicks with typical baseline CORT levels. These data suggest that regional climate change trends could affect the ability of nighthawk chicks to mount a stress response, which, in turn, might influence the susceptibility of

  12. Comparison of nicotinic receptor binding and biotransformation of coniine in the rat and chick.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Forsyth, C S; Speth, R C; Wecker, L; Galey, F D; Frank, A A

    1996-12-31

    Coniine, an alkaloid from Conium maculatum (poison hemlock), is a known teratogen in many domestic species with maternal ingestion resulting in arthrogryposis of the offspring. We have previously shown that rats are not susceptible and rabbits only weakly susceptible to coniine-induced arthrogryposis. However, the chick embryo does provide a reproducible laboratory animal model of coniine-induced teratogenesis. The reason for this cross-species variation is unknown. The purpose of this study was to evaluate coniine binding to nicotinic receptors and to measure coniine metabolism in vitro between susceptible and non-susceptible species. Using the chick model, neither the peripheral nicotinic receptor antagonist d-tubocurarine chloride nor the central nicotinic receptor antagonist trimethaphan camsylate blocked the teratogenesis or lethality of 1.5% coniine (50 microliters/egg). Trimethaphan camsylate enhanced coniine-induced lethality in a dose-dependent manner. Neither nicotinic receptor blocker prevented nicotine sulfate-induced malformations but d-tubocurarine chloride did block lethality in a dose-dependent manner. Competition by coniine for [125I]-alpha-bungarotoxin to nicotinic receptors isolated from adult rat diaphragm and chick thigh muscle and competition by coniine for [3H]-cytisine to receptors from rat and chick brain were used to assess coniine binding to nicotinic receptors. The IC50 for coniine in rat diaphragm was 314 microM while that for chick leg muscle was 70 microM. For neuronal nicotinic receptors, the IC50s of coniine for maternal rat brain, fetal rat brain, and chick brain were 1100 microM, 820 microM, and 270 microM, respectively. There were no differences in coniine biotransformation in vitro by microsomes from rat or chick livers. Differences in apparent affinity of coniine for nicotinic receptors or differences in the quantity of the nicotinic receptor between the rat and chick may explain, in part, the differences in susceptibility of

  13. Establishing the Embryonic Axes: Prime Time for Teratogenic Insults

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thomas W. Sadler

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available A long standing axiom in the field of teratology states that the teratogenic period, when most birth defects are produced, occurs during the third to eighth weeks of development post-fertilization. Any insults prior to this time are thought to result in a slowing of embryonic growth from which the conceptus recovers or death of the embryo followed by spontaneous abortion. However, new insights into embryonic development during the first two weeks, including formation of the anterior-posterior, dorsal-ventral, and left-right axes, suggests that signaling pathways regulating these processes are prime targets for genetic and toxic insults. Establishment of the left-right (laterality axis is particularly sensitive to disruption at very early stages of development and these perturbations result in a wide variety of congenital malformations, especially heart defects. Thus, the time for teratogenic insults resulting in birth defects should be reset to include the first two weeks of development.

  14. Improvement of chick survival and zootechnical performance of the local hen in a village environment in Senegal

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    G. Nahimana

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available A one-year longitudinal survey was carried out in 45 poultry farms in Salemata Department (Senegal to assess two management methods of the mother-chick couple, with the aim to improve the productivity of family poultry farming. At hatching, the hens belonging to treatment A (HTA were partially reared in confinement (they were removed from the brooder pen after two weeks, whereas the chicks were kept there for up to four weeks of age. In contrast, hens in treatment B (HTB were kept free range. The results showed that the zootechnical performance of HTAs had improved. The duration of the reproductive cycle was reduced from 113.5 to 62.2 days. As a result, the number of breeding cycles increased from 3.4 to 5.6 per year and the annual egg production from 35.3 to 57.6. The rapid return of HTAs to egg laying did not affect the number of eggs laid per brood (10.3 compared to 10.2 and the hatching rate (82.4% compared to 79.5%. The weight growth of chicks from both hen types has been influenced by the breeding type, genotype and sex. The weight of crossbred chicks was higher than that of the local chick except at hatching. After the first month, the weight of male chicks (crossbred or local was still higher than that of female chicks. The average daily weight gain of HTA chicks has always been higher than that of HTB chicks and has been highest between the 13th and 24th week of age. Chick survival was improved by 41.2%, and the most frequent causes of mortality were predators (raptors, cats. This study showed that the farming type where hens and their chicks are semiconfined optimized poultry productivity.

  15. CLoNe is a new method to target single progenitors and study their progeny in mouse and chick.

    Science.gov (United States)

    García-Moreno, Fernando; Vasistha, Navneet A; Begbie, Jo; Molnár, Zoltán

    2014-04-01

    Cell lineage analysis enables us to address pivotal questions relating to: the embryonic origin of cells and sibling cell relationships in the adult body; the contribution of progenitors activated after trauma or disease; and the comparison across species in evolutionary biology. To address such fundamental questions, several techniques for clonal labelling have been developed, each with its shortcomings. Here, we report a novel method, CLoNe that is designed to work in all vertebrate species and tissues. CLoNe uses a cocktail of labelling, targeting and transposition vectors that enables targeting of specific subpopulations of progenitor types with a combination of fluorophores resulting in multifluorescence that describes multiple clones per specimen. Furthermore, transposition into the genome ensures the longevity of cell labelling. We demonstrate the robustness of this technique in mouse and chick forebrain development, and show evidence that CLoNe will be broadly applicable to study clonal relationships in different tissues and species.

  16. Impact of transportation duration on stress responses in day-old chicks from young and old breeders.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jacobs, Leonie; Delezie, Evelyne; Duchateau, Luc; Goethals, Klara; Ampe, Bart; Buyse, Johan; Tuyttens, Frank Andre Maurice

    2017-06-01

    The aim of this study was to assess the interaction effect of transportation duration and parental age on physiological stress responses and quality in day-old chicks. After hatch, 3240 chicks from either 29-week old (young) or 60-week old (old) broiler breeders were transported for 1.5h (short) or 11h (long). Thereafter, 228 chicks were assessed for quality and blood plasma was assayed for corticosterone (CORT), lactate, glucose, and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS, increased concentrations can indicate oxidative stress). No interaction effects of parental age and transportation duration were found (all P>0.10). Chicks from young breeders showed higher CORT levels (P=0.007) and were of higher quality (Tona method, Ptransportation, chicks showed increased CORT (Ptransportation. No evidence was provided that long transportation differently affected the quality or stress responses of chicks from breeder flocks of two ages. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  17. Cardiac septation: a late contribution of the embryonic primary myocardium to heart morphogenesis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Lamers, Wouter H.; Moorman, Antoon F. M.

    2002-01-01

    Heart morphogenesis comprises 2 major consecutive steps, viz. chamber formation followed by septation. Septation is the remodeling of the heart from a single-channel peristaltic pump to a dual-channel, synchronously contracting device with 1-way valves. In the human heart, septation occurs between 4

  18. Mercury contamination and effects on survival of American avocet and black-necked stilt chicks in San Francisco Bay.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ackerman, Joshua T; Takekawa, John Y; Eagles-Smith, Collin A; Iverson, Samuel A

    2008-02-01

    We evaluated whether mercury influenced survival of free-ranging American avocet (Recurvirostra americana) and black-necked stilt (Himantopus mexicanus) chicks in San Francisco Bay, California. Using radio telemetry, we radio-marked 158 avocet and 79 stilt chicks at hatching and tracked them daily until their fate was determined. We did not find strong support for an influence of in ovo mercury exposure on chick survival, despite observing a wide range of mercury concentrations in chick down feathers at hatching (0.40-44.31 microg g(-1) fw). We estimated that chick survival rates were reduced by nest monitoring. In contrast to the telemetry results, we found that mercury concentrations in down feathers of dead chicks were higher than those in randomly-sampled live chicks of similar age. However, capture site was the most important variable influencing mercury concentrations, followed by year, species, and hatching date. Although laboratory studies have demonstrated negative effects of environmentally relevant mercury concentrations on chick survival, our results concur with the small number of previous field studies that have not been able to detect reduced survival in the wild.

  19. Dietary restriction causes chronic elevation of corticosterone and enhances stress response in red-legged kittiwake chicks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kitaysky, A.S.; Kitaiskaia, E.V.; Wingfield, J.C.; Piatt, John F.

    2001-01-01

    Release of corticosterone in hungry kittiwake chicks facilitates begging and allows them to restore depleted energy reserves by increasing parental food provisioning. However, in order to avoid detrimental effects of chronic elevation of corticosterone, chicks might suppress adrenocortical activity in response to prolonged food shortages. In this study we examined temporal dynamics of corticosterone release in red-legged kittiwake (Rissa brevirostris) chicks exposed to prolonged restrictions in energy content and/or nutritional quality (low versus high lipid content) of their food. Starting at the age of 15 days, chicks were fed either high- or low-lipid fish at 40%, 65%, and 100% of ad libitum energy intake. Body mass measurements and baseline plasma samples were taken on a weekly basis after beginning of the treatment. After 3 weeks of treatment, chicks were exposed to a standardized acute handling and restraint stress protocol, where in addition to a baseline sample, three plasma samples were taken at intervals up to 50 min. We found that food-restricted chicks had lower body mass, chronically (during 2-3 weeks) elevated baseline and higher acute stress-induced levels of corticosterone compared to chicks fed ad libitum. Low lipid content of food further exacerbated these effects. An increase in baseline levels of corticosterone was observed within a week after energy requirements of food-restricted chicks exceeded their daily energy intake. A tendency for suppression of adrenocortical activity was observed in treatments fed low-lipid diets only at the end of the experiment. We suggest that nest-bound chicks, if food-stressed, might suffer deleterious effects of chronic elevation of corticosterone.

  20. Effect of egg storage duration and brooding temperatures on chick growth, intestine morphology and nutrient transporters.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yalcin, S; Gursel, I; Bilgen, G; Horuluoglu, B H; Gucluer, G; Izzetoglu, G T

    2017-10-01

    The effects of egg storage duration (ESD) and brooding temperature (BT) on BW, intestine development and nutrient transporters of broiler chicks were investigated. A total of 396 chicks obtained from eggs stored at 18°C for 3 days (ESD3-18°C) or at 14°C for 14 days (ESD14-14°C) before incubation were exposed to three BTs. Temperatures were initially set at 32°C, 34°C and 30°C for control (BT-Cont), high (BT-High) and low (BT-Low) BTs, respectively. Brooding temperatures were decreased by 2°C each at days 2, 7, 14 and 21. Body weight was measured at the day of hatch, 2, 7, 14, 21, 28 and 42. Cloacal temperatures of broilers were recorded from 1 to 14 days. Intestinal morphology and gene expression levels of H+-dependent peptide transporter (PepT1) and Na-dependent glucose (SGLT1) were evaluated on the day of hatch and 14. Cloacal temperatures of chicks were affected by BTs from days 1 to 8, being the lowest for BT-Low chicks. BT-High resulted in the heaviest BWs at 7 days, especially for ESD14-14°C chicks. This result was consistent with longer villus and larger villus area of ESD14-14°C chicks at BT-High conditions. From 14 days to slaughter age, BT had no effect on broiler weight. ESD3-18°C chicks were heavier than ESD14-14°C chicks up to 28 days. The PepT1 and SGLT1 expression levels were significantly higher in ESD3-18°C chicks than ESD14-14°C on the day of hatch. There was significant egg storage by BT interaction for PepT1 and SGLT1 transporters at day 14. ESD14-14°C chicks had significantly higher expression of PepT1 and SGLT1 at BT-Low than those at BT-Cont. ESD14-14°C chicks upregulated PepT1 gene expression 1.15 and 1.57-fold at BT-High and BT-Low, respectively, compared with BT-Cont, whereas PepT1 expression was downregulated 0.67 and 0.62-fold in ESD3-18°C chicks at BT-High and BT-Low. These results indicated that pre-incubation egg storage conditions and BTs affected intestine morphology and PepT1 and SGLT1 nutrient transporters

  1. The canonical way to make a heart: β-catenin and plakoglobin in heart development and remodeling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Piven, Oksana O; Winata, Cecilia L

    2017-12-01

    The main mediator of the canonical Wnt pathway, β-catenin, is a major effector of embryonic development, postnatal tissue homeostasis, and adult tissue regeneration. The requirement for β-catenin in cardiogenesis and embryogenesis has been well established. However, many questions regarding the molecular mechanisms by which β-catenin and canonical Wnt signaling regulate these developmental processes remain unanswered. An interesting question that emerged from our studies concerns how β-catenin signaling is modulated through interaction with other factors. Recent experimental data implicate new players in canonical Wnt signaling, particularly those which modulate β-catenin function in many its biological processes, including cardiogenesis. One of the interesting candidates is plakoglobin, a little-studied member of the catenin family which shares several mechanistic and functional features with its close relative, β-catenin. Here we have focused on the function of β-catenin in cardiogenesis. We also summarize findings on plakoglobin signaling function and discuss possible interplays between β-catenin and plakoglobin in the regulation of embryonic heart development. Impact statement Heart development, function, and remodeling are complex processes orchestrated by multiple signaling networks. This review examines our current knowledge of the role of canonical Wnt signaling in cardiogenesis and heart remodeling, focusing primarily on the mechanistic action of its effector β-catenin. We summarize the generally accepted understanding of the field based on experimental in vitro and in vivo data, and address unresolved questions in the field, specifically relating to the role of canonical Wnt signaling in heart maturation and regeneration. What are the modulators of canonical Wnt, and particularly what are the potential roles of plakoglobin, a close relative of β-catenin, in regulating Wnt signaling?Answers to these questions will enhance our understanding of the

  2. Type 2 diabetes mellitus induces congenital heart defects in murine embryos by increasing oxidative stress, endoplasmic reticulum stress, and apoptosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Yanqing; Reece, E Albert; Zhong, Jianxiang; Dong, Daoyin; Shen, Wei-Bin; Harman, Christopher R; Yang, Peixin

    2016-09-01

    Maternal type 1 and 2 diabetes mellitus are strongly associated with high rates of severe structural birth defects, including congenital heart defects. Studies in type 1 diabetic embryopathy animal models have demonstrated that cellular stress-induced apoptosis mediates the teratogenicity of maternal diabetes leading to congenital heart defect formation. However, the mechanisms underlying maternal type 2 diabetes mellitus-induced congenital heart defects remain largely unknown. We aim to determine whether oxidative stress, endoplasmic reticulum stress, and excessive apoptosis are the intracellular molecular mechanisms underlying maternal type 2 diabetes mellitus-induced congenital heart defects. A mouse model of maternal type 2 diabetes mellitus was established by feeding female mice a high-fat diet (60% fat). After 15 weeks on the high-fat diet, the mice showed characteristics of maternal type 2 diabetes mellitus. Control dams were either fed a normal diet (10% fat) or the high-fat diet during pregnancy only. Female mice from the high-fat diet group and the 2 control groups were mated with male mice that were fed a normal diet. At E12.5, embryonic hearts were harvested to determine the levels of lipid peroxides and superoxide, endoplasmic reticulum stress markers, cleaved caspase 3 and 8, and apoptosis. E17.5 embryonic hearts were harvested for the detection of congenital heart defect formation using India ink vessel patterning and histological examination. Maternal type 2 diabetes mellitus significantly induced ventricular septal defects and persistent truncus arteriosus in the developing heart, along with increasing oxidative stress markers, including superoxide and lipid peroxidation; endoplasmic reticulum stress markers, including protein levels of phosphorylated-protein kinase RNA-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase, phosphorylated-IRE1α, phosphorylated-eIF2α, C/EBP homologous protein, and binding immunoglobulin protein; endoplasmic reticulum chaperone gene

  3. Selenium and metal concentrations in waterbird eggs and chicks at Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge, Minnesota

    Science.gov (United States)

    Custer, T.W.; Custer, Christine M.; Eichhorst, B.A.; Warburton, D.

    2007-01-01

    Exceptionally high cadmium (Cd) and chromium (Cr) concentrations were reported in eggs, feathers, or livers of selected waterbird species nesting at Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge (Agassiz) in 1994. Ten- to 15-day-old Franklin's gull (Larus pipixcan), black-crowned night-heron (Nycticorax nycticorax), and eared grebe (Podiceps nigricollis) chicks were collected in 1998, 1999, and 2001 at Agassiz and analyzed for selenium (Se) and metals including Cd and Cr. Freshly laid eggs were collected in 2001 from Franklin's gull, black-crowned night-heron, eared grebe, and pied-billed grebe (Podilymbus podiceps) nests at Agassiz. Based on a multivariate analysis, the pattern of Se and metal concentrations differed among species for eggs, chick feathers, and chick livers. Low Cd and Cr concentrations were measured in eggs, chick livers, and chick feathers of all four species. Mercury concentrations in black-crowned night-heron and eared grebe eggs collected from Agassiz in 2001 were lower than concentrations reported in 1994. Se and metal concentrations, including Cd and Cr, in waterbird eggs and chicks collected at Agassiz in 1998, 1999, and 2001 were not at toxic levels. ?? 2007 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.

  4. A Public Survey on Handling Male Chicks in the Dutch Egg Sector

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Gremmen, H.G.J.; Bruijnis, M.R.N.; Blok, V.; Stassen, E.N.

    2018-01-01

    In 2035 global egg demand will have risen 50% from 1985. Because we are not able to tell in the egg whether it will become a male or female chick, billons of one day-old male chicks will be killed. International research initiatives are underway in this area, and governments encourage the

  5. The Effects of Chicken Box, Chick Paper Type and Flock Age on Sound Level and Leg Abnormalities in One-Day Old Chicks in the Hatchery

    OpenAIRE

    SALAHI, Ahmad; ESMAILIZADEH, ALI K.

    2014-01-01

    Abstract: Chicken box and chick paper are two important factors affecting quality of delivered chicks after hatching and packaging until arrival in rearing farms. In this study, characteristics of 70 samples of chicken boxes collected during two years in four hatcheries in Iran were surveyed. Winter and summer types of chicken boxes each with seven replicates including five chicken boxes were studied. The capacity, length, width, height, weight, area, total ventilation ducts  of  the boxes in...

  6. GROWTH PERFORMANCE OF BROILER CHICKS FED DIETS ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Dr. A.O. Ani

    2012-06-15

    Jun 15, 2012 ... ISSN 1684–5315 ©2012 Academic Journals ... Increasing raw bambara nut waste levels also depressed (P < 0.05) nutrient absorption ... Key words: Raw bambara nut waste, enzyme, diets, broiler chicks, growth performance.

  7. Metabolic response to lipid infusion in fasting winter-acclimatized king penguin chicks (Aptenodytes patagonicus).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teulier, Loïc; Tornos, Jérémy; Rouanet, Jean-Louis; Rey, Benjamin; Roussel, Damien

    2013-05-01

    During the cold austral winter, king penguin chicks are infrequently fed by their parents and thus experience severe nutritional deprivation under harsh environmental conditions. These energetic constraints lead to a range of energy sparing mechanisms balanced by the maintenance of efficient thermogenic processes. The present work investigated whether the high thermogenic capacities exhibited by winter-acclimatized king penguin chicks could be related to an increase in lipid substrate supply and oxidation in skeletal muscle, the main site of thermogenesis in birds. To test this hypothesis, we examined i) the effect of an experimental rise in plasma triglyceride on the whole metabolic rate in winter-acclimatized (WA) and de-acclimatized king penguin chicks kept at thermoneutrality (TN), and ii) investigated the fuel preference of muscle mitochondria. In vivo, a perfusion of a lipid emulsion induced a small 10% increase of metabolic rate in WA chicks but not in TN group. In vitro, the oxidation rate of muscle mitochondria respiring on lipid-derived substrate was +40% higher in WA chicks than in TN, while no differences were found between groups when mitochondria oxidized carbohydrate-derived substrate or succinate. Despite an enhanced fuel selection towards lipid oxidation in skeletal muscle, a rise of circulating lipids per se was not sufficient to fully unravel the thermogenic capacity of winter-acclimatized king penguin chicks. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Achievements of nuclear applications in chick-pea breeding

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kharwal, M.C.

    1994-01-01

    Due to narrow and limited genetic variability available in chick-pea, this crop is ideally suited for genetic improvement through mutation breeding. Thus, the use of nuclear tools for regenerating some of the lost useful variability in this crop particularly for an improved plant type of increased yield and disease resistance appears to offer greater scope and promise. Practical results already achieved through the use of nuclear tools which fulfill these expectations to a large extent are confirmed by the extensive studies on mutation breeding in chick-pea crop carried out at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi; at the Nuclear Institute for Agriculture and Biology, Faisalabad, Pakistan and at the Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture, Mymensingh, Bangladesh

  9. Modification of radioresponse of chick spleen with vitamin E treatment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rana, K.; Malhotra, N.

    1995-01-01

    Seven days old white leghorn male chicks were exposed to 2.25 Gy whole body gamma radiations with and without vitamin E and studied for histopathological changes in the spleen for a period of twenty eight days postirradiation. The results reveal that the radiation-induced depletion of lymphocytic population in the lymphoid region and the damage to the tissue architecture is comparatively less and reparation of the spleen faster in the vitamin E treated irradiated chicks. (author). 12 refs., 9 figs

  10. Quantitation of two endogenous lactose-inhibitable lectins in embryonic and adult chicken tissues

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Beyer, E.C.; Barondes, S.H.

    1982-01-01

    Two lactose-binding lectins from chicken tissues, chicken-lactose-lectin-I (CLL-I) and chicken-lactose-lectin-II (CLL-II) were quantified with a radioimmunoassay in extracts of a number of developing and adult chicken tissues. Both lectins could be measured in the same extract without separation, because they showed no significant immunological cross- reactivity. Many embryonic and adult tissues, including brain, heart, intestine, kidney, liver, lung, muscle, pancreas, and spleen, contained one or both lectins, although their concentrations differed markedly. For example, embryonic muscle, the richest source of CLL-I contained only traces of CLL-II whereas embryonic kidney, a very rich source of CLL-II contained substantial CLL-I. In both muscle and kidney, lectin levels in adulthood were much lower than in the embryonic state. In contrast, CLL-I in liver and CLL-II in intestine were 10-fold to 30-fold more concentrated in the adult than in the 15-d embryo. CLL-I and CLL-II from several tissues were purified by affinity chromatography and their identity in the various tissues was confirmed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, isoelectric focusing, and peptide mapping. The results suggest that these lectins might have different functions in the many developing and adult tissues in which they are found

  11. Monitoring trace elements in Antarctic penguin chicks from South Shetland Islands, Antarctica.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jerez, Silvia; Motas, Miguel; Benzal, Jesús; Diaz, Julia; Barbosa, Andrés

    2013-04-15

    The concentration of human activities in the near-shore ecosystems from the northern Antarctic Peninsula area can cause an increasing bioavailability of pollutants for the vulnerable Antarctic biota. Penguin chicks can reflect this potential impact in the rookeries during the breeding season. They also can reflect biomagnification phenomena since they are on the top of the Antarctic food chain. The concentrations of Al, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Cd and Pb were measured by ICP-MS in samples of liver, kidney, muscle, bone, feather and stomach content of gentoo, chinstrap and Adélie penguin chicks (n=15 individuals) collected opportunistically in the Islands of King George and Deception (South Shetland Islands, Antarctica). The detected levels of some trace elements were not as low as it could be expected in the isolated Antarctic region. Penguin chicks can be useful indicators of trace elements abundance in the study areas. Carcasses of Antarctic penguin chicks were used to evaluate the bioavailability of trace elements in the Islands of King George and Deception. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Orientation in a crowded environment: can King Penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) chicks find their creches after a displacement?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nesterova, Anna P; Mardon, Jérôme; Bonadonna, Francesco

    2009-01-01

    For seabird species, the presence of conspecifics in a crowded breeding colony can obstruct locally available orientation cues. Thus, navigation to specific locations can present a challenging problem. We investigated short-range orientation in King Penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) chicks that live in a large and densely populated colony. The two main objectives were to determine whether chicks displaced to a novel location away from the colony (i) can orient towards the colony and return to their crèche and (ii) rely on visual or non-visual cues for orientation. To address these questions, a circular arena was constructed 100 m away from the colony. Chicks were released in the arena during the day and at night. After the orientation experiment in the arena, chicks were allowed to return to their home crèche, if they could. Our results showed that, during day trials, chicks preferred the half of the arena closer to the colony, but not at night. However, at night, birds spent more time on ;the colony half' of the arena if the wind blew from the colony direction. When animals were allowed to leave the arena, 98% of chicks homed during the day but only 62% of chicks homed at night. Chicks that homed at night also took longer to find their crèche. The experiments suggest that King Penguin chicks can find their crèche from a novel location. Visual cues are important for homing but, when visual cues are not present, animals are able to make use of other information carried by the wind.

  13. Protein nutrition and metabolism during early development of the chick embryo

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Klein, N.W.

    1976-01-01

    Cultures of intact early chick embryos have been used as a model system in which to study the nutrition and metabolism of proteins during early embryonic development. Previous studies have shown that these embryos require nutrient proteins for growth and development. The protein requirement was found to be specific in that at least two proteins were essential; one a transferrin (either conalbumin or yolk transferrin) and the other either ovalbumin or lipovitellin. Variations in the quantity or type of protein provided in the medium altered the growth of embryo regions through regionally specific changes in protein breakdown. This was confirmed through protein synthetic studies with isolated polyribosomes. More recently such variations in protein nutrition have been shown also to affect the actual patterns of proteins synthesized by regions of the embryo. These observed responses to protein nutrition have been difficult to reconcile with our observation that proteins as such did not reach the embryo proper but were first degraded to amine acids within the yolk-sac membrane. Studies on the synthesis of serum proteins by the yolk-sac membrane have provided a possible explanation in that the relative synthesis of individual serum proteins was dramatically influenced by the protein composition of the culture medium. We are currently attempting to demonstrate that serum proteins are indeed the mediators of the response of embryos to protein nutrition. (author)

  14. Metabolism and biological activity of 24,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 in the chick

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Holick, M.F.; Baxter, L.A.; Schraufrogel, P.K.; Tavela, T.E.; DeLuca, H.F.

    1976-01-01

    The vitamin, 24R,24,25-dihydroxyvitamin D 3 , is capable of inducing a minimal intestinal calcium transport response in chicks when compared to an equal amount of 25-hydroxyvitamin D 3 . 1,24,25-Trihydroxyvitamin D 3 is also less active than 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D 3 , and its activity is much shorter lived than that of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D 3 . A comparison of the metabolism of 25-hydroxy[26,27- 3 H]vitamin D 3 and 24,25-dihydroxy[26,27- 3 H]vitamin D 3 in the rat and chick shows that 24,25-dihydroxyvitamin D 3 and 1,24,25-trihydroxyvitamin D 3 disappear at least 10 times more rapidly from the blood and intestine of chicks. Furthermore, examination of the excretory products from both of these species demonstrates that chicks receiving a single dose of 24,25-dihydroxy[26,27- 3 H]vitamin D 3 excrete 66% of the total radioactivity by 48 hours, whereas rats receiving the same dose excrete less than one-half that amount. These results demonstrate that 24,25-dihydroxyvitamin D 3 is considerably less biologically active in the chick than in the rat, probably due to more rapid metabolism and excretion

  15. TRIVIAL OR COMMENDABLE?: WOMEN'S WRITING, POPULAR CULTURE, AND CHICK LIT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mary Ryan

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available There are a number of similarities between popular culture and women's writing: both have been dismissed as trivial and worthless, have traditionally received little respect from critics, and have been scorned because of theis apparently "low-brow" appeal. Additionally, both were long excluded from the literary Canon. In contemporary culture, the intersection of popular culture and women's writing takes the form of chick lit, the contemporary genre of fiction starring female characters in their 20s and 30s as they make their way through their lives and tackle all the obstacles in their way. As well as outlining the characteristics and history of chick lit, this paper will discuss the negative reception that popular culture, women's writing, and chick lit has often been subjected to, and will show how studies are now emerging with the aim of demonstrating how such genres may have more worth and potential than is typically suggested.

  16. Mortality in captive wild-caught horned puffin chicks (Fratercula corniculata).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tocidlowski, M E; Cornish, T E; Loomis, M R; Stoskopf, M K

    1997-09-01

    Sixteen horned puffin (Fratercula corniculata) and six parakeet auklet (Cyclorrhynchus psittacula) chicks of various prefledging ages were caught in Alaska and transported to the North Carolina Zoological Park (USA) in August 1995. Six of the 16 puffin chicks died within a 5-day period beginning 2 days after their arrival into quarantine at the zoo. The birds that died were collected at a young age, weighed 45.4-65.7 g, and had been fed a diet of thawed frozen ocean silversides (Atherinidae) that was not supplemented with vitamins. Clinical signs were nonspecific, and gross necropsies, insecticide toxicology screens, and bacterial cultures were unremarkable. Microscopic examination of tissues from five of the six birds showed myocardial necrosis and degeneration suggestive of vitamin E deficiency and intestinal protozoa resembling Microsporidia. The mortality pattern and histopathologic lesions observed in this case support the use of selective age capture and vitamin supplementation for wild alcid chick collection.

  17. Influence of nerve growth factor on developing dorso-medial and ventro-lateral neurons of chick and mouse trigeminal ganglia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davies, A; Lumsden, A

    1983-01-01

    Trigeminal ganglia have been removed from five, six, seven and eight day chick embryos and explants of the dorso-medial (DM) and ventro-lateral (VL) parts of the maxillomandibular lobe were grown in tissue culture. Quantitative methods were used to assess the influence of nerve growth factor (NGF) on fiber outgrowth from these explants. At all ages outgrowth from DM explants was significantly greater than from VL explants, the difference being most pronounced between the extreme DM and VL poles of the maxillomandibular lobe. These observations are interpreted as indicating the existence of two distinct populations of neurons in terms of their response to NGF rather than the consequence of the asynchronous differentiation and maturation of the VL and DM neurons. A similar study of 10, 11 and 12 day embryonic mouse trigeminal ganglia revealed no significant difference in neurite outgrowth between DM and VL regions grown in the presence or absence of NGF. Copyright © 1983. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  18. New kid on the block A condor chick takes flight near Fillmore

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    2007-03-02

    Mar 2, 2007 ... very attentive and caring.” Most first- time condor parents fail in their initial attempts to hatch out that first egg. This chick was born on 2 May, near the service's California Condor Recovery. Program. It is the first chick to fledge in the wild in California since 2004, since captive-bred condors were reintroduced.

  19. Lipid metabolism during embryonic development of the common snapping turtle, Chelydra serpentina.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lawniczak, Cynthia J; Teece, Mark A

    2009-05-01

    The metabolism of lipids and fatty acids during embryonic development of Chelydra serpentina (common snapping turtle) was investigated. Substantial changes in lipid class and fatty acid composition occurred as lipids were transferred from the yolk to the yolk sac membrane (YSM) and then to the brain, eyes, heart, and lungs of the hatchling. Lipids were hydrolyzed in the yolk prior to transport to the YSM, shown by a large increase in free fatty acids (FFAs) during the second half of development. Triglyceride-derived docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) was utilized preferentially to phospholipid-derived DHA. In the YSM, arachidonic acid (ARA) was selectively incorporated into phospholipids while DHA was preferentially incorporated into triglycerides. Selective incorporation of DHA and ARA into the brain and eyes, and ARA into the heart was observed, indicating the importance of these PUFAs for organ development and function. The amount of DHA and ARA in each organ was less than 1% of that measured in the yolk of the freshly laid egg, indicating that only a small portion of yolk PUFAs were incorporated into the hatchling organs studied. We discuss the differences in the mechanisms and utilization of yolk lipids in turtles compared with lipid uptake during embryonic development in birds.

  20. Embryonic development of the sea bass Dicentrarchus labrax

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cucchi, Patricia; Sucré, Elliott; Santos, Raphaël; Leclère, Jeremy; Charmantier, Guy; Castille, René

    2012-06-01

    The embryonic development of the sea bass Dicentrarchus labrax during the endotrophic period is discussed. An 8 cells stage, not reported for other studied species, results from two rapid successive cleavages. Blastula occurs at the eighth division when the embryo is made of 128 cells. During gastrulation, the infolded blastoderm creates the endomesoblastic layer. The Kupffer's vesicle is reported to drive the left/right patterning of brain, heart and digestive tract. Heart formation starts at 8 pairs of somites, differentiation of myotomes and sclerotomes starts at the stage 18 pairs of somites; main parts of the digestive tract are entirely formed at 25 pairs of somites. At 28 pairs of somites, a rectal region is detected, however, the digestive tube is closed at both ends, the jaw appears the fourth day after hatching, but the mouth is not opened before the fifth day. Although cardiac beating and blood circulation are observed, gills are not reported in newly hatched individuals; eye melanization appears concomitant with exotrophic behavior.

  1. In vivo wall shear measurements within the developing zebrafish heart.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R Aidan Jamison

    Full Text Available Physical forces can influence the embryonic development of many tissues. Within the cardiovascular system shear forces resulting from blood flow are known to be one of the regulatory signals that shape the developing heart. A key challenge in investigating the role of shear forces in cardiac development is the ability to obtain shear force measurements in vivo. Utilising the zebrafish model system we have developed a methodology that allows the shear force within the developing embryonic heart to be determined. Accurate wall shear measurement requires two essential pieces of information; high-resolution velocity measurements near the heart wall and the location and orientation of the heart wall itself. We have applied high-speed brightfield imaging to capture time-lapse series of blood flow within the beating heart between 3 and 6 days post-fertilization. Cardiac-phase filtering is applied to these time-lapse images to remove the heart wall and other slow moving structures leaving only the red blood cell movement. Using particle image velocimetry to calculate the velocity of red blood cells in different regions within the heart, and using the signal-to-noise ratio of the cardiac-phase filtered images to determine the boundary of blood flow, and therefore the position of the heart wall, we have been able to generate the necessary information to measure wall shear in vivo. We describe the methodology required to measure shear in vivo and the application of this technique to the developing zebrafish heart. We identify a reduction in shear at the ventricular-bulbar valve between 3 and 6 days post-fertilization and demonstrate that the shear environment of the ventricle during systole is constantly developing towards a more uniform level.

  2. In vivo wall shear measurements within the developing zebrafish heart.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jamison, R Aidan; Samarage, Chaminda R; Bryson-Richardson, Robert J; Fouras, Andreas

    2013-01-01

    Physical forces can influence the embryonic development of many tissues. Within the cardiovascular system shear forces resulting from blood flow are known to be one of the regulatory signals that shape the developing heart. A key challenge in investigating the role of shear forces in cardiac development is the ability to obtain shear force measurements in vivo. Utilising the zebrafish model system we have developed a methodology that allows the shear force within the developing embryonic heart to be determined. Accurate wall shear measurement requires two essential pieces of information; high-resolution velocity measurements near the heart wall and the location and orientation of the heart wall itself. We have applied high-speed brightfield imaging to capture time-lapse series of blood flow within the beating heart between 3 and 6 days post-fertilization. Cardiac-phase filtering is applied to these time-lapse images to remove the heart wall and other slow moving structures leaving only the red blood cell movement. Using particle image velocimetry to calculate the velocity of red blood cells in different regions within the heart, and using the signal-to-noise ratio of the cardiac-phase filtered images to determine the boundary of blood flow, and therefore the position of the heart wall, we have been able to generate the necessary information to measure wall shear in vivo. We describe the methodology required to measure shear in vivo and the application of this technique to the developing zebrafish heart. We identify a reduction in shear at the ventricular-bulbar valve between 3 and 6 days post-fertilization and demonstrate that the shear environment of the ventricle during systole is constantly developing towards a more uniform level.

  3. Neuro-economics in chicks: foraging choices based on amount, delay and cost.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matsushima, Toshiya; Kawamori, Ai; Bem-Sojka, Tiaza

    2008-06-15

    Studies on the foraging choices are reviewed, with an emphasis on the neural representations of elementary factors of food (i.e., amount, delay and consumption time) in the avian brain. Domestic chicks serve as an ideal animal model in this respect, as they quickly associate cue colors with subsequently supplied food rewards, and their choices are quantitatively linked with the rewards. When a pair of such color cues was simultaneously presented, the trained chicks reliably made choices according to the profitability of food associated with each color. Two forebrain regions are involved in distinct aspects of choices; i.e., nucleus accumbens-medial striatum (Ac-MSt) and arcopallium intermedium (AI), an association area in the lateral forebrain. Localized lesions of Ac-MSt enhanced delay aversion, and the ablated chicks made impulsive choices of immediate reward more frequently than sham controls. On the other hand, lesions of AI enhanced consumption-time aversion, and the ablated chicks shifted their choices toward easily consumable reward with their impulsiveness unchanged; delay and consumption time are thus doubly dissociated. Furthermore, chicks showed distinct patterns of risk-sensitive choices depending on the factor that varied at trials. Risk aversion occurred when food amount varied, whereas consistent risk sensitivity was not found when the delay varied; amount and delay were not interchangeable. Choices are thus deviated from those predicted as optima. Instead, factors such as amount, delay and consumption time could be separately represented and processed to yield economically sub-optimal choices.

  4. Directed Differentiation of Zebrafish Pluripotent Embryonic Cells to Functional Cardiomyocytes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yao Xiao

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available A cardiomyocyte differentiation in vitro system from zebrafish embryos remains to be established. Here, we have determined pluripotency window of zebrafish embryos by analyzing their gene-expression patterns of pluripotency factors together with markers of three germ layers, and have found that zebrafish undergoes a very narrow period of pluripotency maintenance from zygotic genome activation to a brief moment after oblong stage. Based on the pluripotency and a combination of appropriate conditions, we established a rapid and efficient method for cardiomyocyte generation in vitro from primary embryonic cells. The induced cardiomyocytes differentiated into functional and specific cardiomyocyte subtypes. Notably, these in vitro generated cardiomyocytes exhibited typical contractile kinetics and electrophysiological features. The system provides a new paradigm of cardiomyocyte differentiation from primary embryonic cells in zebrafish. The technology provides a new platform for the study of heart development and regeneration, in addition to drug discovery, disease modeling, and assessment of cardiotoxic agents.

  5. Efficacy of aniseed extract as immune stimulant and growth promoter in broiler chicks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Durrani, F R; Sultan, A; Ahmed, Sajjad; Chand, N; Khattak, F M; Durrani, Z

    2007-10-15

    Present research was undertaken to investigate the effect of different level of 6% concentrated (w/v) aniseed extract in broiler chicks at NWFP Agricultural University Peshawar Pakistan. One hundred and sixty, day old broiler chicks were randomly assigned to four treatments, as A, B, C, receiving 20, 30 and 40 mL of 6% (w/v) concentrated aniseed infusion and D was kept as control group. Each treatment was replicated four times with ten chicks per replicate. Chicks were reared in cages in an open sided house. Vaccination was done against ND and IBD. Data were recorded for growth performance, immunity and economics. The data were subjected to statistical analysis, using Completely Randomized Design and MSTATC programme. Mean feed and water intake was nonsignificant (p > 0.05). Mean weight gain, FCR and dressing percentage was found better (p 0.05) in all groups. Mean antibody titer against IBD was higher (p 0.05), while the gross return was found better (p poultry production under different environmental conditions.

  6. Sex-Based Differences in Adelie Penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae Chick Growth Rates and Diet.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Scott Jennings

    Full Text Available Sexually size-dimorphic species must show some difference between the sexes in growth rate and/or length of growing period. Such differences in growth parameters can cause the sexes to be impacted by environmental variability in different ways, and understanding these differences allows a better understanding of patterns in productivity between individuals and populations. We investigated differences in growth rate and diet between male and female Adélie Penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae chicks during two breeding seasons at Cape Crozier, Ross Island, Antarctica. Adélie Penguins are a slightly dimorphic species, with adult males averaging larger than adult females in mass (~11% as well as bill (~8% and flipper length (~3%. We measured mass and length of flipper, bill, tibiotarsus, and foot at 5-day intervals for 45 male and 40 female individually-marked chicks. Chick sex was molecularly determined from feathers. We used linear mixed effects models to estimate daily growth rate as a function of chick sex, while controlling for hatching order, brood size, year, and potential variation in breeding quality between pairs of parents. Accounting for season and hatching order, male chicks gained mass an average of 15.6 g d(-1 faster than females. Similarly, growth in bill length was faster for males, and the calculated bill size difference at fledging was similar to that observed in adults. There was no evidence for sex-based differences in growth of other morphological features. Adélie diet at Ross Island is composed almost entirely of two species--one krill (Euphausia crystallorophias and one fish (Pleuragramma antarctica, with fish having a higher caloric value. Using isotopic analyses of feather samples, we also determined that male chicks were fed a higher proportion of fish than female chicks. The related differences in provisioning and growth rates of male and female offspring provides a greater understanding of the ways in which ecological factors

  7. Cytoplasmic vitamin A binding proteins in chick embryo dermis and epidermis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gates, R.E.; King, L.E. Jr.

    1985-01-01

    Excess vitamin A has striking morphologic and developmental effects on chick embryo skin. While cytoplasmic retinoic acid-binding protein (CRABP) was known to be abundant in chick embryo skin, neither quantitative values nor the distribution between dermis and epidermis have been established. The authors determined CRABP levels in collagenase-separated dermis and epidermis from 8-day-old embryos using specific binding of all-trans-[11- 3 H]retinoic acid in cytosols prepared from gram quantities of these tissues. The level of CRABP in dermis was twice the level in epidermis whether calculated on the basis of wet weight, cytosol protein, or DNA. When averaged over many preparations, 3 times as much dermis as epidermis was recovered from a single piece of skin. Therefore, the dermis contained 85% of the extremely high CRABP levels found in collagenase-treated skin, while epidermis contributed only 15%. Cytoplasmic retinol binding protein (CRBP) was also detected in chick embryo skin, but the binding was low and the levels in epidermis and dermis were not significantly different. The amount of CRABP in chick embryo skin (1600 pmol/g wet weight or 100 pmol/mg cytosol protein) is the highest level reported in any tissue and suggests an important role for vitamin A in the normal development and maturation of skin

  8. Chick development and high dose of bendiocarb

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Petrovová, E.; Sedmera, David; Luptáková, L.; Mazenský, D.; Danko, J.

    2012-01-01

    Roč. 47, č. 9 (2012), s. 1312-1318 ISSN 1093-4529 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50110509 Keywords : Bendiocarb * central nervous system * chick embryo * liver * toxicity Subject RIV: EA - Cell Biology Impact factor: 1.252, year: 2012

  9. Trends and tactics of mouse predation on Tristan Albatross Diomedea dabbenena chicks at Gough Island, South Atlantic Ocean

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Delia Davies

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available The critically endangered Tristan Albatross Diomedea dabbenena breeds almost exclusively on Gough Island, in the central South Atlantic, where breeding success is much lower than other great albatrosses (Diomedea spp. worldwide. Most breeding failures occur during the chick-rearing stage, when other great albatrosses suffer few failures. This unusual pattern of breeding failure is assumed to be largely due to predation by introduced house mice Mus musculus, but there have been few direct observations of mouse attacks. We closely monitored the fates of 20 chicks in the Gonydale study colony (123 chicks in 2014 using motion-activated cameras to determine the causes of chick mortality. Only 5 of 20 chicks survived to fledge, and of the 15 failures, 14 (93% were due to mouse predation. One mouse-wounded chick was killed by a Southern Giant Petrel Macronectes giganteus; the rest died outright from their wounds within 3.9 ± 1.2 days of the first attack. Despite this high impact, most chicks were attacked by only 1-2 mice at once (maximum 9. The remaining 103 chicks in the study colony were checked less frequently, but the timing of failures was broadly similar to the 20 closely monitored nests, and the presence of mouse wounds on other chicks strongly suggests that mice were responsible for most chick deaths. Breeding success in the Gonydale study colony averages 28% from 2001 to 2014; far lower than the normal range of breeding success of Diomedea species occurring on islands free from introduced predators. Island-wide breeding success fell below 10% for the first time in 2014, making it even more urgent to eradicate mice from Gough Island.

  10. Efficacy of adsorbents (bentonite and diatomaceous earth) and turmeric (Curcuma longa) in alleviating the toxic effects of aflatoxin in chicks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dos Anjos, F R; Ledoux, D R; Rottinghaus, G E; Chimonyo, M

    2015-01-01

    A study was conducted to determine the efficacy of bentonite clay (BC), diatomaceous earth (DE) and turmeric powder (TUM) in alleviating the toxic effects of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1). A total of 250 Ross-308 d-old male broiler chicks were assigned to 10 dietary treatments (5 replicates of 5 chicks) from hatch to d 21. Dietary treatments were: basal diet; basal diet plus AFB1 (2 mg) or BC (0.75%), or DE (0.75%), or TUM (200 mg/kg curcuminoids) and different combinations of AFB1, BC, DE and TUM. Feed intake (FI), body weight gain (BWG) and feed gain (FG) of the birds fed on BC or DE separately were not different from control birds. Birds fed on TUM only had similar FI and FG but lower BWG than control chicks. Aflatoxin B1 reduced FI, BWG and serum concentrations of glucose, albumin, total protein calcium, but increased FG and relative liver and kidney weights. Chicks fed on the combination of AFB1 and BC had similar FI and FG to control chicks. Chicks fed on the combination of DE and AFB1 had lower FI (23.1%) and BWG (28.6%) compared with control chicks. Chicks fed on the combination of TUM and AFB1 also had decreased FI (26.2 %) and BWG (31%) compared with control chicks. Chicks fed on the combination of AFB1, BC and TUM consumed significantly higher amounts of feed compared with chicks fed on only AF, but gained less when compared with control diet chicks. Chicks fed on the combination of AFB1, DE and TUM diet had poorer growth performance than those fed on AFB1 alone. None of the combination diets reduced the severity of liver lesions.

  11. Vitamin D receptor signaling is required for heart development in zebrafish embryo

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kwon, Hye-Joo, E-mail: hjkwon@pnu.edu.sa [Biology Department, Texas A& M University, College Station, TX77843-3258 (United States); Biology Department, Princess Nourah University, Riyadh 11671 (Saudi Arabia)

    2016-02-12

    Vitamin D has been found to be associated with cardiovascular diseases. However, the role of vitamin D in heart development during embryonic period is largely unknown. Vitamin D induces its genomic effects through its nuclear receptor, the vitamin D receptor (VDR). The present study investigated the role of VDR on heart development by antisense-mediated knockdown approaches in zebrafish model system. In zebrafish embryos, two distinct VDR genes (vdra and vdrb) have been identified. Knockdown of vdra has little effect on heart development, whereas disrupting vdrb gene causes various cardiac phenotypes, characterized by pericardial edema, slower heart rate and laterality defects. Depletion of both vdra and vdrb (vdra/b) produce additive, but not synergistic effects. To determine whether atrioventricular (AV) cardiomyocytes are properly organized in these embryos, the expression of bmp4, which marks the developing AV boundary at 48 h post-fertilization, was examined. Notably, vdra/b-deficient embryos display ectopic expression of bmp4 towards the ventricle or throughout atrial and ventricular chambers. Taken together, these results suggest that VDR signaling plays an essential role in heart development. - Highlights: • VDR signaling is involved in embryonic heart development. • Knockdown of vdrb, but not vdra, causes decreased heart rate in zebrafish embryo. • Loss of vdr results in cardiac laterality defects. • Loss of vdra/b alters atrioventricular boundary formation. • Loss of vdra/b causes abnormal cardiac looping.

  12. Vitamin D receptor signaling is required for heart development in zebrafish embryo

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kwon, Hye-Joo

    2016-01-01

    Vitamin D has been found to be associated with cardiovascular diseases. However, the role of vitamin D in heart development during embryonic period is largely unknown. Vitamin D induces its genomic effects through its nuclear receptor, the vitamin D receptor (VDR). The present study investigated the role of VDR on heart development by antisense-mediated knockdown approaches in zebrafish model system. In zebrafish embryos, two distinct VDR genes (vdra and vdrb) have been identified. Knockdown of vdra has little effect on heart development, whereas disrupting vdrb gene causes various cardiac phenotypes, characterized by pericardial edema, slower heart rate and laterality defects. Depletion of both vdra and vdrb (vdra/b) produce additive, but not synergistic effects. To determine whether atrioventricular (AV) cardiomyocytes are properly organized in these embryos, the expression of bmp4, which marks the developing AV boundary at 48 h post-fertilization, was examined. Notably, vdra/b-deficient embryos display ectopic expression of bmp4 towards the ventricle or throughout atrial and ventricular chambers. Taken together, these results suggest that VDR signaling plays an essential role in heart development. - Highlights: • VDR signaling is involved in embryonic heart development. • Knockdown of vdrb, but not vdra, causes decreased heart rate in zebrafish embryo. • Loss of vdr results in cardiac laterality defects. • Loss of vdra/b alters atrioventricular boundary formation. • Loss of vdra/b causes abnormal cardiac looping.

  13. Interaction between SCO-spondin and low density lipoproteins from embryonic cerebrospinal fluid modulates their roles in early neurogenesis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    América eVera

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available During early stages of development, encephalic vesicles are composed by a layer of neuroepithelial cells surrounding a central cavity filled with embryonic cerebrospinal fluid (eCSF. This fluid contains several morphogens that regulate proliferation and differentiation of neuroepithelial cells. One of these neurogenic factors is SCO-spondin, a giant protein secreted to the eCSF from early stages of development. Inhibition of this protein in vivo or in vitro drastically decreases the neurodifferentiation process. Other important neurogenic factors of the eCSF are low density lipoproteins (LDL, the depletion of which generates a 60% decrease in mesencephalic explant neurodifferentiation. The presence of several LDL receptor class A (LDLrA domains (responsible for LDL binding in other proteins in the SCO-spondin sequence suggests a possible interaction between both molecules. This possibility was analyzed using three different experimental approaches: 1 Bioinformatics analyses of the SCO-spondin region, that contains eight LDLrA domains in tandem, and of comparisons with the LDL receptor consensus sequence; 2 Analysis of the physical interactions of both molecules through immunohistochemical colocalization in embryonic chick brains and through the immunoprecipitation of LDL with anti-SCO-spondin antibodies; and 3 Analysis of functional interactions during the neurodifferentiation process when these molecules were added to a culture medium of mesencephalic explants. The results revealed that LDL and SCO-spondin interact to form a complex that diminishes the neurogenic capacities that both molecules have separately. Our work suggests that the embryonic cerebrospinal fluid is an active signaling center with a complex regulation system that allows for correct brain development.

  14. Single cell transcriptome profiling of developing chick retinal cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laboissonniere, Lauren A; Martin, Gregory M; Goetz, Jillian J; Bi, Ran; Pope, Brock; Weinand, Kallie; Ellson, Laura; Fru, Diane; Lee, Miranda; Wester, Andrea K; Liu, Peng; Trimarchi, Jeffrey M

    2017-08-15

    The vertebrate retina is a specialized photosensitive tissue comprised of six neuronal and one glial cell types, each of which develops in prescribed proportions at overlapping timepoints from a common progenitor pool. While each of these cells has a specific function contributing to proper vision in the mature animal, their differential representation in the retina as well as the presence of distinctive cellular subtypes makes identifying the transcriptomic signatures that lead to each retinal cell's fate determination and development challenging. We have analyzed transcriptomes from individual cells isolated from the chick retina throughout retinogenesis. While we focused our efforts on the retinal ganglion cells, our transcriptomes of developing chick cells also contained representation from multiple retinal cell types, including photoreceptors and interneurons at different stages of development. Most interesting was the identification of transcriptomes from individual mixed lineage progenitor cells in the chick as these cells offer a window into the cell fate decision-making process. Taken together, these data sets will enable us to uncover the most critical genes acting in the steps of cell fate determination and early differentiation of various retinal cell types. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  15. Toxicity of Kalanchoe spp to chicks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williams, M C; Smith, M C

    1984-03-01

    Leaves of Kalanchoe daigremontiana, K tubiflora, K fedtschenkoi, K tomentosa, K tomentosa X K beharensis, and 4 cultivars of K blossfeldiana were tested for toxicity to 2-week-old Leghorn chicks. These species were analyzed for percentage of alkaloids, aliphatic nitro compounds, soluble oxalates, and nitrates and were examined qualitatively for cyanogenic glycosides. The solubility of the toxic principle in K daigremontiana was determined. Leaves of K daigremontiana, K tubiflora, and K fedtschenkoi were toxic to chicks at dosage levels of 8 to 12 mg/g of body weight. Toxic signs included depression, muscular incoordination, twitching and spiraling of the neck, tremors, convulsions, paralysis, and death. Kalanchoe tomentosa, K tomentosa X K beharensis, and 4 cultivars of K blossfeldiana were nontoxic at the highest dosage levels tested. Aliphatic nitro compounds and cyanogenic glycosides were not detected in any species. Alkaloids, nitrates, and soluble oxalates were present only in nontoxic concentrations. The toxic principle in K daigremontiana was soluble in 50%, 80%, and 100% ethanol, slightly soluble in water and acetone, and insoluble in benzene, chloroform, and ether.

  16. Rac1 modulates cardiomyocyte adhesion during mouse embryonic development

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abu-Issa, Radwan

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • Conditional knockout of Rac1 using Nkx2.5 Cre line is lethal at E13.5. • The myocardium of the mutant is thin and disorganized. • The phenotype is not due to cardiomyocyte low proliferation or apoptosis. • The phenotype is due to specific defect in cardiomyocyte adhesion. - Abstract: Rac1, a member of the Rho subfamily of small GTPases, is involved in morphogenesis and differentiation of many cell types. Here we define a role of Rac1 in cardiac development by specifically deleting Rac1 in the pre-cardiac mesoderm using the Nkx2.5-Cre transgenic driver line. Rac1-conditional knockout embryos initiate heart development normally until embryonic day 11.5 (E11.5); their cardiac mesoderm is specified, and the heart tube is formed and looped. However, by E12.5-E13.5 the mutant hearts start failing and embryos develop edema and hemorrhage which is probably the cause for the lethality observed soon after. The hearts of Rac1-cKO embryos exhibit disorganized and thin myocardial walls and defects in outflow tract alignment. No significant differences of cardiomyocyte death or proliferation were found between developing control and mutant embryos. To uncover the role of Rac1 in the heart, E11.5 primary heart cells were cultured and analyzed in vitro. Rac1-deficient cardiomyocytes were less spread, round and loosely attached to the substrate and to each other implying that Rac1-mediated signaling is required for appropriate cell–cell and/or cellmatrix adhesion during cardiac development

  17. Rac1 modulates cardiomyocyte adhesion during mouse embryonic development

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Abu-Issa, Radwan, E-mail: rabuissa@umich.edu

    2015-01-24

    Highlights: • Conditional knockout of Rac1 using Nkx2.5 Cre line is lethal at E13.5. • The myocardium of the mutant is thin and disorganized. • The phenotype is not due to cardiomyocyte low proliferation or apoptosis. • The phenotype is due to specific defect in cardiomyocyte adhesion. - Abstract: Rac1, a member of the Rho subfamily of small GTPases, is involved in morphogenesis and differentiation of many cell types. Here we define a role of Rac1 in cardiac development by specifically deleting Rac1 in the pre-cardiac mesoderm using the Nkx2.5-Cre transgenic driver line. Rac1-conditional knockout embryos initiate heart development normally until embryonic day 11.5 (E11.5); their cardiac mesoderm is specified, and the heart tube is formed and looped. However, by E12.5-E13.5 the mutant hearts start failing and embryos develop edema and hemorrhage which is probably the cause for the lethality observed soon after. The hearts of Rac1-cKO embryos exhibit disorganized and thin myocardial walls and defects in outflow tract alignment. No significant differences of cardiomyocyte death or proliferation were found between developing control and mutant embryos. To uncover the role of Rac1 in the heart, E11.5 primary heart cells were cultured and analyzed in vitro. Rac1-deficient cardiomyocytes were less spread, round and loosely attached to the substrate and to each other implying that Rac1-mediated signaling is required for appropriate cell–cell and/or cellmatrix adhesion during cardiac development.

  18. Familiarity perception call elicited under restricted sensory cues in peer-social interactions of the domestic chick.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mamiko Koshiba

    Full Text Available Social cognitive mechanisms are central to understanding developmental abnormalities, such as autistic spectrum disorder. Peer relations besides parent-infant or pair-bonding interactions are pivotal social relationships that are especially well developed in humans. Cognition of familiarity forms the basis of peer socialization. Domestic chick (Gallus gallus studies have contributed to our understanding of the developmental process in sensory-motor cognition but many processes remain unknown. In this report, we used chicks, as they are precocial birds, and we could therefore focus on peer interaction without having to consider parenting. The subject chick behavior towards familiar and unfamiliar reference peers was video-recorded, where the subject and the reference were separated by either an opaque or transparent wall. Spectrogram and behavior correlation analyses based on principal component analysis, revealed that chicks elicited an intermediate contact call and a morphologically different distress call, more frequently towards familiar versus unfamiliar chicks in acoustic only conditions. When both visual and acoustic cues were present, subject chicks exhibited approaching and floor pecking behavior, while eliciting joyful (pleasant calls, irrespective of whether reference peers were familiar or unfamiliar. Our result showed that chicks recognized familiarity using acoustic cues and expressed cognition through modified distress calls. These finding suggests that peer affiliation may be established by acoustic recognition, independent of visual face recognition, and that eventually, both forms of recognition are integrated, with modulation of acoustic recognition.

  19. Immunoreactive cortisone in droppings reflect stress levels, diet and growth rate of gull-billed tern chicks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Albano, Noelia; Santiago-Quesada, Francisco; Masero, José A; Sánchez-Guzmán, Juan M; Möstl, Erich

    2015-03-01

    Blood levels of corticosterone have been traditionally analyzed to assess stress levels in birds; however, measuring steroid hormone metabolites in feces and droppings has gained much interest as a noninvasive technique successfully used for such purposed in vertebrates. Diet may affect these fecal metabolite levels (e.g., due to nutritional stress), however, this variable has not been taken into account in studies with chicks despite the great dietary flexibility of many avian species. In this study, we addressed for the first time this key issue and validated the technique in wild gull-billed tern chicks (Gelochelidon nilotica). Several enzyme immunoassays were used to determine the most appropriate test to measure the stress response. Subsequently, we performed an experiment in captivity to assess adrenocortical activity in gull-billed tern chicks fed with two diets: piscivorous vs. insectivorous. Finally, the relation between the chicks' growth rate and excreted immunoreactive glucocorticoid metabolites (EGMs) was also evaluated. We found the immunoreactive cortisone metabolites to be a good index of stress (as being an index of adrenocortical reactivity) in chicks of this species. Fish-fed chicks had higher levels of cortisone metabolites when comparing both concentration and total daily excreted metabolites. Within each treatment diet, cortisone metabolite levels and growth rates were negatively correlated. These findings suggest that the diet should be considered when using this technique for comparative purposes and highlight the trade-off between stress levels and chicks growth rates. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Protection of Broiler Chicks Housed with Immunized Cohorts Against Infection with Eimeria maxima and E. acervulina.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fetterer, Raymond H; Barfield, Ruth C; Jenkins, Mark C

    2015-03-01

    The use of live oocyst vaccines is becoming increasingly important in the control of avian coccidiosis in broilers. Knowledge of the mechanisms employed when chicks uptake oocysts and become immune is important for optimizing delivery of live vaccines. The current study tests the hypothesis that chicks not initially immunized may ingest oocysts by contact with litter containing oocysts shed by immunized cohorts. In Experiment 1, day-old broiler chicks were housed in pens containing clean litter. In Trial 1, 100% of chicks in some pens were immunized with 2.5 X 10(3) Eimeria acervulina oocysts while in other pens only 75% of chicks were immunized and remaining cohorts within the pens were not immunized. Other pens contained chicks that served as nonimmunized nonchallenged controls or nonimmunized challenged controls (NIC). On day 21, birds were given a homologous challenge of 6 X 10(5) oocysts. A second identical trial was conducted, except birds were immunized with 500 Eimeria maxima oocysts and were challenged with 3 X 10(3) E. maxima oocysts. In Experiment 2, 100% of chicks in some pens were immunized with 500 E. acervulina oocysts while in other pens either 75% or 50% of the birds were immunized. On day 14, birds were challenged with 1 X 10(6) oocysts. Trial 2 was identical to Trial 1 except that birds were immunized with 100 E. maxima oocysts and challenged with 1 X 10(6) oocysts. For all experiments weight gain, feed conversion ratio (FCR), plasma carotenoids, and litter oocyst counts were measured. In Experiment 1, the level of protection in groups containing 25% nonimmunized cohorts, as measured by weight gain, carotenoid level, FCR, and oocyst litter counts, was identical to groups containing 100% immunized chicks. In Experiment 2, pens where 50% or 75% of birds were immunized with either E. maxima or E. acervulina were not well protected from decreases in weight gain and plasma carotenoids nor from increases in litter oocyst counts following a challenge

  1. Effects of estrogen on very low-density lipoprotein triglyceride metabolism in fed and fasted chicks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, J.R.

    1988-01-01

    A single injection of estrogen into growing chicks resulted in a marked elevation in plasma triglyceride (TG) followed by phospholipid (PL) and cholesterol (CH) in both fed and fasted chicks. Estrogen caused a development of massive fatty liver in fed chicks. Hepatic malic enzyme and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activities also increased significantly in fed chicks and, to a small extent, in fasted chicks. Very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) were barely detectable in the fasted control plasma. However, the VLDL concentration increased markedly upon estrogen injection, becoming the most prevalent lipoprotein in the plasma. The administration of estrogen resulted in an increase in oleic acid and a decrease in linoleic acid content except in the cholesteryl ester of VLDL and LDL. VLDL of estrogenized birds had β-mobility on agarose gel electrophoresis, and they eluted in two peaks on agarose gel filtration chromatography. Both peaks on gel filtration exhibited the same β-mobility on agarose gel electrophoresis. Nevertheless, the apoprotein composition of these two peaks were substantially different from each other; apo B was not present in the first peak VLDL. VLDL-TG kinetic studies conducted in vivo, using 14 C-TG-VLDL prepared endogenously from control and estrogenized chicks revealed that VLDL-TG produced from the former had a higher fractional catabolic rate (FCR) than VLDL-TG from the latter

  2. Modulatory effect of ascorbic acid on physiological responses of transported ostrich chicks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Minka N. Salka

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available The aims of this study were to determine the modulating role of ascorbic acid (AA on rectal temperature (RT, heterophil to lymphocyte (H to L ratio and aberrant behaviours of ostrich chicks transported by road for 4 h during hot-dry conditions. Twenty ostrich chicks aged 2.5 months, of both sexes and belonging to the Red Neck breed, served as subjects of the study. The chicks were assigned randomly to AA-treated and control groups, consisting of 10 chicks each. The AA-treated group was administered orally with 100 mg/kg body weight of AA dissolved in 5 mL of sterile water 30 min before transportation, whilst the control group was given the equivalent of sterile water only. The thermal load (TL experienced in the vehicle during transportation fluctuated between 31 °C and 89 °C, as calculated from the ambient temperature and relative humidity. Transportation induced hyperthermia, lymphopenia, heterophilia and aberrant behaviours of pecking, wing fluffing and panting, which were ameliorated by AA administration. The relationships between the TL, journey duration and physiological variables of RT, H to L ratio and aberrant behaviours recorded during transportation were significantly and positively correlated in the control group. In AA-treated group the relationships were not significantly correlated. In conclusion, the results showed for the first time that AA ameliorated the adverse effects of stress caused by road transportation on the aberrant behaviours, RT and H to L ratio of ostrich chicks during the hot-dry season.

  3. Benefits and costs of increased levels of corticosterone in seabird chicks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kitaysky, A.S.; Kitaiskaia, E.V.; Piatt, John F.; Wingfield, J.C.

    2003-01-01

    Seabird chicks respond to food shortages by increasing corticosterone (cort) secretion, which is probably associated with fitness benefits and costs. To examine this, we experimentally increased levels of circulating cort in captive black-legged kittiwake chicks fed ad libitum. We found that cort-implanted chicks begged more frequently and were more aggressive compared to controls. These behavioral modifications must be beneficial to chicks as they facilitate acquisition of food from the parents and might trigger brood reduction and reduced competition for food. Cort-implanted chicks also increased food intake; however, their growth rates were similar to controls. To examine the costs of chronically increased circulating levels of cort, we removed cort implants and, after a 10-day recovery period, tested cognitive abilities of young kittiwakes. We found that the ability of kittiwakes to associate a visual cue with the presence of food in a choice situation was compromised by the experimental elevation of cort during development. To examine the long-term costs of increased levels of cort, 8 months later we tested the performance of the same individuals in a spatial task requiring them to make a detour around a barrier in order to escape from an enclosure. Individuals treated with cort during development took significantly more time to solve this task compared to controls. The results of this study suggest that the adrenocortical response of a developing bird to environmental stressors is associated with both benefits (increased food intake, foraging behavior, and aggression) and costs (low growth efficiency and compromised cognitive abilities later in life). This provides an evolutionary framework for relating juvenile physiological traits to fitness of birds in subsequent life-history stages. ?? 2003 Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.

  4. Efficacy of pine leaves as an alternative bedding material for broiler chicks during summer season

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gourav Sharma

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available Aim: The aim was to assess the efficacy of pine leaves as an alternative bedding material on the performance of broiler chicks. Materials and Methods: The present study was conducted in summer. Total 120, day old Vencobb straight run chicks were procured, and after 5 days of brooding, chicks were randomly distributed into four treatment groups viz. paddy husk (Group I, paddy straw (Group II, pine leaves (Group III, and combination of paddy straw and pine leaves (Group IV, each having 30 chicks with 3 replicates of 10 chicks each. Chicks were reared under intensive conditions in houses that have a semi-controlled environment, with optimum temperature and adequate ventilation. Food and water were provided as per NRC (1994 requirement. Results: The average body weight after 6 weeks of the experiment was 2018.83±31.11, 1983.80±33.27, 2007.36±35.73, and 1938.43±36.35 g. The bedding type had no significant effect on the carcass characteristics viz. evisceration rate and proportion of cut-up parts of the carcass except giblet yield. The experiment suggested that performance of broiler chicks reared on paddy straw and pine leaves as litter material, had improved body weight and feed conversion ratio as compared to rearing on paddy husk as bedding material. Bacterial count, parasitic load and the N, P, K value of manure of different bedding material shows no significant difference. Conclusion: Pine leaves have a potential to be used as an alternative source of litter material to economize poultry production in a sustainable way, so as to make poultry farming as a profitable entrepreneur.

  5. Efficacy of pine leaves as an alternative bedding material for broiler chicks during summer season.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharma, Gourav; Khan, Asma; Singh, Surender; Anand, Ashok Kumar

    2015-10-01

    The aim was to assess the efficacy of pine leaves as an alternative bedding material on the performance of broiler chicks. The present study was conducted in summer. Total 120, day old Vencobb straight run chicks were procured, and after 5 days of brooding, chicks were randomly distributed into four treatment groups viz. paddy husk (Group I), paddy straw (Group II), pine leaves (Group III), and combination of paddy straw and pine leaves (Group IV), each having 30 chicks with 3 replicates of 10 chicks each. Chicks were reared under intensive conditions in houses that have a semi-controlled environment, with optimum temperature and adequate ventilation. Food and water were provided as per NRC (1994) requirement. The average body weight after 6 weeks of the experiment was 2018.83±31.11, 1983.80±33.27, 2007.36±35.73, and 1938.43±36.35 g. The bedding type had no significant effect on the carcass characteristics viz. evisceration rate and proportion of cut-up parts of the carcass except giblet yield. The experiment suggested that performance of broiler chicks reared on paddy straw and pine leaves as litter material, had improved body weight and feed conversion ratio as compared to rearing on paddy husk as bedding material. Bacterial count, parasitic load and the N, P, K value of manure of different bedding material shows no significant difference. Pine leaves have a potential to be used as an alternative source of litter material to economize poultry production in a sustainable way, so as to make poultry farming as a profitable entrepreneur.

  6. A STUDY ON THE PATHOGENESIS OF YOLK RETENTION IN BROILER CHICKS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kashif Aziz Khan. Shakeel Akhtar Khan, Shahnaz Hamid2. Asim Aslam and Masood

    2002-04-01

    Full Text Available The present project was designed to identify the factors responsible for yolk retention in broiler chicks. Four different experiments were conducted to find out the effect of four factors (experimental yolk sac infection with Echerichia coli, off-feed period between hatching and housing. first feeding time in the poultry house and type of initial feed on yolk absorption. Results of these experiments showed that yolk sac infection with E. coli led to decrease in rate of yolk absorption. Moisture and protein percentage was increased in infected yolk but fat percentage was not affected by yolk sac infection. On the other hand, post hatch starvation due to delay in housing and delay in first feeding did not affect rate of yolk absorption. Moisture percentage was not affected while fat absorption increased and protein absorption decreased due to fasting. It was also observed that feeding ground corn in early life of chick led to slow absorption of yolk contents as compared to feeding commercial starter ration and 2% sugar solution. Yolk composition was not affected by feeding commercial starter ration, ground corn and 2% sugar solution in early life of chick. It is concluded that experimental infection with E. coli and ground corn as initial feed leads to slow absorption of yolk sac in young broiler chicks.

  7. Xanthophyll supplementation reduced inflammatory mediators and apoptosis in hens and chicks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gao, Y-Y; Jin, L; Ji, J; Sun, B-L; Xu, L-H; Wang, Q-X; Wang, C-K; Bi, Y-Z

    2016-05-01

    This study investigated effects of xanthophylls (containing 40% lutein and 60% zeaxanthin) on gene expression of inflammatory mediators ( [] and []) and apoptosis ( [] and ) of breeding hens and chicks. In Exp. 1, 432 hens were divided into 3 groups and fed diets supplemented with 0 (as the control group), 20, or 40 mg/kg xanthophylls. The liver, duodenum, jejunum, and ileum were sampled after 35 d. Results showed that 40 mg/kg of xanthophyll addition decreased in the liver, in the liver and duodenum, and in the liver and jejunum while increasing level in the liver and jejunum. Experiment 2 was a 2 × 2 factorial design. Male chicks hatched from hens fed 0 or 40 mg/kg xanthophyll diets were fed diets containing either 0 or 40 mg/kg xanthophylls. The liver, duodenum, jejunum, and ileum were sampled at 0, 7, 14, and 21 d after hatching. Results showed that in ovo xanthophylls reduced inflammatory mediators and apoptosis in the liver, duodenum, and jejunum of chicks mainly within 1 wk after hatching, whereas dietary xanthophylls only decreased expression in the liver from 2 wk onward. These results underlined important anti-inflammatory and antiapoptotic effects of maternal but not progeny dietary xanthophylls. In conclusion, xanthophylls can suppress inflammatory mediators and apoptosis in different tissues of hens and chicks.

  8. Protection of non-immunized broiler chicks housed with immunized cohorts against infection with Eimeria maxima and E. acervulina

    Science.gov (United States)

    The use of live oocyst vaccines is becoming increasingly important in the control of avian coccidosis in broiler chicks. Knowledge of the mechanisms of how chicks uptake oocysts and become immune is important for optimizing delivery of live vaccines. The current study tests the hypothesis that chick...

  9. Identification of microRNAs controlling hepatic mRNA levels for metabolic genes during the metabolic transition from embryonic to posthatch development in the chicken.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hicks, Julie A; Porter, Tom E; Liu, Hsiao-Ching

    2017-09-05

    The transition from embryonic to posthatch development in the chicken represents a massive metabolic switch from primarily lipolytic to primarily lipogenic metabolism. This metabolic switch is essential for the chick to successfully transition from the metabolism of stored egg yolk to the utilization of carbohydrate-based feed. However, regulation of this metabolic switch is not well understood. We hypothesized that microRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in the metabolic switch that is essential to efficient growth of chickens. We used high-throughput RNA sequencing to characterize expression profiles of mRNA and miRNA in liver during late embryonic and early posthatch development of the chicken. This extensive data set was used to define the contributions of microRNAs to the metabolic switch during development that is critical to growth and nutrient utilization in chickens. We found that expression of over 800 mRNAs and 30 miRNAs was altered in the embryonic liver between embryonic day 18 and posthatch day 3, and many of these differentially expressed mRNAs and miRNAs are associated with metabolic processes. We confirmed the regulation of some of these mRNAs by miRNAs expressed in a reciprocal pattern using luciferase reporter assays. Finally, through the use of yeast one-hybrid screens, we identified several proteins that likely regulate expression of one of these important miRNAs. Integration of the upstream regulatory mechanisms governing miRNA expression along with monitoring the downstream effects of this expression will ultimately allow for the construction of complete miRNA regulatory networks associated with the hepatic metabolic switch in chickens. Our findings support a key role for miRNAs in controlling the metabolic switch that occurs between embryonic and posthatch development in the chicken.

  10. Coumafuryl (Fumarin) toxicity in chicks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Munger, L L; Su, J J; Barnes, H J

    1993-01-01

    Coumafuryl (Fumarin) toxicity was diagnosed in chickens less than 1 week of age. Mortality rate was 100%. Necropsy showed crops and gizzards to be full of feed. There was diffuse hemorrhage and unclotted blood in the abdomen and thorax. Histological examination showed congestion and hemorrhage. Chemical analysis of crop and gizzard contents contained approximately 340 ppm coumafuryl. The source of the coumafuryl was found to be the wood-straw mats in the chick boxes.

  11. Osteocalcin, a marker of differentiated function during calcification of cultured chick osteoblasts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lian, J.; Chipman, S.; Glowacki, J.; Gerstenfeld, L.

    1986-01-01

    The expression of differentiated function was examined in cultured osteoblasts isolated from 17-day embryonic chicken calvarie. Cell cultures grown in the absence (control) or presence of 10 mM β-Glycerol Phosphate (βGP) (stimulus for calcification) were analyzed at 6-day intervals over a 30-day period for total mineral, alkaline phosphatase (AP) activity, osteocalcin levels and collagen. AP was first detected in both cultures between days 6 and 9 when cells became crowded. Control cultures maintained high levels of enzyme activity (30-50 fold) while β GPO 4 culture activity declined after day 18 when extensive mineralization occurred. Osteocalcin, the vitamin K-dependent, bone-specific, calcium-binding protein showed a similar pattern of induction as AP with at 50-100-fold increase in both cultures. Collagen accumulated through out the 30-day experimental period for both β GPO 4 and control cultures while collagen synthesis ( 3 H-proline pulse) peaked at day 15 in culture. These results suggest that with time in culture, osteoblast differentiation may be occurring. The increased mineralization of β GPO 4 cultures appeared to down regulate the enzyme activity of AP in comparison to control culture, while osteocalcin synthesis was enhanced. In conclusion, the chick osteoblast system offers a model to study bone cell differentiation, protein synthesis and matrix calcification

  12. Vitamin E as a radioprotector of bursa of Fabricius in chicks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Malhotra, N.; Rana, K.; Malhotra, R.K.

    1993-01-01

    Radioprotective influence of vitamin E has been studied on the bursa of Fabricius 1 and 7 day old white leghorn chicks exposed to 2.25 Gy whole body γ-radiations. The study has revealed that the loss of lymphocytic population in the bursal follicles due to irradiation was very small in vitamin E treated animals compared to the untreated irradiated chicks. Also, the rate of reparation and lymphocytic repopulation was enhanced with vitamin E administration. (author). 8 refs., 8 figs

  13. Trivial or Commendable? : Women’s Writing, Popular Culture, and Chick Lit

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ryan, Mary

    2010-07-01

    Full Text Available There are a number of similarities between popular culture and women's writing: both have been dismissed as trivial and worthless, have traditionally received little respect from critics, and have been scorned because of theis apparently "low-brow" appeal. Additionally, both were long excluded from the literary Canon. In contemporary culture, the intersection of popular culture and women's writing takes the form of chick lit, the contemporary genre of fiction starring female characters in their 20s and 30s as they make their way through their lives and tackle all the obstacles in their way. As well as outlining the characteristics and history of chick lit, this paper will discuss the negative reception that popular culture, women's writing, and chick lit has often been subjected to, and will show how studies are now emerging with the aim of demonstrating how such genres may have more worth and potential than is typically suggested.

  14. The miR-17-92 cluster regulates FOG-2 expression and inhibits proliferation of mouse embryonic cardiomyocytes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rui Xiang

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available MicroRNAs (miRNAs have gradually been recognized as regulators of embryonic development; however, relatively few miRNAs have been identified that regulate cardiac development. A series of recent papers have established an essential role for the miRNA-17-92 (miR-17-92 cluster of miRNAs in the development of the heart. Previous research has shown that the Friend of Gata-2 (FOG-2 is critical for cardiac development. To investigate the possibility that the miR-17-92 cluster regulates FOG-2 expression and inhibits proliferation in mouse embryonic cardiomyocytes we initially used bioinformatics to analyze 3’ untranslated regions (3’UTR of FOG-2 to predict the potential of miR-17-92 to target it. We used luciferase assays to demonstrate that miR-17-5p and miR-20a of miR-17-92 interact with the predicted target sites in the 3’UTR of FOG-2. Furthermore, RT-PCR and Western blot were used to demonstrate the post-transcriptional regulation of FOG-2 by miR-17-92 in embryonic cardiomyocytes from E12.5-day pregnant C57BL/6J mice. Finally, EdU cell assays together with the FOG-2 rescue strategy were employed to evaluate the effect of proliferation on embryonic cardiomyocytes. We first found that the miR-17-5p and miR-20a of miR-17-92 directly target the 3’UTR of FOG-2 and post-transcriptionally repress the expression of FOG-2. Moreover, our findings demonstrated that over-expression of miR-17-92 may inhibit cell proliferation via post-transcriptional repression of FOG-2 in embryonic cardiomyocytes. These results indicate that the miR-17-92 cluster regulates the expression of FOG-2 protein and suggest that the miR-17-92 cluster might play an important role in heart development.

  15. The miR-17-92 cluster regulates FOG-2 expression and inhibits proliferation of mouse embryonic cardiomyocytes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xiang, Rui; Lei, Han; Chen, Mianzhi; Li, Qinwei; Sun, Huan; Ai, Jianzhong; Chen, Tielin; Wang, Honglian; Fang, Yin; Zhou, Qin

    2012-02-01

    MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have gradually been recognized as regulators of embryonic development; however, relatively few miRNAs have been identified that regulate cardiac development. A series of recent papers have established an essential role for the miRNA-17-92 (miR-17-92) cluster of miRNAs in the development of the heart. Previous research has shown that the Friend of Gata-2 (FOG-2) is critical for cardiac development. To investigate the possibility that the miR-17-92 cluster regulates FOG-2 expression and inhibits proliferation in mouse embryonic cardiomyocytes we initially used bioinformatics to analyze 3' untranslated regions (3'UTR) of FOG-2 to predict the potential of miR-17-92 to target it. We used luciferase assays to demonstrate that miR-17-5p and miR-20a of miR-17-92 interact with the predicted target sites in the 3'UTR of FOG-2. Furthermore, RT-PCR and Western blot were used to demonstrate the post-transcriptional regulation of FOG-2 by miR-17-92 in embryonic cardiomyocytes from E12.5-day pregnant C57BL/6J mice. Finally, EdU cell assays together with the FOG-2 rescue strategy were employed to evaluate the effect of proliferation on embryonic cardiomyocytes. We first found that the miR-17-5p and miR-20a of miR-17-92 directly target the 3'UTR of FOG-2 and post-transcriptionally repress the expression of FOG-2. Moreover, our findings demonstrated that over-expression of miR-17-92 may inhibit cell proliferation via post-transcriptional repression of FOG-2 in embryonic cardiomyocytes. These results indicate that the miR-17-92 cluster regulates the expression of FOG-2 protein and suggest that the miR-17-92 cluster might play an important role in heart development.

  16. Chick embryogenesis: a unique platform to study the effects of environmental factors on embryo development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yahav, S; Brake, J

    2014-01-01

    Bird embryogenesis takes place in a relatively protected environment that can be manipulated especially well in domestic fowl (chickens) where incubation has long been a commercial process. The embryonic developmental process has been shown to begin in the oviduct such that the embryo has attained either the blastodermal and/or gastrulation stage of development at oviposition. Bird embryos can be affected by "maternal effects," and by environmental conditions during the pre-incubation and incubation periods. "Maternal effects" has been described as an evolutionary mechanism that has provided the mother, by hormonal deposition into the yolk, with the potential to proactively influence the development of her progeny by exposing them to her particular hormonal pattern in such a manner as to influence their ability to cope with the expected wide range of environmental conditions that may occur post-hatching. Another important aspect of "maternal effects" is the effect of the maternal nutrient intake on progeny traits. From a commercial broiler chicken production perspective, it has been established that greater cumulative nutrient intake by the hen during her pullet rearing phase prior to photostimulation resulted in faster growing broiler progeny. Generally, maternal effects on progeny, which have both a genetic and an environmental component represented by yolk hormones deposition and embryo nutrient utilization, have an important effect on the development of a wide range of progeny traits. Furthermore, commercial embryo development during pre-incubation storage and incubation, as well as during incubation per se has been shown to largely depend upon temperature, while other environmental factors that include egg position during storage, and the amount of H2O and CO2 lost by the egg and the subsequent effect on albumen pH and height during storage have become important environmental factors to be considered for successful embryogenesis under commercial conditions

  17. Vaccination of commercial broiler chicks against avian metapneumovirus infection: a comparison of drinking-water, spray and oculo-oral delivery methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ganapathy, Kannan; Bufton, Andrew; Pearson, Andrew; Lemiere, Stephane; Jones, Richard C

    2010-05-21

    Avian metapneumovirus (aMPV) has become an important cause of viral respiratory infections in turkey and chickens. Live and inactivated vaccinations are available worldwide for prevention of disease and economic losses caused by this pathogen. The efficacy of these vaccines is vigorously tested under laboratory conditions prior to use in the field. In this study, a live subtype B aMPV vaccine was administered by spray, drinking water or oculo-oral methods to separate groups of broiler chicks under field conditions. Following this, the chicks were immediately transferred to separate rooms in an experimental isolation house, monitored and challenged with virulent subtype B aMPV. No clinical signs were recorded following the vaccination methods. In the oculo-oral vaccinated chicks, 40-60% of the birds were vaccine virus positive by RT-PCR. In addition, in comparison to other groups, statistically higher levels of aMPV ELISA antibodies were detected. After spray vaccination, the number of chicks positive for the vaccine virus increased gradually from 10% at one week to 30% by 3 weeks post vaccination. Following drinking water vaccination, 30% of chicks were aMPV positive at 1 week but negative by 3 weeks post vaccination. In both, spray and drinking water vaccinated groups, no ELISA antibodies were detected, but when challenged all chicks were protected against disease. At 5 days post challenge, 100% of chicks in the unvaccinated and those vaccinated by spray or drinking water routes but only 20% of the oculo-oral-vaccinated chicks were aMPV positive by RT-PCR. At 10 days post challenge, 10% of chicks in each group were aMPV RT-PCR positive. On challenge, all vaccinated chicks were protected against disease. It appears that when aMPV vaccine is accurately applied to chicks by spray or drinking water routes, both are capable of giving protection against clinical disease equal to that induced in those chicks vaccinated individually by the oculo-oral route. Copyright 2010

  18. Dietary genistein supplementation in laying broiler breeder hens alters the development and metabolism of offspring embryos as revealed by hepatic transcriptome analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lv, Zengpeng; Fan, Hao; Zhang, Beibei; Ning, Chao; Xing, Kun; Guo, Yuming

    2018-03-08

    Genistein (GEN) is a type of isoflavone mainly derived from soy products. In this experiment, we added 40 and 400 mg/kg GEN to the diet of laying broiler breeder hens to clarify the maternal effects of GEN on the development and metabolism of chick embryos. GEN treatment at 40 mg/kg increased embryonic length, weight, and liver index, as well as the width of the proliferative zone in the tibial growth plate of chick embryos. Gene ontology (GO) cluster analysis of the hepatic transcriptome showed that GEN treatment promoted embryonic development and cell proliferation. Low-dose GEN treatment increased insulin growth factor-binding protein (IGFBP)3 mRNA expression in the embryonic liver, whereas high-dose GEN treatment increased IGFBP5 expression and activated the apoptosis and protein tyrosine kinase signaling pathways. Furthermore, adding supplemental GEN to the diet of hens promoted the glycolysis process in the embryonic liver through the insulin-signaling pathway, upregulated target genes (phosphoglucomutase-2, hexokinase 1, dihydroxyacetone phosphate by aldolase, phosphofructokinase, platelet, and enolase 2), and enhanced the transport of carboxylic acids and cholesterol and the synthesis of unsaturated fatty acid (arachidonic acid) in the embryonic liver through upregulation of liver X receptor, sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1, and patatin-like phospholipase A. Additionally, GEN treatment increased fatty acid β-oxidation and Na + /K + -ATPase activity in the embryonic liver through activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs; PPARα and PPARδ) and the AMPK signaling pathway, which could provide energy for embryonic development. In addition, GEN treatment in hens increased superoxide dismutase activity and metallothionein expression in the chick embryonic liver and promoted lymphocyte proliferation through upregulation of mRNA expression of CDKN1A, IL12RB1, Sox11, PRKAR1A, PRKCQ, and TCF3. The improved immunity and antioxidant

  19. Bumps and Ridges: Trabeculation Effects in Embryonic Heart Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Battista, Nicholas; Lane, Andrea; Miller, Laura

    2014-11-01

    Trabeculae form in developing zebrafish hearts for Re on the order of 0.1; effects of trabeculae in this flow is not well understood. Dynamic processes, such as vortex formation, are important in the generation of shear at the endothelial surface layer and strains at the epithelial layer, which aid in proper morphology and functionality. In this study, CFD is used to quantify the effects of Re and idealized trabeculae height on the resulting flows.

  20. Effects of in ovo supplementation of probiotics on performance and immunocompetence of broiler chicks to an Eimeria challenge.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pender, C M; Kim, S; Potter, T D; Ritzi, M M; Young, M; Dalloul, R A

    2016-11-30

    Coccidiosis is regarded as the parasitic disease with the greatest economic impact on the poultry industry due to reduced performance and increased mortality. A study was conducted to investigate the effects of in ovo administration of probiotics on hatchability, performance, immune organ weights, and lesion scores in broiler chicks during a mixed Eimeria infection. At embryonic day 18, 210 eggs were injected with either sterile water or 1×10 6 cfu probiotic bacteria. On day 3 post-hatch, half of the chicks from each treatment group were challenged with a mixed inoculum of Eimeria acervulina, Eimeria maxima and Eimeria tenella. Measurements and tissue samples were taken on day of hatch (DOH) and days 3, 9 and 15. On day 9, 24 birds per treatment were scored for intestinal Eimeria lesions. No differences were seen among groups for hatchability as well as for body weight (BW), BW gain (BWG), or immune organ weights prior to the Eimeria challenge. On day 9, the non-challenged birds with probiotic supplementation had higher BW and BWG than the non-supplemented controls while no differences were seen among the challenged groups. On day 15, probiotic supplemented birds had improved BW compared to the non-supplemented birds as well as increased BWG from day 9 to 15. Bursa weight was not affected by treatment at any time point while spleen weight was greater in supplemented birds on day 15. Birds receiving the probiotic had significantly lower mortality than non-treated birds. Additionally, gross lesion severity was reduced due to probiotic supplementation in all intestinal segments evaluated. These results suggest that in ovo supplementation of probiotics may improve early performance and provide protection against a mixed Eimeria infection.

  1. Effects of acute and repeated oral exposure to the organophosphate insecticide chlorpyrifos on open-field activity in chicks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Al-Badrany, Y M A; Mohammad, F K

    2007-11-01

    The effects of the organophosphate insecticide chlorpyrifos on 5min open-field activity were examined in a 7-15 days old chick model. Chlorpyrifos was acutely administered taking into account cholinesterase inhibition and determination of the acute (24h) median lethal dose (LD50). The oral LD50 value of chlorpyrifos in chicks was 18.14mg/kg, with cholinergic toxicosis observed on intoxicated chicks. Chlorpyrifos at the dose rates of 5,10 and 20mg/kg orally produced within 2h signs of cholinergic toxicosis in the chicks and significantly inhibited plasma (40-70%), whole brain (43-69%) and liver (31-46%) cholinesterase activities in a dose-dependent manner. Chlorpyrifos at 2 and 4mg/kg, orally did not produce overt signs of cholinergic toxicosis, but decreased (30, 60 and 90min after dosing) the general locomotor activity of the chicks as seen by a significant increase in the latency to move from the central square of the open-field arena, decreases in the numbers of lines crossed and vocalization score. Repeated daily chlorpyrifos treatments (2 and 4mg/kg, orally) for seven consecutive days also caused hypoactivity in chicks in the open-field behavioral paradigm. Only the high dose of chlorpyrifos (4mg/kg, orally) given repeatedly for 7 days caused significant cholinesterase inhibition in the whole brain (37%) and the liver (22%). In conclusion, chlorpyrifos at single or short-term repeated doses-induced behavioral changes in 7-15 days old chicks, in a model that could be used for further neurobehavioral studies involving subtle effects of organophosphates on chicks.

  2. Ultradian activity rhythms in large groups of newly hatched chicks (Gallus gallus domesticus).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nielsen, B L; Erhard, H W; Friggens, N C; McLeod, J E

    2008-07-01

    A clutch of young chicks housed with a mother hen exhibit ultradian (within day) rhythms of activity corresponding to the brooding cycle of the hen. In the present study clear evidence was found of ultradian activity rhythms in newly hatched domestic chicks housed in groups larger than natural clutch size without a mother hen or any other obvious external time-keeper. No consistent synchrony was found between groups housed in different pens within the same room. The ultradian rhythms disappeared with time and little evidence of group rhythmicity remained by the third night. This disappearance over time suggests that the presence of a mother hen may be pivotal for the long-term maintenance of these rhythms. The ultradian rhythm of the chicks may also play an important role in the initiation of brooding cycles during the behavioural transition of the mother hen from incubation to brooding. Computer simulations of individual activity rhythms were found to reproduce the observations made on a group basis. This was achievable even when individual chick rhythms were modelled as independent of each other, thus no assumptions of social facilitation are necessary to obtain ultradian activity rhythms on a group level.

  3. A chick model of retinal detachment: cone rich and novel.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Colleen M Cebulla

    Full Text Available Development of retinal detachment models in small animals can be difficult and expensive. Here we create and characterize a novel, cone-rich retinal detachment (RD model in the chick.Retinal detachments were created in chicks between postnatal days 7 and 21 by subretinal injections of either saline (SA or hyaluronic acid (HA. Injections were performed through a dilated pupil with observation via surgical microscope, using the fellow eye as a control. Immunohistochemical analyses were performed at days 1, 3, 7, 10 and 14 after retinal detachment to evaluate the cellular responses of photoreceptors, Müller glia, microglia and nonastrocytic inner retinal glia (NIRG. Cell proliferation was detected with bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU-incorporation and by the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA. Cell death was detected with terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL. As in mammalian models of RD, there is shortening of photoreceptor outer segments and mis-trafficking of photoreceptor opsins in areas of RD. Photoreceptor cell death was maximal 1 day after RD, but continued until 14 days after RD. Müller glia up-regulated glial fibriliary acidic protein (GFAP, proliferated, showed interkinetic nuclear migration, and migrated to the subretinal space in areas of detachment. Microglia became reactive; they up-regulated CD45, acquired amoeboid morphology, and migrated toward outer retina in areas of RD. Reactive NIRG cells accumulated in detached areas.Subretinal injections of SA or HA in the chick eye successfully produced retinal detachments and cellular responses similar to those seen in standard mammalian models. Given the relatively large eye size, and considering the low cost, the chick model of RD offers advantages for high-throughput studies.

  4. Ontogeny of muscle bioenergetics in Adelie penguin chicks (Pygoscelis adeliae).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fongy, Anaïs; Romestaing, Caroline; Blanc, Coralie; Lacoste-Garanger, Nicolas; Rouanet, Jean-Louis; Raccurt, Mireille; Duchamp, Claude

    2013-11-01

    The ontogeny of pectoralis muscle bioenergetics was studied in growing Adélie penguin chicks during the first month after hatching and compared with adults using permeabilized fibers and isolated mitochondria. With pyruvate-malate-succinate or palmitoyl-carnitine as substrates, permeabilized fiber respiration markedly increased during chick growth (3-fold) and further rose in adults (1.4-fold). Several markers of muscle fiber oxidative activity (cytochrome oxidase, citrate synthase, hydroxyl-acyl-CoA dehydrogenase) increased 6- to 19-fold with age together with large rises in intermyofibrillar (IMF) and subsarcolemmal (SS) mitochondrial content (3- to 5-fold) and oxidative activities (1.5- to 2.4-fold). The proportion of IMF relative to SS mitochondria increased with chick age but markedly dropped in adults. Differences in oxidative activity between mitochondrial fractions were reduced in adults compared with hatched chicks. Extrapolation of mitochondrial to muscle respirations revealed similar figures with isolated mitochondria and permeabilized fibers with carbohydrate-derived but not with lipid-derived substrates, suggesting diffusion limitations of lipid substrates with permeabilized fibers. Two immunoreactive fusion proteins, mitofusin 2 (Mfn2) and optic atrophy 1 (OPA1), were detected by Western blots on mitochondrial extracts and their relative abundance increased with age. Muscle fiber respiration was positively related with Mfn2 and OPA1 relative abundance. Present data showed by two complementary techniques large ontogenic increases in muscle oxidative activity that may enable birds to face thermal emancipation and growth in childhood and marine life in adulthood. The concomitant rise in mitochondrial fusion protein abundance suggests a role of mitochondrial networks in the skeletal muscle processes of bioenergetics that enable penguins to overcome harsh environmental constraints.

  5. Cardiac injury of the newborn mammalian heart accelerates cardiomyocyte terminal differentiation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zebrowski, David C.; Jensen, Charlotte H.; Becker, Robert

    2017-01-01

    exhibited midbody formation consistent with successful abscission, whereas those from 3 day-old cardiomyocytes after apical resection exhibited midbody formation consistent with abscission failure. Lastly, injured hearts failed to fully regenerate as evidenced by persistent scarring and reduced wall motion......After birth cardiomyocytes undergo terminal differentiation, characterized by binucleation and centrosome disassembly, rendering the heart unable to regenerate. Yet, it has been suggested that newborn mammals regenerate their hearts after apical resection by cardiomyocyte proliferation. Thus, we...... increased rate of binucleation there was a nearly 2-fold increase in the number of cardiomyocytes in mitosis indicating that the majority of injury-induced cardiomyocyte cell cycle activity results in binucleation, not proliferation. Concurrently, cardiomyocytes undergoing cytokinesis from embryonic hearts...

  6. Maternally derived anti-fibroblast growth factor 23 antibody as new tool to reduce phosphorus requirement of chicks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ren, Zhouzheng; Bütz, Daniel E; Sand, Jordan M; Cook, Mark E

    2017-04-01

    Novel means to reduce phosphate input into poultry feeds and increase its retention would preserve world phosphate reserves and reduce environmental impact of poultry production. Here we show that a maternally derived antibody to a fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF-23) peptide (GMNPPPYS) alleviated phosphorus deficiency in chicks fed low non-phytate phosphorus (nPP) diets. White Leghorn laying hens were vaccinated with either an adjuvant control or the synthetic FGF-23 peptide, and chicks with control or anti-FGF-23 maternal antibodies were fed a diet containing either 0.13 or 0.45% nPP (experiment 1), and 0.20 or 0.45% nPP (experiment 2) for 14 d. In both experiments, decreasing nPP from 0.45 to 0.13 or 0.20% decreased BW gain, G:F, excreta phosphorus, plasma phosphate, and plasma FGF-23 at all time periods examined (nPP main effect, P posture scores (d 7, 14) and bone lesion scores (d 14) decreased and plasma phosphate (d 14) increased in anti-FGF-23 chicks fed 0.13% nPP, compared to those with control antibody on the same diet (P < 0.05). In experiment 2, chicks with maternal anti-FGF-23 antibody had increased tibiotarsi ash (d 14), and plasma phosphate (d 14) and 1,25(OH)2D3 (d 14) levels, compared to chicks with control antibody (antibody main effect, P < 0.05). BW gain and G:F were increased in chicks with anti-FGF-23 antibody fed 0.20% nPP, compared to control antibody chicks on the same diet, at all time periods examined (P < 0.05). In conclusion, maternally-derived anti-FGF-23 antibody increased phosphorus retention in chicks fed diets containing either 0.13 or 0.20% nPP and thereby, reduced signs of phosphorus deficiency. © 2016 Poultry Science Association Inc.

  7. Homocysteine interference in neurulation: a chick embryo model.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Afman, L.A.; Blom, H.J.; Put, N.M.J. van der; Straaten, H.W.M. van

    2003-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Periconceptional folic acid supplementation reduces the occurrence and recurrence risk of neural tube defects (NTD). Mothers of children with NTD have elevated plasma homocysteine levels. Administering homocysteine to chick embryos is reported to cause 27% NTD. Therefore, elevated plasma

  8. 9 CFR 147.17 - Laboratory procedure recommended for the bacteriological examination of cull chicks and poults...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... bacteriological examination of cull chicks from egg-type and meat-type chicken flocks and waterfowl, exhibition poultry, and game bird flocks and poults from turkey flocks for salmonella. (a) For cull chicks, from 25...

  9. Development of the sinus venosus myocardium from the posterior second heart field : implications for sinoatrial and atrioventricular mode development

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Vicente Steijn, Rebecca

    2011-01-01

    While the embryonic heart is developing and maturing towards its four-chambered form, the cardiac conduction system (CCS) is developing as well. The CCS will provide the heart with the required wiring system to ensure the properly orchestrated contraction of the myocardial chambers. In both the

  10. Control of the heart rate of rat embryos during the organogenic period

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ritchie HE

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Helen E Ritchie,1 Carolina Ragnerstam,2 Elin Gustafsson,2 Johanna M Jonsson,2 William S Webster2 1Discipline of Biomedical Science, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Lidcombe, 2Department of Anatomy and Histology, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia Abstract: The aim of this study was to gain insight into whether the first trimester embryo could control its own heart rate (HR in response to hypoxia. The gestational day 13 rat embryo is a good model for the human embryo at 5–6 weeks gestation, as the heart is comparable in development and, like the human embryo, has no functional autonomic nerve supply at this stage. Utilizing a whole-embryo culture technique, we examined the effects of different pharmacological agents on HR under normoxic (95% oxygen and hypoxic (20% oxygen conditions. Oxygen concentrations ≤60% caused a concentration-dependent decrease in HR from normal levels of ~210 bpm. An adenosine agonist, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK activator and KATP channel opener all caused bradycardia in normoxic conditions; however, putative antagonists for these systems failed to prevent or ameliorate hypoxia-induced bradycardia. This suggests that the activation of one or more of these systems is not the primary cause of the observed hypoxia-induced bradycardia. Inhibition of oxidative phosphorylation also decreased HR in normoxic conditions, highlighting the importance of ATP levels. The β-blocker metoprolol caused a concentration-dependent reduction in HR supporting reports that β1-adrenergic receptors are present in the early rat embryonic heart. The cAMP inducer colforsin induced a positive chronotropic effect in both normoxic and hypoxic conditions. Overall, the embryonic HR at this stage of development is responsive to the level of oxygenation, probably as a consequence of its influence on ATP production. Keywords: embryonic heart rate, embryo, bradycardia, in vitro, ATP, hypoxia

  11. Effects of in ovo exposure to 3,3',4,4'-tetrachlorobiphenyl (PCB 77) on heart development in tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carro, Tiffany; Walker, Mary K; Dean, Karen M; Ottinger, Mary Ann

    2018-01-01

    Tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) eggs from 2 uncontaminated sites, the Patuxent Research Refuge (Laurel, MD, USA) and the Cobleskill Reservoir (Cobleskill, NY, USA) were dosed with polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) 77 to evaluate effects on the developing cardiovascular system. To ensure embryonic viability, treatments were administered into the air cell at embryonic day 2.5 including: untreated (control), vehicle (filtered sterilized fatty acid mixture), 100 ng/g and 1000 ng/g egg. Eggs were dosed in the field with 0.2 μL/egg, returned to the nest, collected at embryonic day 13, hatched in the laboratory, and necropsied. The PCB 77-treated hatchlings were compared with uninjected, vehicle-injected, and environmentally exposed hatchlings collected from a PCB-contaminated Upper Hudson River (NY, USA) site. The PCB 77-treated embryos showed no effects on hatching success or hatchling mortality, heart index, or morphological measures of 4 distinct heart layers (heart width, length, septal thickness, total and ventricular cavity area) compared with controls. Hatchlings that had received PCB 77 exhibited increased incidence of a cardiomyopathy and absence of the ventricular heart wall compact layer (Chi square test; p PCB 77 resulted in distinct cardiomyopathy has implications for long-term individual fitness. Environ Toxicol Chem 2018;37:116-125. © 2017 SETAC. © 2017 SETAC.

  12. SITS-sensitive Cl- conductance pathway in chick intestinal cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Montrose, M.; Randles, J.; Kimmich, G.A.

    1987-01-01

    The unidirectional influx of 36 Cl - into isolated chick epithelial cells is 30% inhibited by 300 μM SITS. Characteristics of the SITS-sensitive flux pathway were examined in terms of sensitivity to changes in membrane potential and intracellular pH. Potential dependence was evaluated using unidirectional influx of [ 14 C]tetraphenylphosphonium ([ 14 C]-TPP + ) as a qualitative sensor of diffusion potentials created by experimentally imposed gradients of CL - . Steady-state distribution of [ 14 C]methylamine ([ 14 C]MA) was used to examine for Cl - -dependent changes in intracellular pH. Imposed Na + gradients, but not Cl - gradients, induce changes in [ 14 C]MA distribution. SITS does not alter the [ 14 C]MA distribution observed in cells with imposed gradients of Na + and Cl - . Both results suggest that inhibition of Cl - influx. However, if relative permeabilities for ion pairs via conductance pathways are compared, it can be shown that SITS causes a marked reduction of P Cl relative to either P Na or P K . SITS also inhibits electrically induced influx of [ 14 C]TPP + or [ 14 C]α-methylglucoside driven by imposed Cl - influx can be blocked by SITS. These observations are all consistent with a SITS-sensitive Cl - conductance pathway associated with the plasma membrane of chick intestinal cells. No Cl - -OH - exchange capability can be detected for chick intestinal cells

  13. Excess caffeine exposure impairs eye development during chick embryogenesis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Zheng-lai; Wang, Guang; Cheng, Xin; Chuai, Manli; Kurihara, Hiroshi; Lee, Kenneth Ka Ho; Yang, Xuesong

    2014-01-01

    Caffeine has been an integral component of our diet and medicines for centuries. It is now known that over consumption of caffeine has detrimental effects on our health, and also disrupts normal foetal development in pregnant mothers. In this study, we investigated the potential teratogenic effect of caffeine over-exposure on eye development in the early chick embryo. Firstly, we demonstrated that caffeine exposure caused chick embryos to develop asymmetrical microphthalmia and induced the orbital bone to develop abnormally. Secondly, caffeine exposure perturbed Pax6 expression in the retina of the developing eye. In addition, it perturbed the migration of HNK-1+ cranial neural crest cells. Pax6 is an important gene that regulates eye development, so altering the expression of this gene might be the cause for the abnormal eye development. Thirdly, we found that reactive oxygen species (ROS) production was significantly increased in eye tissues following caffeine treatment, and that the addition of anti-oxidant vitamin C could rescue the eyes from developing abnormally in the presence of caffeine. This suggests that excess ROS induced by caffeine is one of the mechanisms involved in the teratogenic alterations observed in the eye during embryogenesis. In sum, our experiments in the chick embryo demonstrated that caffeine is a potential teratogen. It causes asymmetrical microphthalmia to develop by increasing ROS production and perturbs Pax6 expression. PMID:24636305

  14. Classification of neuromuscular blocking agents in a new neuromuscular preparation of the chick in vitro

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Riezen, H. van

    1968-01-01

    A neuromuscular preparation of the chick is described: 1. 1. The sciatic nerve-tibilis anterior muscle preparation of the 2–10 days old chick fulfils all criteria of an assay preparation and differentiates between curare-like and decamethonium-like agents. 2. 2. The preparation responds to

  15. Premature feather loss among common tern chicks in Ontario: the return of an enigmatic developmental anomaly

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jennifer M. Arnold

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available In July 2014, we observed premature feather loss (PFL among non-sibling, common tern Sterna hirundo chicks between two and four weeks of age at Gull Island in northern Lake Ontario, Canada. Rarely observed in wild birds, to our knowledge PFL has not been recorded in terns since 1974, despite the subsequent banding of hundreds of thousands of tern chicks across North America alone. The prevalence, 5% of chicks (9/167, and extent of feather loss we report is more extreme than in previous reports for common terns but was not accompanied by other aberrant developmental or physical deformities. Complete feather loss from all body areas (wing, tail, head and body occurred over a period of a few days but all affected chicks appeared vigorous and quickly began to grow replacement feathers. All but one chick (recovered dead and submitted for post-mortem most likely fledged 10–20 days after normal fledging age. We found no evidence of feather dystrophy or concurrent developmental abnormalities unusual among affected chicks. Thus, the PFL we observed among common terns in 2014 was largely of unknown origin. There was striking temporal association between the onset of PFL and persistent strong southwesterly winds that caused extensive mixing of near-shore surface water with cool, deep lake waters. One hypothesis is that PFL may have been caused by unidentified pathogens or toxins welling up from these deep waters along the shoreline but current data are insufficient to test this. PFL was not observed among common terns at Gull Island in 2015, although we did observe similar feather loss in a herring gull Larus argentatus chick in that year. Comparison with sporadic records of PFL in other seabirds suggests that PFL may be a rare, but non-specific, response to a range of potential stressors. PFL is now known for gulls, penguins and terns.

  16. Sex-Based Differences in Adélie Penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) Chick Growth Rates and Diet

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jennings, Scott; Varsani, Arvind; Dugger, Katie M.; Ballard, Grant; Ainley, David G.

    2016-01-01

    Sexually size-dimorphic species must show some difference between the sexes in growth rate and/or length of growing period. Such differences in growth parameters can cause the sexes to be impacted by environmental variability in different ways, and understanding these differences allows a better understanding of patterns in productivity between individuals and populations. We investigated differences in growth rate and diet between male and female Adélie Penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) chicks during two breeding seasons at Cape Crozier, Ross Island, Antarctica. Adélie Penguins are a slightly dimorphic species, with adult males averaging larger than adult females in mass (~11%) as well as bill (~8%) and flipper length (~3%). We measured mass and length of flipper, bill, tibiotarsus, and foot at 5-day intervals for 45 male and 40 female individually-marked chicks. Chick sex was molecularly determined from feathers. We used linear mixed effects models to estimate daily growth rate as a function of chick sex, while controlling for hatching order, brood size, year, and potential variation in breeding quality between pairs of parents. Accounting for season and hatching order, male chicks gained mass an average of 15.6 g d-1 faster than females. Similarly, growth in bill length was faster for males, and the calculated bill size difference at fledging was similar to that observed in adults. There was no evidence for sex-based differences in growth of other morphological features. Adélie diet at Ross Island is composed almost entirely of two species—one krill (Euphausia crystallorophias) and one fish (Pleuragramma antarctica), with fish having a higher caloric value. Using isotopic analyses of feather samples, we also determined that male chicks were fed a higher proportion of fish than female chicks. The related differences in provisioning and growth rates of male and female offspring provides a greater understanding of the ways in which ecological factors may impact the

  17. Sex-Based Differences in Adélie Penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) Chick Growth Rates and Diet.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jennings, Scott; Varsani, Arvind; Dugger, Katie M; Ballard, Grant; Ainley, David G

    2016-01-01

    Sexually size-dimorphic species must show some difference between the sexes in growth rate and/or length of growing period. Such differences in growth parameters can cause the sexes to be impacted by environmental variability in different ways, and understanding these differences allows a better understanding of patterns in productivity between individuals and populations. We investigated differences in growth rate and diet between male and female Adélie Penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) chicks during two breeding seasons at Cape Crozier, Ross Island, Antarctica. Adélie Penguins are a slightly dimorphic species, with adult males averaging larger than adult females in mass (~11%) as well as bill (~8%) and flipper length (~3%). We measured mass and length of flipper, bill, tibiotarsus, and foot at 5-day intervals for 45 male and 40 female individually-marked chicks. Chick sex was molecularly determined from feathers. We used linear mixed effects models to estimate daily growth rate as a function of chick sex, while controlling for hatching order, brood size, year, and potential variation in breeding quality between pairs of parents. Accounting for season and hatching order, male chicks gained mass an average of 15.6 g d(-1) faster than females. Similarly, growth in bill length was faster for males, and the calculated bill size difference at fledging was similar to that observed in adults. There was no evidence for sex-based differences in growth of other morphological features. Adélie diet at Ross Island is composed almost entirely of two species--one krill (Euphausia crystallorophias) and one fish (Pleuragramma antarctica), with fish having a higher caloric value. Using isotopic analyses of feather samples, we also determined that male chicks were fed a higher proportion of fish than female chicks. The related differences in provisioning and growth rates of male and female offspring provides a greater understanding of the ways in which ecological factors may impact

  18. Marine and terrestrial factors affecting Adélie penguin Pygoscelis adeliae chick growth and recruitment off the western Antarctic Peninsula

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chapman, Erik W.; Hofmann, Eileen E.; Patterson, Donna L.; Ribic, Christine A.; Fraser, William R.

    2011-01-01

    An individual-based bioenergetics model that simulates the growth of an Adélie penguin Pygoscelis adeliaechick from hatching to fledging was used to assess marine and terrestrial factors that affect chick growth and fledging mass off the western Antarctic Peninsula. Simulations considered the effects on Adélie penguin fledging mass of (1) modification of chick diet through the addition of Antarctic silverfish Pleuragramma antarcticum to an all-Antarctic krillEuphausia superba diet, (2) reduction of provisioning rate which may occur as a result of an environmental stress such as reduced prey availability, and (3) increased thermoregulatory costs due to wetting of chicks which may result from increased precipitation or snow-melt in colonies. Addition of 17% Antarctic silverfish of Age-Class 3 yr (AC3) to a penguin chick diet composed of Antarctic krill increased chick fledging mass by 5%. Environmental stress that results in >4% reduction in provisioning rate or wetting of just 10% of the chick’s surface area decreased fledging mass enough to reduce the chick’s probability of successful recruitment. The negative effects of reduced provisioning and wetting on chick growth can be compensated for by inclusion of Antarctic silverfish of AC3 and older in the chick diet. Results provide insight into climate-driven processes that influence chick growth and highlight a need for field research designed to investigate factors that determine the availability of AC3 and older Antarctic silverfish to foraging Adélie penguins and the influence of snowfall on chick wetting, thermoregulation and adult provisioning rate.

  19. Cyanobacteria blooms induce embryonic heart failure in an endangered fish species.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zi, Jinmei; Pan, Xiaofu; MacIsaac, Hugh J; Yang, Junxing; Xu, Runbing; Chen, Shanyuan; Chang, Xuexiu

    2018-01-01

    Cyanobacterial blooms drive water-quality and aquatic-ecosystem deterioration in eutrophic lakes worldwide, mainly owing to their harmful, secondary metabolites. The response of fish exposed to these cyanobacterial chemicals, however, remains largely unknown. In this paper, we employed an endangered fish species (Sinocyclocheilus grahami) in Dianchi Lake, China to evaluate the risks of cell-free exudates (MaE) produced by a dominant cyanobacterium (Microcystis aeruginosa) on embryo development, as well as the molecular mechanisms responsible. MaE (3d cultured) caused a reduction of fertilization (35.4%) and hatching (15.5%) rates, and increased mortality rates (≤90.0%) and malformation rate (27.6%), typically accompanied by heart failure. Proteomics analysis revealed that two greatest changed proteins - protein S100A1 (over-expressed 26 times compared with control) and myosin light chain (under-expressed 25 fold) - are closely associated with heart function. Further study revealed that heart failure was due to calcium ion imbalance and malformed cardiac structure. We conclude that harmful secondary metabolites from cyanobacteria may adversely affect embryo development in this endangered fish, and possibly contribute to its disappearance and unsuccessful recovery in Dianchi Lake. Hazardous consequences of substances released by cyanobacteria should raise concerns for managers addressing recovery of this and other imperiled species in affected lakes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Left Right Patterning, Evolution and Cardiac Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dykes, Iain M.

    2018-01-01

    Many aspects of heart development are determined by the left right axis and as a result several congenital diseases have their origins in aberrant left-right patterning. Establishment of this axis occurs early in embryogenesis before formation of the linear heart tube yet impacts upon much later morphogenetic events. In this review I discuss the differing mechanisms by which left-right polarity is achieved in the mouse and chick embryos and comment on the evolution of this system. I then discus three major classes of cardiovascular defect associated with aberrant left-right patterning seen in mouse mutants and human disease. I describe phenotypes associated with the determination of atrial identity and venous connections, looping morphogenesis of the heart tube and finally the asymmetric remodelling of the embryonic branchial arch arterial system to form the leftward looped arch of aorta and associated great arteries. Where appropriate, I consider left right patterning defects from an evolutionary perspective, demonstrating how developmental processes have been modified in species over time and illustrating how comparative embryology can aide in our understanding of congenital heart disease. PMID:29755990

  1. Effects of a combined hatching and brooding system on hatchability, chick weight, and mortality in broilers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van de Ven, L J F; van Wagenberg, A V; Groot Koerkamp, P W G; Kemp, B; van den Brand, H

    2009-11-01

    Chicks hatch over a time window of approximately 36 to 48 h and are removed from the hatchers only when the majority of the chicks has hatched. Consequently, chicks are exposed to prolonged posthatch holding periods and delays in feed and water access, leading to dehydration and impaired posthatch performance. It is questionable whether the physiological requirements of the hatchlings can be met with current hatching systems. An alternative system that may better match the requirements of the hatchlings is a system that combines the hatching and brooding phase, so that feed and water can be provided immediately after hatch. Such a system, named Patio, was developed in the Netherlands and tested from 2006 to 2008, to evaluate effects on hatchability and early performance of broilers. This paper describes the Patio system and the results from these tests. A total of 21 broiler production trials (780,686 eggs) in the Patio system were evaluated at 3 locations and compared with control hatches of eggs of the same parental flock in the hatchery. Hatchability in the Patio was on average 1.45, 1.83, and 1.86% higher at location 1, 2, and 3, respectively. However, in the calculation of the hatchability in the Patio, possible second grade chicks were included, whereas these were excluded in the calculation of hatchability in the hatchery. Additionally, in the hatchery, the hatching process was interrupted earlier than in the Patio, meaning that possible late hatching chicks remained in the flock in the Patio, but not in the hatchery. In 3 trials, the Patio chicks were 11.6 to 16.3% heavier at d 0, when the hatchery chicks were placed in the broiler house. Mean cumulative 7-d mortality was only assessed in the Patio and was 1.27, 1.09, and 1.43% at location 1, 2, and 3, respectively. The Patio system appears to function as an alternative to current hatching and brooding systems. Further studies are required to determine to what extent the higher hatchability is due to second

  2. Hand-rearing, release and survival of African penguin chicks abandoned before independence by moulting parents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sherley, Richard B; Waller, Lauren J; Strauss, Venessa; Geldenhuys, Deon; Underhill, Les G; Parsons, Nola J

    2014-01-01

    The African penguin Spheniscus demersus has an 'Endangered' conservation status and a decreasing population. Following abandonment, 841 African penguin chicks in 2006 and 481 in 2007 were admitted to SANCCOB (Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds) for hand-rearing from colonies in the Western Cape, South Africa, after large numbers of breeding adults commenced moult with chicks still in the nest. Of those admitted, 91% and 73% respectively were released into the wild. There were veterinary concerns about avian malaria, airsacculitis and pneumonia, feather-loss and pododermatitis (bumblefoot). Post-release juvenile (0.32, s.e.  = 0.08) and adult (0.76, s.e.  = 0.10) survival rates were similar to African penguin chicks reared after oil spills and to recent survival rates recorded for naturally-reared birds. By December 2012, 12 birds had bred, six at their colony of origin, and the apparent recruitment rate was 0.11 (s.e.  = 0.03). Hand-rearing of abandoned penguin chicks is recommended as a conservation tool to limit mortality and to bolster the population at specific colonies. The feasibility of conservation translocations for the creation of new colonies for this species using hand-reared chicks warrants investigation. Any such programme would be predicated on adequate disease surveillance programmes established to minimise the risk of disease introduction to wild birds.

  3. Thalidomide induced early gene expression perturbations indicative of human embryopathy in mouse embryonic stem cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gao, Xiugong; Sprando, Robert L.; Yourick, Jeffrey J.

    2015-01-01

    Developmental toxicity testing has traditionally relied on animal models which are costly, time consuming, and require the sacrifice of large numbers of animals. In addition, there are significant disparities between human beings and animals in their responses to chemicals. Thalidomide is a species-specific developmental toxicant that causes severe limb malformations in humans but not in mice. Here, we used microarrays to study transcriptomic changes induced by thalidomide in an in vitro model based on differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs). C57BL/6 mESCs were allowed to differentiate spontaneously and RNA was collected at 24, 48, and 72 h after exposure to 0.25 mM thalidomide. Global gene expression analysis using microarrays revealed hundreds of differentially expressed genes upon thalidomide exposure that were enriched in gene ontology (GO) terms and canonical pathways associated with embryonic development and differentiation. In addition, many genes were found to be involved in small GTPases-mediated signal transduction, heart development, and inflammatory responses, which coincide with clinical evidences and may represent critical embryotoxicities of thalidomide. These results demonstrate that transcriptomics in combination with mouse embryonic stem cell differentiation is a promising alternative model for developmental toxicity assessment. - Highlights: • Studied genomic changes in mouse embryonic stem cells upon thalidomide exposure • Identified gene expression changes that may represent thalidomide embryotoxicity • The toxicogenomic changes coincide well with known thalidomide clinical outcomes. • The mouse embryonic stem cell model is suitable for developmental toxicity testing. • The model has the potential for high-throughput screening of a multitude of compounds

  4. Thalidomide induced early gene expression perturbations indicative of human embryopathy in mouse embryonic stem cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gao, Xiugong, E-mail: xiugong.gao@fda.hhs.gov; Sprando, Robert L.; Yourick, Jeffrey J.

    2015-08-15

    Developmental toxicity testing has traditionally relied on animal models which are costly, time consuming, and require the sacrifice of large numbers of animals. In addition, there are significant disparities between human beings and animals in their responses to chemicals. Thalidomide is a species-specific developmental toxicant that causes severe limb malformations in humans but not in mice. Here, we used microarrays to study transcriptomic changes induced by thalidomide in an in vitro model based on differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs). C57BL/6 mESCs were allowed to differentiate spontaneously and RNA was collected at 24, 48, and 72 h after exposure to 0.25 mM thalidomide. Global gene expression analysis using microarrays revealed hundreds of differentially expressed genes upon thalidomide exposure that were enriched in gene ontology (GO) terms and canonical pathways associated with embryonic development and differentiation. In addition, many genes were found to be involved in small GTPases-mediated signal transduction, heart development, and inflammatory responses, which coincide with clinical evidences and may represent critical embryotoxicities of thalidomide. These results demonstrate that transcriptomics in combination with mouse embryonic stem cell differentiation is a promising alternative model for developmental toxicity assessment. - Highlights: • Studied genomic changes in mouse embryonic stem cells upon thalidomide exposure • Identified gene expression changes that may represent thalidomide embryotoxicity • The toxicogenomic changes coincide well with known thalidomide clinical outcomes. • The mouse embryonic stem cell model is suitable for developmental toxicity testing. • The model has the potential for high-throughput screening of a multitude of compounds.

  5. Mapping transcriptome profiles of in vitro iPSC-derived cardiac differentiation to in utero heart development

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xing Li

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available The dataset includes microarray data (Affymetrix Mouse Genome 430 2.0 Array from WT and Nos3−/− mouse embryonic heart ventricular tissues at 14.5 days post coitum (E14.5, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs derived from WT and Nos3−/− mouse tail tip fibroblasts, iPSC-differentiated cardiomyocytes at Day 11, and mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs and differentiated cardiomyocytes as positive controls for mouse iPSC differentiation. Both in utero (using embryonic heart tissues and in vitro (using iPSCs and differentiated cells microarray datasets were deposited to the NCBI Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO database. The deposited data in GEO include raw microarray data, metadata for sample source information, experimental design, sample and data processing, and gene expression matrix. The data are available under GEO Access Number GSE69317 (GSE69315 for tissue sample microarray data, GSE69316 for iPSCs microarray data, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/query/acc.cgi?acc= GSE69317. Keywords: Induced pluripotent stem cell, Cardiac development, Nos3 knockout, Disease modeling, Microarray analysis

  6. Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Differentiation into Functional Epicardial Progenitor Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juan Antonio Guadix

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Summary: Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs are widely used to study cardiovascular cell differentiation and function. Here, we induced differentiation of hPSCs (both embryonic and induced to proepicardial/epicardial progenitor cells that cover the heart during development. Addition of retinoic acid (RA and bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4 promoted expression of the mesodermal marker PDGFRα, upregulated characteristic (proepicardial progenitor cell genes, and downregulated transcription of myocardial genes. We confirmed the (proepicardial-like properties of these cells using in vitro co-culture assays and in ovo grafting of hPSC-epicardial cells into chick embryos. Our data show that RA + BMP4-treated hPSCs differentiate into (proepicardial-like cells displaying functional properties (adhesion and spreading over the myocardium of their in vivo counterpart. The results extend evidence that hPSCs are an excellent model to study (proepicardial differentiation into cardiovascular cells in human development and evaluate their potential for cardiac regeneration. : The authors have shown that hPSCs can be instructed in vitro to differentiate into a specific cardiac embryonic progenitor cell population called the proepicardium. Proepicardial cells are required for normal formation of the heart during development and might contribute to the development of cell-based therapies for heart repair. Keywords: human pluripotent stem cells, proepicardium, progenitor cells, cardiovascular, differentiation

  7. Evidence that BDNF regulates heart rate by a mechanism involving increased brainstem parasympathetic neuron excitability

    OpenAIRE

    Wan, Ruiqian; Weigand, Letitia A.; Bateman, Ryan; Griffioen, Kathleen; Mendelowitz, David; Mattson, Mark P.

    2014-01-01

    Autonomic control of heart rate is mediated by cardioinhibitory parasympathetic cholinergic neurons located in the brainstem and stimulatory sympathetic noradrenergic neurons. During embryonic development the survival and cholinergic phenotype of brainstem autonomic neurons is promoted by brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). We now provide evidence that BDNF regulates heart rate by a mechanism involving increased brainstem cardioinhibitory parasympathetic activity. Mice with a BDNF haplo...

  8. Effect of Pigeon pea and Cow pea on the performance and gut immunity of broiler chicks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yagoub, Yagoub Magboul

    1998-03-01

    two experiments were conducted to examine the effect of pigeon pea and cow pea on the performance and gut immunity of broiler chicks. In experiment 1, 3 experimental diets were formulated containing graded levels of cow pea were maintained. Diets were prepared containing 18.21, 18.25 and 18.25% crude protein and 3076.41, 3062 Kel/Kg metabolizable energy for experiment 1, while diets of experiment 11 were prepared containing 18.21, 18.22, and 18.22% crude protein and 3076.41, 3080.5 and 3055.89 KEl/Kg metabolized energy. 120 Loghmann broiler chicks were equally allocated into 15 pens (8 chicks/pen). Then the experimental diets were randomly assigned to the pens. feed and water were provided ad libitum in both experiments. In experiment 1, the results showed no significant difference were found in chick performance at day 45. The feed conversation ratio increased with the level of pigeon pea used. The pancreas mass was increased as the level of pigeon pea increase. In experiment 2 the results showed significant decrease in the body weight and feed intake at day 45, while the pancreas mass tend to increase with increasing level of cow pea in the diet. Histological examination of small intestine slides showed no histopathological differences between the control and chicks fed cow pea and/or pigeon pea. Immunological test of the serum and mucous samples using ELISA techniques revealed no significant difference between the control and chicks given cow pea and / or pigeon pea

  9. Effects of exposing rat embryos in utero to physical or chemical teratogens are expressed later as enhanced induction of heat-shock proteins when embryonic hearts are cultured in vitro

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Higo, H.; Higo, K.; Lee, J.Y.; Hori, H.; Satow, Y.

    1988-01-01

    In order to get more insight into the effects of teratogens on developing embryos, we investigated the protein synthesis patterns of the target organs isolated from teratogen-treated embryos. Rat embryos were either irradiated in utero with either 252Cf fission neutrons or 60Co gamma rays on day 8 of gestation or treated in utero with a bis(dichloroacetyl)diamine (a chemical teratogen) on days 9 and 10. Hearts were removed from the embryos on day 12 and were incubated in vitro at 37 degrees C in the presence of [35S]methionine for up to 8 hr. The newly synthesized labeled proteins were then analyzed qualitatively by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Enhanced and prolonged induction of a family of heat-shock (stress) proteins with a molecular weight of about 70,000 (SP70s) was observed as compared with those of controls. Among the teratogen-treated hearts, those with gross malformations already detectable at this early stage showed especially higher inductions of SP70s than did the others. The abnormal expression of SP70s observed in the present study appears to be a reflection of persisting cellular (tissue) damage inflicted by the teratogens, and the extent of the induction may be indicative of the degree and/or type of the damage. Such persisting defects in surviving cells, manifested by abnormal induction of SP70s in the present study, might be related to malformation of embryonic hearts

  10. Instantaneous and cumulative influences of competition on impulsive choices in domestic chicks.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hidetoshi eAmita

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available This study examined instantaneous and cumulative effects of competitive interactions on impulsiveness in the inter-temporal choices in domestic chicks. Chicks were trained to peck colored beads to gain delayed food rewards (1 or 6 grains of millet delivered after a delay ranging between 0–4.5 s, and were tested in binary choices between a small-short delay option (SS and a large-long delay alternative (LL. To examine whether competitive foraging instantaneously changes impulsiveness, we intraindividually compared choices between two consecutive tests in different contexts, one with competitors and another without. We found that (1 the number of the choice of LL was not influenced by competition in the tests, but (2 the operant peck latency was shortened by competition, suggesting a socially enhanced incentive for food. To further examine the lasting changes, two groups of chicks were consecutively trained and tested daily for 2 weeks according to a behavioral titration procedure, one with competitors and another without. Inter-group comparisons of the choices revealed that (3 choice impulsiveness gradually decreased along development, while (4 the chicks trained in competition maintained a higher level of impulsiveness. These results suggest that competitive foraging causes impulsive choices not by direct/contextual modification. Causal link between the instantaneous enhancement of incentive and the gradual effects on impulsivity remains to be examined. Some (yet unspecified factors may be indirectly involved.

  11. Effect of dietary vitamin A and Nigella sativa on the performance of broiler chicks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sideeg, Rasha Mohamed

    2000-02-01

    .01), respectively. Liver weight (P≤0.01), heart weight (P≤ 0.01), serum Ca (P≤0.01), IP (P≤0.01) cholesterol (P≤ 0.01) and alk.ase (P≤ 0.01), moisture content (P ≤ 0.01) and EE (P ≤ 0.01) were also affected by the interaction. However in the present study the added levels of vitamin A and 0.25% level of Nigella sativa have no adverse effect on performance, blood chemistry and carcass characteristics of broiler chicks

  12. Effect of dietary vitamin A and Nigella sativa on the performance of broiler chicks

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sideeg, Rasha Mohamed [Faculty of Animal Production, University of Khartoum, Khartoum (Sudan)

    2000-02-01

    {<=}0.01), respectively. Liver weight (P{<=}0.01), heart weight (P{<=} 0.01), serum Ca (P{<=}0.01), IP (P{<=}0.01) cholesterol (P{<=} 0.01) and alk.ase (P{<=} 0.01), moisture content (P {<=} 0.01) and EE (P {<=} 0.01) were also affected by the interaction. However in the present study the added levels of vitamin A and 0.25% level of Nigella sativa have no adverse effect on performance, blood chemistry and carcass characteristics of broiler chicks.

  13. Chick ex ovo culture and ex ovo CAM assay: how it really works.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dohle, Daniel S; Pasa, Susanne D; Gustmann, Sebastian; Laub, Markus; Wissler, Josef H; Jennissen, Herbert P; Dünker, Nicole

    2009-11-30

    Chicken eggs in the early phase of breeding are between in vitro and in vivo systems and provide a vascular test environment not only to study angiogenesis but also to study tumorigenesis. After the chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) has developed, its blood vessel network can be easily accessed, manipulated and observed and therefore provides an optimal setting for angiogenesis assays. Since the lymphoid system is not fully developed until late stages of incubation, the chick embryo serves as a naturally immunodeficient host capable of sustaining grafted tissues and cells without species-specific restrictions. In addition to nurturing developing allo- and xenografts, the CAM blood vessel network provides a uniquely supportive environment for tumor cell intravasation, dissemination, and vascular arrest and a repository where arrested cells extravasate to form micro metastatic foci. For experimental purposes, in most of the recent studies the CAM was exposed by cutting a window through the egg shell and experiments were carried out in ovo, resulting in significant limitations in the accessibility of the CAM and possibilities for observation and photo documentation of effects. When shell-less cultures of the chick embryo were used(1-4), no experimental details were provided and, if published at all, the survival rates of these cultures were low. We refined the method of ex ovo culture of chick embryos significantly by introducing a rationally controlled extrusion of the egg content. These ex ovo cultures enhance the accessibility of the CAM and chick embryo, enabling easy in vivo documentation of effects and facilitating experimental manipulation of the embryo. This allows the successful application to a large number of scientific questions: (1) As an improved angiogenesis assay(5,6), (2) an experimental set up for facilitated injections in the vitreous of the chick embryo eye(7-9), (3) as a test environment for dissemination and intravasation of dispersed tumor

  14. Why Huddle? Ecological Drivers of Chick Aggregations in Gentoo Penguins, Pygoscelis papua, across Latitudes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Collen, Ben; Johnston, Daniel

    2016-01-01

    Aggregations of young animals are common in a range of endothermic and ectothermic species, yet the adaptive behavior may depend on social circumstance and local conditions. In penguins, many species form aggregations (aka. crèches) for a variety of purposes, whilst others have never been observed exhibiting this behavior. Those that do form aggregations do so for three known benefits: 1) reduced thermoregulatory requirements, 2) avoidance of unrelated-adult aggression, and 3) lower predation risk. In gentoo penguins, Pygoscelis papua, chick aggregations are known to form during the post-guard period, yet the cause of these aggregations is poorly understood. Here, for the first time, we study aggregation behavior in gentoo penguins, examining four study sites along a latitudinal gradient using time-lapse cameras to examine the adaptive benefit of aggregations to chicks. Our results support the idea that aggregations of gentoo chicks decrease an individual’s energetic expenditure when wet, cold conditions are present. However, we found significant differences in aggregation behavior between the lowest latitude site, Maiviken, South Georgia, and two of the higher latitude sites on the Antarctic Peninsula, suggesting this behavior may be colony specific. We provide strong evidence that more chicks aggregate and a larger number of aggregations occur on South Georgia, while the opposite occurs at Petermann Island in Antarctica. Future studies should evaluate multiple seabird colonies within one species before generalizing behaviors based on one location, and past studies may need to be re-evaluated to determine whether chick aggregation and other behaviors are in fact exhibited species-wide. PMID:26840252

  15. Why Huddle? Ecological Drivers of Chick Aggregations in Gentoo Penguins, Pygoscelis papua, across Latitudes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Black, Caitlin; Collen, Ben; Johnston, Daniel; Hart, Tom

    2016-01-01

    Aggregations of young animals are common in a range of endothermic and ectothermic species, yet the adaptive behavior may depend on social circumstance and local conditions. In penguins, many species form aggregations (aka. crèches) for a variety of purposes, whilst others have never been observed exhibiting this behavior. Those that do form aggregations do so for three known benefits: 1) reduced thermoregulatory requirements, 2) avoidance of unrelated-adult aggression, and 3) lower predation risk. In gentoo penguins, Pygoscelis papua, chick aggregations are known to form during the post-guard period, yet the cause of these aggregations is poorly understood. Here, for the first time, we study aggregation behavior in gentoo penguins, examining four study sites along a latitudinal gradient using time-lapse cameras to examine the adaptive benefit of aggregations to chicks. Our results support the idea that aggregations of gentoo chicks decrease an individual's energetic expenditure when wet, cold conditions are present. However, we found significant differences in aggregation behavior between the lowest latitude site, Maiviken, South Georgia, and two of the higher latitude sites on the Antarctic Peninsula, suggesting this behavior may be colony specific. We provide strong evidence that more chicks aggregate and a larger number of aggregations occur on South Georgia, while the opposite occurs at Petermann Island in Antarctica. Future studies should evaluate multiple seabird colonies within one species before generalizing behaviors based on one location, and past studies may need to be re-evaluated to determine whether chick aggregation and other behaviors are in fact exhibited species-wide.

  16. Effect of oral dietary supplement for chicks subjected to thermal oscillation on performance and intestinal morphometry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jovanir Inês Müller Fernandes

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of a nutritional formulation based on amino acids and vitamins supplemented in the drinking water for chicks in the first week of life subjected to thermal oscillation on performance, organ development and intestinal morphometry from 1 to 21 days. 640-male broiler chicks were distributed in a 2x2 factorial completely randomized design (with or without dietary supplementation and at comfort temperature or thermal oscillation. Chicks subjected to thermal oscillation presented worse performance (p < 0.05 than those under thermal comfort of 1 to 7, 1 to 14 and 1 to 21 days. Nutritional supplementation did not alter the performance (p < 0.05 of the birds, but resulted in a higher body weight (p < 0.05 regardless of the environmental thermal condition. At 7 days, chicks under thermal comfort had better intestinal morphometric parameters (p < 0.05, in relation to birds under thermal oscillation. In conclusion, the temperature oscillations caused negative consequences to the productive performance and the intestinal morphology of chicks for which dietary supplementation was not enough to mitigate the effects of the environmental challenge during the first week of life of the birds.

  17. Effects of Dietary Supplementation with Astaxanthin on Histamine Induced Lesions in the Gizzard and Proventriculus of Broiler Chicks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mi-hyang Ohh

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Astaxanthin (ASX is a xanthophyll pigment isolated from crustaceans and salmonids. Owing to its powerful antioxidant activity, ASX has been reported to have the potential to protect against gastric ulcers and a variety of other illnesses. Histamine (His is a dietary factor that causes gastric erosion and ulceration in young chicks. In this study, we examined whether ASX had protective effects on dietary histamine-induced lesions in the gizzard and proventriculus of broiler chickens. Four experimental treatment groups were planned: basal diet (BD, BD+His, BD+ASX, and BD+ASX+His, with four chicks (5 days old in each group and three replications (i.e., a total of 12 chicks per group. The BD was supplemented with either 0.4% His or 100 ppm ASX. The birds were fed ad libitum for 3 weeks, and diets contained no antimicrobial compounds. Supplementing the diet with His significantly decreased body weight gain, but increased the weights of the gizzard and proventriculus of the chicks as compared with those of chicks in the BD group (p<0.05. ASX did not affect His-dependent changes in chick body weight or weights of the gizzard and proventriculus. The loss of gastric glands in the proventriculus, which was observed in His-treated chicks, was not prevented by ASX administration. The frequency of proventricular ulceration, however, was lowered by treatment with ASX, without significant differences between the two supplementation levels. In conclusion, our data showed that ASX might be helpful for alleviating structural damage to the digestive system in poultry under certain stressful conditions.

  18. The invisible cues that guide king penguin chicks home: use of magnetic and acoustic cues during orientation and short-range navigation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nesterova, Anna P; Chiffard, Jules; Couchoux, Charline; Bonadonna, Francesco

    2013-04-15

    King penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus) live in large and densely populated colonies, where navigation can be challenging because of the presence of many conspecifics that could obstruct locally available cues. Our previous experiments demonstrated that visual cues were important but not essential for king penguin chicks' homing. The main objective of this study was to investigate the importance of non-visual cues, such as magnetic and acoustic cues, for chicks' orientation and short-range navigation. In a series of experiments, the chicks were individually displaced from the colony to an experimental arena where they were released under different conditions. In the magnetic experiments, a strong magnet was attached to the chicks' heads. Trials were conducted in daylight and at night to test the relative importance of visual and magnetic cues. Our results showed that when the geomagnetic field around the chicks was modified, their orientation in the arena and the overall ability to home was not affected. In a low sound experiment we limited the acoustic cues available to the chicks by putting ear pads over their ears, and in a loud sound experiment we provided additional acoustic cues by broadcasting colony sounds on the opposite side of the arena to the real colony. In the low sound experiment, the behavior of the chicks was not affected by the limited sound input. In the loud sound experiment, the chicks reacted strongly to the colony sound. These results suggest that king penguin chicks may use the sound of the colony while orienting towards their home.

  19. DELAYED APPEARANCE OF LACTOBACILLI IN THE INTESTINES OF CHICKS REARED IN A "NEW" ENVIRONMENT.

    Science.gov (United States)

    BARE, L N; WISEMAN, R F

    1964-11-01

    Male chicks (1 day old; Vantress x Arbor Acre) were fed a basal folic acid-deficient diet, a 5% uric acid-containing diet with and without 5 mg/lb (453.5 g) of bacitracin and 20 mg/lb of sodium penicillin G, the basal diet supplemented with only the antibiotics, and the basal diet plus 500 mug/lb of folic acid. The chicks were reared in a room which had not been used previously for housing chickens ("new" environment). Bacteriological analyses of the contents of the small intestine revealed a decrease in numbers of streptococci and "anaerobic" bacteria in the chicks receiving dietary antibiotics. No persistent changes were seen in the numbers of coliform bacteria. Lactobacilli were not detected in any of the groups until 3 weeks after feeding.

  20. Recruitment of GABA(A) receptors and fearfulness in chicks: modulation by systemic insulin and/or epinephrine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cid, Mariana Paula; Toledo, Carolina Maribel; Salvatierra, Nancy Alicia

    2013-02-01

    One-day-old chicks were individually assessed on their latency to peck pebbles, and categorized as low latency (LL) or high latency (HL) according to fear. Interactions between acute stress and systemic insulin and epinephrine on GABA(A) receptor density in the forebrain were studied. At 10 days of life, LL and HL chicks were intraperitoneally injected with insulin, epinephrine or saline, and immediately after stressed by partial water immersion for 15 min and killed by decapitation. Forebrains were dissected and the GABA(A) receptor density was measured ex vivo by the (3)[H]-flunitrazepam binding assay in synaptosomes. In non-stressed chicks, insulin (non-hypoglycemic dose) at 2.50 IU/kg of body weight incremented the Bmax by 40.53% in the HL chicks compared to saline group whereas no significant differences were observed between individuals in the LL subpopulation. Additionally, insulin increased the Bmax (23.48%) in the HL group with respect to the LL ones, indicating that the insulin responses were different according to the anxiety of each category. Epinephrine administration (0.25 and 0.50mg/kg) incremented the Bmax in non-stressed chicks, in the LL group by about 37% and 33%, respectively, compared to ones injected with saline. In the stressed chicks, 0.25mg/kg bw epinephrine increased the Bmax significantly in the HL group by about 24% compared to saline, suggesting that the effect of epinephrine was only observed in the HL group under acute stress conditions. Similarly, the same epinephrine doses co-administered with insulin increased the receptor density in both subpopulations and also showed that the highest dose of epinephrine did not further increase the maximum density of GABA(A)R in HL chicks. These results suggest that systemic epinephrine, perhaps by evoking central norepinephrine release, modulated the increase in the forebrain GABA(A) receptor recruitment induced by both insulin and stress in different ways depending on the subpopulation

  1. Auklet (Charadriiformes: Alcidae, Aethia spp.) chick meals from the Aleutian Islands, Alaska, have a very low incidence of plastic marine debris.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bond, Alexander L; Jones, Ian L; Williams, Jeffrey C; Byrd, G Vernon

    2010-08-01

    The ingestion of plastic marine debris is a chronic problem for some of the world's seabird species, contributing to reduced chick survival, population declines, and deposition of contaminants via absorption in birds' gastrointestinal tract. We analysed the frequency of ingested plastic in chick meals delivered by adults in four species of auklet - Crested (Aethia cristatella), Least (A. pusilla), Parakeet (A. psittacula), and Whiskered (A. pygmaea) - from three breeding colonies in the Aleutian Islands, Alaska, USA over a 14-year period from 1993 to 2006. Among 2541 chick meals, we found plastic in only one - from a Whiskered Auklet on Buldir Island in 1993. While adult Parakeet Auklets have a high frequency of plastic ingestion (over 90%), no chick meals contained plastic. Unlike other seabirds, the planktivorous auklets do not appear to offload plastic to their chicks, and we conclude that auklet chicks are probably at a low risk of contamination from plastic debris. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Chronic prenatal lead exposure impairs long-term memory in day old chicks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhong, Zhaoming; Zhang, Chunxiao; Rizak, Joshua D; Cui, Yonghua; Xu, Shiqing; Che, Yi

    2010-05-26

    Environmental exposure to lead during developmental stages has been established as a potential cause of intellectual deficits. The high susceptibility of rapidly developing fetal and infant brains to external factors suggests that impairment of later cognitive functions may arise from relatively minor prenatal exposure to environmental lead levels. In this study, we used the one-trial passive avoidance learning paradigm with day old chicks to evaluate memory function and memory consolidation in response to prenatal lead exposure. Lead acetate (5.5mg/kg, 11mg/kg, 16.5mg/kg) was administered daily from E9 to E16 via direct injection into the airspace in chick eggs. Higher doses of lead acetate (11mg/kg, 16.5mg/kg) administration had significant effects on the hatching success (23.4 and 17, respectively) and hatch weight ( approximately 10% decrease) of chicks when compared to equivalent treatments of sodium acetate (11mg/kg, 16.5mg/kg) (plong-term memory after 120min following training in the one-trial passive avoidance learning task (pmemory processes. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Identification of transcripts regulated by CUG-BP, Elav-like family member 1 (CELF1 in primary embryonic cardiomyocytes by RNA-seq

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yotam Blech-Hermoni

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available CUG-BP, Elav-like family member 1 (CELF1 is a multi-functional RNA binding protein that regulates pre-mRNA alternative splicing in the nucleus, as well as polyadenylation status, mRNA stability, and translation in the cytoplasm [1]. Dysregulation of CELF1 has been implicated in cardiomyopathies in myotonic dystrophy type 1 and diabetes [2–5], but the targets of CELF1 regulation in the heart have not been systematically investigated. We previously demonstrated that in the developing heart CELF1 expression is restricted to the myocardium and peaks during embryogenesis [6–8]. To identify transcripts regulated by CELF1 in the embryonic myocardium, RNA-seq was used to compare the transcriptome of primary embryonic cardiomyocytes following siRNA-mediated knockdown of CELF1 to that of controls. Raw data files of the RNA-seq reads have been deposited in NCBI's Gene Expression Omnibus [9] under the GEO Series accession number GSE67360. These data can be used to identify transcripts whose levels or alternative processing (i.e., alternative splicing or polyadenylation site usage are regulated by CELF1, and should provide insight into the pathways and processes modulated by this important RNA binding protein during normal heart development and during cardiac pathogenesis.

  4. Interaction of Salmonella Gallinarum infection and zinc metabolism in chicks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hill, C.H.

    1986-01-01

    The purpose of the experiments to be reported was to determine whether or not the response of zinc metabolism to infection in chicks was similar to that reported for mammals and to determine the effect of maintaining serum zinc at normal levels in infected animals on the outcome of infection as determined by mortality. Within 48 hours after administration of the organism serum zinc concentrations declined to ca. half of the control value. The serum zinc concentrations remained depressed throughout the experimental infection (12 days). Isotope studies with 65 Zn indicated that the infection had no effect on absorption. The infection resulted in a sequestering of zinc in the liver, the kidney being relatively inert in this system. Fractionation of liver homogenates by column chromatography with Seph. G-75 revealed that the zinc in the livers of the infected animals eluted in a volume characteristic of metallothionein, while that of the control animals was associated with higher molecular weight proteins. Increasing the serum levels of zinc by injecting 200 μg Zn/100 g body weight twice a day for 5 days had no effect on mortality from the infection. They conclude that zinc metabolism in the chick is affected by infection in a manner similar to that reported for mammals and that the decrease in serum zinc concentration per se has no survival value for the chick in this infection

  5. Deleterious effects of magnesium intoxication upon the domestic broiler chick

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, S.R.

    1984-01-01

    Dietary levels of 0.6 to 0.8% magnesium in a corn-soy basal were rachitogenic. These rickets appeared most like phosphorus deficiency. Bone Ca/P ratios were numerically quite low implying a lack of transformation from amorphous calcium phosphate to hydroxyapatite. Bone alkaline phosphatase activity was elevated. Additional dietary phosphorus ameliorated, but could not overcome the rachitogenic effects of magnesium. Tibial dyschondroplasia (TD), induced by elevated dietary P, was decreased by high levels of dietary Mg, but with no decrease in plasma phosphorus. Anticoccidial ionophores fed in conjunction with a moderate dietary challenge of Mg (0.48%) produced no clear changes in plasma calcium or Mg, but did interact to reduce body weight. The diarrhea caused by magnesium intoxication is not due to hyperosmotic loads of Mg per se. Rather, Cl was observed to be the major ionic constituent of the gut osmotic load implying different gut ionic fluxes in control versus magnesium intoxicated chicks. These data imply that the cathartic action of Mg is due to hypersecretion of the gut. Effects mediated or modified by the CNS changed in magnesium intoxicated chicks. Such chicks appeared cold and stayed near the heat. When startled, they exhibited extreme avoidance behavior and seizures similar to epilepsy and/or Cl deficiency. Brain tissue Mg content did not concomitantly increase. Whether these effects are due to central signals is unclear.

  6. High dose progesterone effects the growth of early chick embryo

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Iqbal, I.; Qamar, K.

    2014-01-01

    Objective: To find out the effect of high dose progesterone on the development of early chick embryo. Study Design: Lab based randomized controlled trial. Place and Duration of study: This study was carried out in Army Medical College and Post Graduate Institute of Poultry Sciences, Rawalpindi from June 2010 - December 2010. Material and Methods: Forty five specific pathogen free, fertile, eggs of Fyoumi species of chick were selected at zero hour of incubation. They were incubated at 37.5oC and 75% relative humidity for 26 hrs until the embryos reached stage 8 of the development. Then on stage 8 the eggs were divided into three groups consisting of 15 eggs per group. The first group (GI) was incubated without any operation. The second (G2) and third groups (G3) were injected with two and twenty times more than physiologic does of progesterone respectively. After 48 hours of incvbation, all embryos were examined for their development under light microscopy. Results: All the embryos of G1 and G2 showed normal development according to their stage of development, while 4 out of 11 embryos of G3 were under developed and their survival rate was also less. Conclusion: Exogenous progesterone at levels twenty times above its physiologic range effects the development of chick embryos. Further studies are needed to explain the mechanisms of this effect. (author)

  7. Effect of Enzyme Supplementation and Irradiation of Barley on Broiler Chicks Performance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Farag, D.H.M.; Abd El-Hakeim, N.F.

    1999-01-01

    The experiments were conducted to study the influence of irradiation treatment at dose levels of 0.20 and 60 kGy on barley beta-glucan and the effect of enzyme supplementation and irradiation of barley on broiler chicks performance. The amount of total and water-soluble beta-glucan in raw barley was 36 kg -1 , respectively. The effect of irradiation treatment on total beta-glucan was insignificant while the level of soluble beta-glucan was increased with increasing the dose levels of irradiation. The effect of irradiation treatment and enzyme supplementation of barley diets on growth and conversion performance of broiler chicks indicated that birds fed raw barley diet had lower body weight, body weight gain and feed conversion than those fed control diet throughout the experimental period. Irradiation of barley at dose of 20 kGy did not affect the chick performance (feed consumption, weight gain feed-gain ratio) that received the B 20 diet from 7 to 21 days of age, but when bird maintained on B 20 diet from 7 28 days of age, only feed-gain ratio was improved by 14.4%. The results indicate that there was a significant effect of irradiation of barley at 60 kGy (B 60) on feed -gain ratio of chicks when were fed B 60 diet from 7 to 21 days of age. The corresponding improvement in feed-gain ratio was 16.4%. When birds were fed B 60 diet from 7-28 days of age, the improvement in body weight and feed-gain ratio was 25.5 and 19.6%, respectively

  8. Study on differentiation during embryonic development across selective and ancestral breeds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    An, Fengli; Wang, Jianlin

    2017-06-01

    In order to explore the effect of strain on diverging post-hatch muscle properties, muscle regulation during embryo development was investigated in selected and unselected breeds. Four broiler strains were used: JingNing (JN) chicken (a Chinese native chicken), HuangYu (HY) broiler, BaiYu (BY) broiler and Hyline layer (commercial crossbred chickens). Results showed that the four breeds had almost the same characteristic during different incubation periods. BY broilers moved more than JN and Hyline layers from Hamburger & Hamilton stage (HH)24 to HH31 (P layers from HH27 to HH31 (P layers (P > 0.05); broilers presented smaller fiber diameter than JN chickens before HH31 (P > 0.05). From then on, JN chicken exhibited smaller fiber diameter compared to the broilers (P > 0.05). Western blotting indicated all the breeds had continuous insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) expression, with the highest expression level in broilers from HH19 to HH24 and highest expression level in JN chicks from HH27 to HH31. The results indicated that the diverging growth among breeds was already shown in embryonic stages; the different expression patterns of IGF-I may be involved in cell proliferation and differentiation. © 2016 Japanese Society of Animal Science.

  9. Chicks change their pecking behaviour towards stationary and mobile food sources over the first 12 weeks of life: improvement and discontinuities

    OpenAIRE

    Murphy, Kenneth J.; Hayden, Thomas J.; Kent, John P.

    2014-01-01

    Chicks (Gallus gallus domesticus) learn to peck soon after hatching and then peck in rapid bursts or bouts with intervals of non-pecking activity. The food sources may be static such as seeds and chick crumb, or mobile such as a mealworm. Here, changes with age in pecking toward chick crumb and a mealworm were measured. Chicks were reared in pairs and their pecking of crumb food was video recorded in their pair housed environment, from food presentation, every third day from day 8 (wk 2) to d...

  10. EFFICACY OF GENTAMICIN AFTER INTRAYOLK ADMINISTRATION IN EXPERIMENT ALLY INDUCED OMPHALITIS IN BROILER CHICKS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Muhammad Ashraf, Qamar Arif and Kashif Aziz Khan1

    2002-04-01

    Full Text Available A study was conducted to observe the effect of intrayolk injection of gentamicin on experimentally induced omphalitis in broiler chicks. Escherichia coli was injected into yolk sac to induce omphalitis and treatment was done by intrayolk injection of gentamicin. Results showed that mortality decreased and feed intake increased after treatment, Intrayolk injection of antibiotics is suggested as an alternative to oral administration for the treatment of omphalitis in chicks.

  11. Protection conferred by a live avian metapneumovirus vaccine when co-administered with live La Sota Newcastle disease vaccine in chicks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kannan Ganapathy

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available This paper examines the effects on specific pathogen-free (SPF chicks when avian metapneumovirus (aMPV and Newcastle disease virus (NDV La Sota strain vaccines are co-administered. Day-old SPF chicks were divided into five groups. The first group was inoculated with sterile water (SW and the rest of the groups were inoculated with live NDV vaccine VG/GA by the oculo-oral route. At 21 days-old, the unvaccinated chicks were again inoculated with SW. The four VG/GA-vaccinated groups were further inoculated with (i SW, (ii live aMPV vaccine, (iii live NDV La Sota, or (iv combined live NDV La Sota and live aMPV, respectively. Chicks were monitored for post-vaccination reactions and oropharyngeal swabs were collected for vaccines detection. Blood samples were collected to detect aMPV ELISA and NDV haemagglutination-inhibition antibodies. Twenty-one days following the second vaccination, six chicks from each group were challenged with virulent NDV or aMPV respectively. Chicks were monitored for clinical signs and mortality and oropharyngeal swabs collected for aMPV detection. Results showed that, when challenged with a virulent aMPV, both chicks previously vaccinated with VG/GA and subsequently given aMPV vaccine singly or in combination with La Sota were equally protected against clinical signs. Chicks that were vaccinated against NDV either once with VG/GA or followed by La Sota (singly or in combination with aMPV were fully protected when challenged with velogenic NDV. We concluded that simultaneous administration of live aMPV and NDV La Sota vaccines have no adverse effects on protection conferred by either live vaccine.

  12. From soil mechanics to chick development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wolpert, Lewis

    2018-01-01

    Here, I provide some recollections of my life, starting as a civil engineer in South Africa and how I gradually became interested in biology, particularly pattern formation. In retrospect, I think that my decision to work on chick embryos to study limb development back in 1966 turned out to be the right one. The principles discovered in these 50 years, both by my collaborators and by other colleagues, have established the principles of how the limb develops in higher vertebrates, including humans.

  13. Mechanobiology of embryonic limb development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nowlan, Niamh C; Murphy, Paula; Prendergast, Patrick J

    2007-04-01

    Considerable evidence exists to support the hypothesis that mechanical forces have an essential role in healthy embryonic skeletal development. Clinical observations and experimental data indicate the importance of muscle contractions for limb development. However, the influence of these forces is seldom referred to in biological descriptions of bone development, and perhaps this is due to the fact that the hypothesis that mechanical forces are essential for normal embryonic skeletal development is difficult to test and elaborate experimentally in vivo, particularly in humans. Computational modeling has the potential to address this issue by simulating embryonic growth under a range of loading conditions but the potential of such models has yet to be fully exploited. In this article, we review the literature on mechanobiology of limb development in three main sections: (a) experimental alteration of the mechanical environment, (b) mechanical properties of embryonic tissues, and (c) the use of computational models. Then we analyze the main issues, and suggest how experimental and computational fields could work closer together to enhance our understanding of mechanobiology of the embryonic skeleton.

  14. Behavior of the P1.HTR mastocytoma cell line implanted in the chorioallantoic membrane of chick embryos

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S.F. Avram

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available The P1.HTR cell line includes highly transfectable cells derived from P815 mastocytoma cells originating from mouse breast tissue. Despite its widespread use in immunogenic studies, no data are available about the behavior of P1.HTR cells in the chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane model. The objective of the present investigation was to study the effects of P1.HTR cells implanted on the chorioallantoic membrane of chick embryos. We inoculated P1.HTR cells into the previously prepared chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane and observed the early and late effects of these cells by stereomicroscopy, histochemistry and immunohistochemistry. A highly angiotropic and angiogenic effect occurred early after inoculation and a tumorigenic potential with the development of mastocytoma keeping well mast cells immunophenotype was detected later during the development. The P1.HTR mastocytoma cell line is a good tool for the development of the chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane mastocytoma model and also for other studies concerning the involvement of blood vessels. The chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane model of mastocytoma retains the mast cell immunophenotype under experimental conditions and could be used as an experimental tool for in vivo preliminary testing of antitumor and antivascular drugs.

  15. Plasma membrane proteomics of human embryonic stem cells and human embryonal carcinoma cells.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dormeyer, W.; van Hoof, D.; Braam, S.R.; Heck, A.J.R.; Mummery, C.L.; Krijgsveld, J.

    2008-01-01

    Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are of immense interest in regenerative medicine as they can self-renew indefinitely and can give rise to any adult cell type. Human embryonal carcinoma cells (hECCs) are the malignant counterparts of hESCs found in testis tumors. hESCs that have acquired

  16. Light intensity modulates corneal power and refraction in the chick eye exposed to continuous light.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cohen, Yuval; Belkin, Michael; Yehezkel, Oren; Avni, Isaac; Polat, Uri

    2008-09-01

    Continuous exposure of chicks to light was shown to result in severe hyperopia, accompanied by anterior segment changes, such as severe corneal flattening. Since rearing chicks in complete darkness results only in mild hyperopia and minor changes in corneal curvature, we hypothesized that light intensity may play a role in the development of refractive changes under continuous light illumination. To test this hypothesis, we examined the effects of rearing chicks under various continuous light intensities. More specifically, we investigated the refractive parameters of the chicks' eyes, and avoided light cycling effects on ocular development. To this end, thirty-eight chicks were reared under 24-h incandescent illumination, at three different light intensities: 10,000 lux (n=13), 500 lux (n=12), and 50 lux (n=13). Their eyes underwent repeated retinoscopy, keratometry, and ultrasound biometry, as well as caliper measurements of enucleated eyes. Both refraction and corneal refractive power were found to be correlated with light intensity. On day 90 after hatching, exposure to light intensities of 10,000, 500, and 50 lux resulted in hyperopia of +11.97+/-3.7 (mean+/-SD) +7.9+/-4.08 and +0.63+/-3.61 diopters (D), respectively. Under those intensities, corneal refractive power was 46.10+/-3.62, 49.72+/-4.16, and 56.88+/-4.92D, respectively. Axial length did not differ significantly among the groups. The vitreous chamber was significantly deeper in the high than in the low-intensity groups. Thus, during the early life of chicks exposed to continuous lighting, light intensity affects the vitreous chamber depth as well as the anterior segment parameters, most notably the cornea. The higher the intensity, the more severe was the corneal flattening observed and the hyperopia that developed, whereas continuous illumination at low intensities resulted in emmetropia. Thus, light intensity is an important factor that should be taken into account when studying refractive

  17. Generation Chick: Reading Bridget Jones’s Diary, Jessica, 30., and Dies ist kein Liebeslied as Postfeminist Novels

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Brenda Bethman

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available This article examines Helen Fielding’s, Marlene Streeruwitz’s, and Karen Duve’s novels in the context of the literarisches Fräuleinwunder , the generic conventions of chick lit, and postfeminism, relating all three to the globalization of the book publishing industry and its effects on German-language fiction. I argue that Duve’s and Streeruwitz’s texts can be understood as responses to the Anglo-American chick lit that flooded the German-language book market in the 1990s, of which Fielding’s novel is one of the best-known. Close readings situate both German-language novels firmly within the generic conventions of chick lit, and then look at the ways the texts relate to postfeminism, as well as second- and third-wave feminism. I conclude by arguing that our concept of Frauenliteratur should be expanded to include chick lit as well as more overtly political feminist texts.

  18. New Trends in Heart Regeneration: A Review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kochegarov A

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available In this review, we focus on new approaches that could lead to the regeneration of heart muscle and the restoration of cardiac muscle function derived from newly-formed cardiomyocytes. Various strategies for the production of cardiomyocytes from embryonic stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells, adult bone marrow stem cells and cardiac spheres from human heart biopsies are described. Pathological conditions which lead to atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease often are followed by myocardial infarction causing myocardial cell death. After cell death, there is very little self-regeneration of the cardiac muscle tissue, which is replaced by non-contractile connective tissue, thus weakening the ability of the heart muscle to contract fully and leading to heart failure. A number of experimental research approaches to stimulate heart muscle regeneration with the hope of regaining normal or near normal heart function in the damaged heart muscle have been attempted. Some of these very interesting studies have used a variety of stem cell types in combination with potential cardiogenic differentiation factors in an attempt to promote differentiation of new cardiac muscle for possible future use in the clinical treatment of patients who have suffered heart muscle damage from acute myocardial infarctions or related cardiovascular diseases. Although progress has been made in recent years relative to promoting the differentiation of cardiac muscle tissue from non-muscle cells, much work remains to be done for this technology to be used routinely in translational clinical medicine to treat patients with damaged heart muscle tissue and return such individuals to pre-heart-attack activity levels.

  19. The local expression of adult chicken heart myosins during development. II. Ventricular conducting tissue

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sanders, E.; de Groot, I. J.; Geerts, W. J.; de Jong, F.; van Horssen, A. A.; Los, J. A.; Moorman, A. F.

    1986-01-01

    The development of the ventricular conducting tissue of the embryonic chicken heart has been studied using a previous finding that morphologically recognizable atrial conducting tissue coexpresses the atrial and the ventricular myosin isoforms. It is found that, by these criteria, at 9 days part of

  20. The occurrence of CTX-M-25-producing Enterobacteriaceae in day-old broiler chicks in Japan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yossapol, Montira; Sugiyama, Michiyo; Asai, Tetsuo

    2017-10-07

    Day-old chicks from 3 hatcheries were placed on bedding paper and brought to a commercial broiler farm between January and July 2016. Sixty-six samples of the paper, which were stained with meconium droppings of the chicks, were collected and examined for isolation of cephalosporin-resistant Enterobacteriaceae. Cefotaxime (CTX)-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (1 isolate) and Enterobacter cloacae (4 isolates) were isolated from 5 (7.58%) of the 66 samples. Conjugation experiments revealed that the bla CTX-M-25 gene conferring CTX resistance was transferred from the K. pneumoniae isolate and 2 of the 4 E. cloacae isolates to Escherichia coli DH5α via IncA/C plasmids carrying the gene. Our results suggested that the bla CTX-M-25 gene originating from chicks may be spread among commercial broiler farms.

  1. Performance characteristics of broiler chicks fed kidney bean as ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    An experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of replacing soybean meal and groundnut cake meal with cooked and decorticated kidney bean seed meals on the performance characteristics of broilers. One hundred and eighty day old broiler chicks of Anak strain were raised on six experimental diets.

  2. 78 FR 7795 - National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; Notice of Closed Meeting

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-02-04

    ... Emphasis Panel; Review of a resource grant application in rat embryonic stem cell lines. Date: February 21..., National Center for Sleep Disorders Research; 93.837, Heart and Vascular Diseases Research; 93.838, Lung Diseases Research; 93.839, Blood Diseases and Resources Research, National Institutes of Health, HHS) Dated...

  3. Watch-ing out for chick limb development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pascoal, Susana; Palmeirim, Isabel

    2007-09-01

    Time control is a crucial issue during embryonic development. Nevertheless, little is known about how embryonic cells measure time. Until recently, the only molecular clock known to operate during vertebrate embryonic development was the somitogenesis clock, exclusively functioning in coordinating the precise timing of each new pair of somites formed from the presomitic mesoderm. We have recently evidenced that a similar molecular clock also underlies the timing at which autopod chondrogenic precursors are laid down to form a skeletal limb element. In addition, we herein suggest that the molecular clock is not the only parallelism that can be established between somitogenesis and limb-bud development. In an evolutionary perspective, we support the previously proposed idea that the molecular mechanisms involved in the segmentation of the body axis may have been partially reused in the mesoderm of the lateral plate, thereby allowing the emergence of paired appendages.

  4. A new approach to study of seabird-fishery overlap: Connecting chick feeding with parental foraging and overlap with fishing vessels

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Junichi Sugishita

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available Incidental fisheries bycatch is recognised as a major threat to albatross populations worldwide. However, fishery discards and offal produced in large quantities might benefit some scavenging seabirds. Here, we demonstrate an integrated approach to better understand the ecological ramifications of fine-scale overlap between seabirds and fisheries. As a case study, we examined whether foraging in association with a fishing vessel is advantageous for chick provisioning in terms of quantity of food delivered to chicks, in northern royal albatross (Diomedea sanfordi at Taiaroa Head, New Zealand. Fine-scale overlap between albatrosses and vessels was quantified by integrating GPS tracking and Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS. Meal size delivered to chicks was measured using custom-designed nest balances, and monitoring of attendance of adults fitted with radio transmitters was used in conjunction with time-lapse photography at the nest allowed us to allocate each feeding event to a specific parent. The combination of these techniques enabled comparison of meal sizes delivered to chicks with parental foraging trip durations with or without fishing vessels association. A total of 45 foraging trips and associated chick feeding events were monitored during the chick-rearing period in 2012. Differences in the meal size and foraging trip duration relative to foraging overlap with fisheries were examined using a linear mixed-effect model, adjusted for chick age. Our results, based on three birds, suggest that foraging in association with vessels does not confer an advantage for chick feeding for this population that demonstrated low rates of overlap while foraging. The integrated research design presented can be applied to other seabird species that are susceptible to bycatch, and offers a valuable approach to evaluate habitat quality by linking habitat use and foraging success in terms of total amount of food delivered to offspring.

  5. Adenylyl Cyclase Signaling in the Developing Chick Heart: The Deranging Effect of Antiarrhythmic Drugs

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Hejnová, L.; Hahnová, K.; Kočková, Radka; Svatůňková, Jarmila; Sedmera, David; Novotný, J.

    2014-01-01

    Roč. 2014, č. 2014 (2014), s. 463123 ISSN 2314-6133 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GAP302/11/1308 Institutional support: RVO:67985823 Keywords : embryo nic heart * embryo toxicity * adenylyl cyclase * G protein * beta-blocking agents Subject RIV: FA - Cardiovascular Diseases incl. Cardiotharic Surgery Impact factor: 1.579, year: 2014

  6. Type II cytokeratin gene expression is indicative of early cell differentiation in the chick embryo

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Charlebois, T.S.

    1988-01-01

    Embryonic development in vertebrates appears to involve a series of inductive tissue interactions that lead to regional specializations, which eventually become elaborated in the basic body plan of the embryo. The inductive interactions leading to early regionalization of the embryo are often particularly difficult to evaluate because of the absence of available morphological or biochemical evidence that such events have occurred. In the 36 hour chick embryo, the regional subdivision of the early ectoderm is evidence by a marked lens-forming bias in the head ectoderm, which is absent in the presumptive dorsal epidermis of the trunk region. As a strategy for isolating genes whose differential expression might reflect this regional subdivision, a cDNA library from 36 hour embryos was prepared and screened for differential hybridization to [ 32 P]cDNA probes synthesized using template RNA isolated from 36 hour head ectoderm and trunk ectoderm. A cDNA clone (T4) was isolated which hybridizes to transcripts present at much higher levels in trunk ectoderm than in head ectoderm. Partial nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences of this clone indicate that it represents a gene encoding a type II cytokeratin. The distribution of transcripts complementary to the T4 probe was evaluated in early embryos using RNA gel blot analysis and in situ hybridization to tissue sections

  7. Comparative reproductive biology of sympatric species: Nest and chick survival of American avocets and black-necked stilts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ackerman, Joshua T.; Herzog, Mark P.; Takekawa, John Y.; Hartman, Christopher A.

    2014-01-01

    Identifying differences in reproductive success rates of closely related and sympatrically breeding species can be useful for understanding limitations to population growth. We simultaneously examined the reproductive ecology of American avocets Recurvirostra americana and black-necked stilts Himantopus mexicanus using 1274 monitored nests and 240 radio-marked chicks in San Francisco Bay, California. Although there were 1.8 times more avocet nests than stilt nests, stilts nonetheless fledged 3.3 times more chicks. Greater production by stilts than avocets was the result of greater chick survival from hatching to fledging (avocet: 6%; stilt: 40%), and not because of differences in clutch size (avocet: 3.84; stilt: 3.77), nest survival (avocet: 44%; stilt: 35%), or egg hatching success (avocet: 90%; stilt: 92%). We reviewed the literature and confirmed that nest survival and hatching success are generally similar when avocets and stilts breed sympatrically. In addition to species, chick survival was strongly influenced by age, site, and year. In particular, daily survival rates increased rapidly with chick age, with 70% of mortalities occurring ≤ 1 week after hatch. California gulls Larus californicus caused 55% of avocet, but only 15% of stilt, chick deaths. Differential use of micro-habitats likely reduced stilt chick’s vulnerability to gull predation, particularly during the first week after hatch, because stilts nested in vegetation 2.7 times more often than avocets and vegetation height was 65% taller at stilt nests compared with avocet nests. Our results demonstrate that two co-occurring and closely related species with similar life history strategies can differ markedly in reproductive success, and simultaneous studies of such species can identify differences that limit productivity.

  8. Neural basis of imprinting behavior in chicks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nakamori, Tomoharu; Maekawa, Fumihiko; Sato, Katsushige; Tanaka, Kohichi; Ohki-Hamazaki, Hiroko

    2013-01-01

    Newly hatched chicks memorize the characteristics of the first moving object they encounter, and subsequently show a preference for it. This "imprinting" behavior is an example of infant learning and is elicited by visual and/or auditory cues. Visual information of imprinting stimuli in chicks is first processed in the visual Wulst (VW), a telencephalic area corresponding to the mammalian visual cortex, congregates in the core region of the hyperpallium densocellulare (HDCo) cells, and transmitted to the intermediate medial mesopallium (IMM), a region similar to the mammalian association cortex. The imprinting memory is stored in the IMM, and activities of IMM neurons are altered by imprinting. Imprinting also induces functional and structural plastic changes of neurons in the circuit that links the VW and the IMM. Of these neurons, the activity of the HDCo cells is strongly influenced by imprinting. Expression and modulation of NR2B subunit-containing N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors in the HDCo cells are crucial for plastic changes in this circuit as well as the process of visual imprinting. Thus, elucidation of cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the plastic changes that occurred in the HDCo cells may provide useful knowledge about infant learning. © 2012 The Authors Development, Growth & Differentiation © 2012 Japanese Society of Developmental Biologists.

  9. Method for Dissecting the Auditory Epithelium (Basilar Papilla) in Developing Chick Embryos.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Levic, Snezana; Yamoah, Ebenezer N

    2016-01-01

    Chickens are an invaluable model for exploring auditory physiology. Similar to humans, the chicken inner ear is morphologically and functionally close to maturity at the time of hatching. In contrast, chicks can regenerate hearing, an ability lost in all mammals, including humans. The extensive morphological, physiological, behavioral, and pharmacological data available, regarding normal development in the chicken auditory system, has driven the progress of the field. The basilar papilla is an attractive model system to study the developmental mechanisms of hearing. Here, we describe the dissection technique for isolating the basilar papilla in developing chick inner ear. We also provide detailed examples of physiological (patch clamping) experiments using this preparation.

  10. Dimethadione embryotoxicity in the rat is neither correlated with maternal systemic drug concentrations nor embryonic tissue levels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ozolinš, Terence R.S., E-mail: ozolinst@queensu.ca [Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Program in Pharmacology and Toxicology, Queen’s University, Botterell Hall, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6 (Canada); Weston, Andrea D. [Currently at Applied Biotechnology/Lead Discovery, Bristol-Myers Squibb, 5 Research Pkwy Wallingford, CT 06492-1996 (United States); Perretta, Anthony [Currently at Pfizer Research and Development, Eastern Point Road, Groton, CT 06340 (United States); Thomson, Jason J. [Currently at Yale Stem Cell Center, Yale School of Medicine, PO Box 208073, New Haven, CT 06520-8073 (United States); Brown, Nigel A. [Division of Basic Medical Sciences, St. George’s University of London, UK SW17 0RE (United Kingdom)

    2015-11-15

    Pregnant rats treated with dimethadione (DMO), the N-demethylated metabolite of the anticonvulsant trimethadione, produce offspring having a 74% incidence of congenital heart defects (CHD); however, the incidence of CHD has high inter-litter variability (40–100%) that presents a challenge when studying the initiating events prior to the presentation of an abnormal phenotype. We hypothesized that the variability in CHD incidence was the result of differences in maternal systemic concentrations or embryonic tissue concentrations of DMO. To test this hypothesis, dams were administered 300 mg/kg DMO every 12 h from the evening of gestational day (GD) 8 until the morning of GD 11 (six total doses). Maternal serum levels of DMO were assessed on GD 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 18 and 21. Embryonic tissue concentrations of DMO were assessed on GD 11, 12, 13 and 14. In a separate cohort of GD 12 embryos, DMO concentrations and parameters of growth and development were assessed to determine if tissue levels of DMO were correlated with these endpoints. Embryos were exposed directly to different concentrations of DMO with whole embryo culture (WEC) and their growth and development assessed. Key findings were that neither maternal systemic concentrations nor tissue concentrations of DMO identified embryos that were sensitive or resistant to DMO in vivo. Direct exposure of embryos to DMO via WEC also failed to show correlations between embryonic concentrations of DMO with developmental outcomes in vitro. We conclude that neither maternal serum nor embryonic tissue concentrations of DMO predict embryonic outcome. - Highlights: • Dimethadione (DMO) induces septation defects (VSD) in rat offspring. • Despite high rate of VSD defects inter-litter variability is 40–100%. • Maternal and embryonic concentrations of DMO were assessed. • Neither serum nor tissue levels of DMO were correlated with embryotoxicity.

  11. Dimethadione embryotoxicity in the rat is neither correlated with maternal systemic drug concentrations nor embryonic tissue levels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ozolinš, Terence R.S.; Weston, Andrea D.; Perretta, Anthony; Thomson, Jason J.; Brown, Nigel A.

    2015-01-01

    Pregnant rats treated with dimethadione (DMO), the N-demethylated metabolite of the anticonvulsant trimethadione, produce offspring having a 74% incidence of congenital heart defects (CHD); however, the incidence of CHD has high inter-litter variability (40–100%) that presents a challenge when studying the initiating events prior to the presentation of an abnormal phenotype. We hypothesized that the variability in CHD incidence was the result of differences in maternal systemic concentrations or embryonic tissue concentrations of DMO. To test this hypothesis, dams were administered 300 mg/kg DMO every 12 h from the evening of gestational day (GD) 8 until the morning of GD 11 (six total doses). Maternal serum levels of DMO were assessed on GD 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 18 and 21. Embryonic tissue concentrations of DMO were assessed on GD 11, 12, 13 and 14. In a separate cohort of GD 12 embryos, DMO concentrations and parameters of growth and development were assessed to determine if tissue levels of DMO were correlated with these endpoints. Embryos were exposed directly to different concentrations of DMO with whole embryo culture (WEC) and their growth and development assessed. Key findings were that neither maternal systemic concentrations nor tissue concentrations of DMO identified embryos that were sensitive or resistant to DMO in vivo. Direct exposure of embryos to DMO via WEC also failed to show correlations between embryonic concentrations of DMO with developmental outcomes in vitro. We conclude that neither maternal serum nor embryonic tissue concentrations of DMO predict embryonic outcome. - Highlights: • Dimethadione (DMO) induces septation defects (VSD) in rat offspring. • Despite high rate of VSD defects inter-litter variability is 40–100%. • Maternal and embryonic concentrations of DMO were assessed. • Neither serum nor tissue levels of DMO were correlated with embryotoxicity.

  12. Plasma microvesicle analysis identifies microRNA 129-5p as a biomarker of heart failure in univentricular heart disease.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sweta Ramachandran

    Full Text Available Biomarkers of heart failure in adults have been extensively studied. However, biomarkers to monitor the progression of heart failure in children with univentricular physiology are less well understood. We proposed that as mediators of diverse pathophysiology, miRNAs contained within circulating microvesicles could serve as biomarkers for the presence and progression of heart failure in univentricular patients. To test this, we studied the association of heart failure with elevations in specific miRNAs isolated from circulating microvesicles in a cohort of children with univentricular heart disease and heart failure. We conducted a single site cross-sectional observational study of 71 children aged 1 month-7 years with univentricular heart disease and heart failure. We demonstrated that levels of miR129-5p isolated from plasma microvesicles were inversely related to the degree of clinical heart failure as assessed by Ross score. We then showed that miR129-5p levels are downregulated in HL1 cells and human embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes exposed to oxidative stress. We demonstrated that bone morphogenetic protein receptor 2, which has been implicated in the development of pulmonary vascular disease, is a target of miR129-5p, and conversely regulated in response to oxidative stress in cell culture. Levels of miR129-5p were inversely related to the degree of clinical heart failure in patients with univentricular heart disease. This study demonstrates that miR129-5p is a sensitive and specific biomarker for heart failure in univentricular heart disease independent of ventricular morphology or stage of palliation. Further study is warranted to understand the targets affected by miR129-5p with the development of heart failure in patients with univentricular physiology.

  13. Embryonic and larval development of Brycon amazonicus (SPIX & AGASSIZ, 1829

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. C. S. Sampaio Nakauth

    Full Text Available Abstract The objective of this study was to describe the embryonic and larval development of Brycon amazonicus, featuring the main events up to 50 hours after fertilization (AF. The material was provided by the Aquaculture Training, Technology and Production Center, Presidente Figueiredo (AM. The characterization was based on stereomicroscopic examination of the morphology of eggs, embryos and larvae and comparison with the literature. Matrinxã eggs are free, transparent, and spherical, with a perivitelline space of 0.56 ± 0.3 mm. The successive divisions give rise to cells with 64 blastomeres during the first hour AF. The gastrula stage, beginning 02 h 40 min AF, was characterized by progressive regression cells and the formation of the embryonic axis, leading to differentiation of the head and tail 05 h 30 min AF. From 06 to 09 h AF the somites, notochord, otic and optic vesicles and otoliths were observed, in addition to heart rate and the release of the tail. The larvae hatched at 10 h 30 min AF (29.9 °C, with a total length of 3.56 ± 0.46 mm. Between 19 and 30 h AF, we observed 1 pigmentation and gut formation, 2 branchial arches, 3 pectoral fins, 4 a mouth opening and 5 teeth. Cannibalism was initiated earlier (34 h AF which was associated with rapid yolk absorption (more than 90% until 50 h AF, signaling the need for an exogenous nutritional source. The environmental conditions (especially temperature influenced the time course of some events throughout the embryonic and larval development, suggesting the need for further studies on this subject.

  14. Development of heart muscle-cell diversity: a help or a hindrance for phenotyping embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Fijnvandraat, Arnoud C.; Lekanne Deprez, Ronald H.; Moorman, Antoon F. M.

    2003-01-01

    Despite the advances in cardiovascular treatment, cardiac disease remains a major cause of morbidity in all industrialized countries. The extraordinary potential of (embryonic) stem cells for therapeutic purposes has revolutionized ideas about cardiac repair of diseased cardiac muscle to exciting

  15. Toxoplasma gondii Infection in Seagull Chicks Is Related to the Consumption of Freshwater Food Resources

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cabezón, Oscar; Cerdà-Cuéllar, Marta; Morera, Virginia; García-Bocanegra, Ignacio; González-Solís, Jacob; Napp, Sebastian; Ribas, Maria P.; Blanch-Lázaro, Berta; Fernández-Aguilar, Xavier; Antilles, Noelia; López-Soria, Sergio; Lorca-Oró, Cristina; Dubey, Jitender P.; Almería, Sonia

    2016-01-01

    Understanding the spread of Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) in wild birds, particularly in those with opportunistic feeding behavior, is of interest for elucidating the epidemiological involvement of these birds in the maintenance and dissemination of the parasite. Overall, from 2009 to 2011, we collected sera from 525 seagull chicks (Yellow-legged gull (Larus michahellis) and Audouin’s gull (L. audouinii)) from 6 breeding colonies in Spain and tested them using the modified agglutination test (MAT) for the presence of antibodies against T. gondii. Chick age was estimated from bill length. Main food source of seagull chicks was evaluated using stable isotope analyses from growing scapular feathers. Overall T. gondii seroprevalence was 21.0% (IC95% 17.5–24.4). A generalized linear mixed-effects model indicated that year (2009) and food source (freshwater) were risk factors associated to the individual risk of infection by T. gondii, while age (days) was close to significance. Freshwater food origin was related to the highest seroprevalence levels, followed by marine origin, supporting freshwater and sewages as important routes of dispersion of T. gondii. Year differences could indicate fluctuating rates of exposure of seagull chicks to T. gondii. Age ranged from 4 to 30 days and seropositivity tended to increase with age (P = 0.07), supporting that seropositivity is related to T. gondii infection rather than to maternal transfer of antibodies, which in gulls is known to sharply decrease with chick age. This study is the first to report T. gondii antibodies in Yellow-legged and Audouin’s gulls, thereby extending the range of intermediate hosts for this parasite and underscoring the complexity of its epidemiology. PMID:26974667

  16. A Functional Assay for Putative Mouse and Human Definitive Endoderm using Chick Whole-Embryo Cultures

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Johannesson, Martina; Semb, Tor Henrik; Serup, Palle

    2012-01-01

    . Thus, the purpose of this study is to describe a method whereby the in vivo functionality of DE derived from ESCs can be assessed. Methods: By directed differentiation, putative DE was derived from human and mouse ESCs. This putative DE was subsequently transplanted into the endoderm of chick embryos...... to determine any occurrence of integration. Putative DE was analyzed by gene and protein expression prior to transplantation and 48 h post transplantation. Results: Putative DE, derived from mouse and human ESCs, was successfully integrated within the chick endoderm. Endoderm-specific genes were expressed...... result show that putative DE integrates with the chick endoderm and participate in the development of the chicken gut, indicating the generation of functional DE from ESCs. This functional assay can be used to assess the generation of functional DE derived from both human and mouse ESCs and provides...

  17. Determination of endogenous manganese excretion in broiler chicks by an isotope-dilution method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Weigand, E.; Kirchgessner, M.; Kilic, A.

    1988-01-01

    A tracer study with broiler chicks was conducted to determine endogenous Mn excretion in response to graded levels of dietary Mn supply by the isotope-dilution method. Starting with 46 day-old chicks, low-Mn diets were fed for 12 days before 8 chicks were slaughtered for assessing the intial Mn status and 38 chicks each were given an intramuscular injection of 555 kBq 54 Mn. Four groups of six birds each were fed, one bird per cage, diets containing 2.8, 9.1, 25.8, and 59.7 ppm Mn for 16 days before slaughter and carcass analyses. Two groups of 7 birds were fed the diets with 9.1 and 25.8 ppm Mn for 8 days. Mn supply significantly affected 54 Mn excretion activity of distribution among various body organs, especially the liver. The specific activity of Mn in excreta and in whole-body declined exponentially with time and differed between groups. Endogenous Mn in excreta was estimated on the basis that the specific activity of excreta Mn from day 9 to 12 and day 13 to 16 was reflected, on the average, by that of liver Mn on day 10 and 14, respectively. It averaged in the order of increasing Mn supply 12.5 vs. 12.0; 7.7 vs. 8.5; 3.9 vs. 4.3, and 2.0 vs. 2.3% of total excreta Mn. Total Mn excretion from day 9 to 16 averaged 88.9, 95.0, 97.9. and 98.9% of Mn intake. (author)

  18. Metabolism of serine in growing rats and chicks at various dietary protein levels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tanaka, Hideyuki; Yamaguchi, Michio; Kametaka, Masao

    1976-01-01

    The metabolic fate of the carbon skeleton of L-serine-U- 14 C has been investigated, in vivo and in vitro, in growing rats and chicks fed the diets with various protein calories percents (C %) at 410 kcal of metabolizable energy. The incorporation of 14 C into body protein at 12 hr after the injection of serine- 14 C was about 49% of the injected dose in rats fed the 10 or 15 PC% diet, though the value was reduced in rats fed lower and higher protein diets. The 14 CO 2 production was smaller in rats fed the 10 and 15 PC% diet, and it showed an inverse pattern to that of the 14 C incorporation into body protein. Urinary excretion of 14 C was higher in rats fed 10 and higher PC% diets, whose growth rate and net body protein retention were maximum. In contrast to the case of rats, the incorporation of 14 C into body protein of chicks at 6 hr after the injection was rather reduced in the 15 PC% group. The proportion of 14 C excreted as uric acid was remarkably increased above the 10 PC% group, and about 19% of the injected dose was recovered in the 50 PC% group. The catabolic rate of serine in the liver slices of rats and chicks was increased by high protein diets. These results support the concept that the nutritional significance of metabolism of the carbon skeleton of serine in growing rats and chicks is different from each other, especially at high protein diets. (auth.)

  19. Variation in chick-a-dee calls of tufted titmice, Baeolophus bicolor: note type and individual distinctiveness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Owens, Jessica L; Freeberg, Todd M

    2007-08-01

    The chick-a-dee call of chickadee species (genus Poecile) has been the focus of much research. A great deal is known about the structural complexity and the meaning of variation in notes making up calls in these species. However, little is known about the likely homologous "chick-a-dee" call of the closely related tufted titmouse, Baeolophus bicolor. Tufted titmice are a prime candidate for comparative analyses of the call, because their vocal and social systems share many characteristics with those of chickadees. To address the paucity of data on the structure of chick-a-dee calls of tufted titmice, we recorded birds in field and aviary settings. Four main note types were identified in the call: Z, A, D(h), and D notes. Several acoustic parameters of each note type were measured, and statistical analyses revealed that the note types are acoustically distinct from one another. Furthermore, note types vary in the extent of individual distinctiveness reflected in their acoustic parameters. This first step towards understanding the chick-a-dee call of tufted titmice indicates that the call is comparable in structure and complexity to the calls of chickadees.

  20. Comparative study on immunoglobulin Y transfer from breeding hens to egg yolk and progeny chicks in different breeds of poultry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ritu Agrawal

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Aim: This study was undertaken to compare the immunoglobulin Y (IgY level and its efficacy in laying hens of four different breeds of poultry (viz.,Vanraja, Gramapriya, BlackRock, and KalingaBrown and its relative transfer in egg yolk and chick. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted in 48 apparently healthy laying hens vaccinated with Salmonella inactivated polyvalent vaccine, eggs and progeny chicks; 12 each from four different breeds of poultry,viz.,Vanraja, Gramapriya, BlackRock, and KalingaBrown. The methodology included measurement of egg and yolk weight, total protein and IgY in egg yolk, total serum protein and IgY in breeding hens, and progeny chicks and extent of IgY transfer from hens to yolk then to chicks. Further, Salmonella-specific antibodies in breeding hens, egg yolk and progeny chicks were assessed using O and H antigen by tube agglutination test. Results: The egg weight differed nonsignificantly (p>0.05 among breeds, however, breed wise significant variation (p0.05 difference among breed was found in total protein of egg yolk and chick. The IgY concentration in hens, egg yolk and chick was found to be in the range of 5.35±0.63- 5.83±0.65, 2.3±0.1-2.6±0.2, and 1.3±0.11-1.7±0.16 mg/ml, respectively which is uniform and independent of total protein concentration at all the three levels. Significant breed variations were not observed in maternal IgY transfer from breeding hens to chicks and were 25.62±1.42-36.06±4.34% of total IgY in parent flock. Moderate to higher rate of seroprevalence with peak titers of 1:640 against Salmonella-specific antibodies was observed in only 41.6% of breeding hens. Conclusion: No significant difference in the rate of transfer of IgY was observed in four breeds studied (viz.,Vanraja, Gramapriya, BlackRock, and KalingaBrown and moderate seropositivity was detected for Salmonella-specific antibodies in progeny chicks.

  1. Effect of transportation duration of 1-day-old chicks on postplacement production performances and pododermatitis of broilers up to slaughter age.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bergoug, H; Guinebretière, M; Tong, Q; Roulston, N; Romanini, C E B; Exadaktylos, V; Berckmans, D; Garain, P; Demmers, T G M; McGonnell, I M; Bahr, C; Burel, C; Eterradossi, N; Michel, V

    2013-12-01

    This experiment studied the effect of transportation duration of 1-d-old chicks on dehydration, mortality, production performance, and pododermatitis during the growout period. Eggs from the same breeder flock (Ross PM3) were collected at 35, 45, and 56 wk of age, for 3 successive identical experiments. In each experiment, newly hatched chicks received 1 of 3 transportation duration treatments from the hatchery before placement in the on-site rearing facility: no transportation corresponding to direct placement in less than 5 min (T00), or 4 (T04) or 10 h (T10) of transportation. The chicks were housed in 35-m(2) pens (650 birds each) and reared until 35 d old. Hematocrit and chick BW were measured on sample chicks before and after transportation. During the growout period, bird weight, feed uptake, and feed conversion ratio were measured weekly until slaughter. Transportation duration affected BW; T00 groups had a significantly higher BW than T04 and T10 transported birds but this effect lasted only until d 21. No clear effect on hematocrit, feed uptake, feed conversion ratio, or mortality was observed for birds transported up to 10 h. The decrease in weight in T10 birds was associated with less severe pododermatitis. Increasing age of the breeder flock was correlated with reduced egg fertility and hatchability, and also with higher quality and BW of hatched chicks. Chicks from older breeders also exhibited reduced mortality during the growout period.

  2. Endogenous hydrogen peroxide production in the epithelium of the developing embryonic lens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Basu, Subhasree; Rajakaruna, Suren; Dickinson, Bryan C; Chang, Christopher J; Menko, A Sue

    2014-01-01

    Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is an endogenously produced reactive oxygen species (ROS) present in a variety of mammalian systems. This particular ROS can play dichotomous roles, being beneficial in some cases and deleterious in others, which reflects the level and location of H2O2 production. While much is known about the redox regulation of ROS by antioxidant and repair systems in the lens, little is known about the endogenous production of H2O2 in embryonic lens tissue or the physiologic relevance of endogenous H2O2 to lens development. This gap in knowledge exists primarily from a lack of reagents that can specifically detect endogenous H2O2 in the intact lens. Here, using a recently developed chemoselective fluorescent boronate probe, peroxyfluor-6 acetoxymethyl ester (PF6-AM), which selectively detects H2O2 over related ROS, we examined the endogenous H2O2 signals in the embryonic lens. Embryonic day 10 chick whole lenses in ex vivo organ culture and lens epithelial cells in primary culture were loaded with the H2O2 probe PF6-AM. To determine the relationship between localization of mitochondria with active membrane potential and the region of H2O2 production in the lens, cells were exposed to the mitochondrial probe MitoTracker Red CMXRos together with PF6-AM. Diphenyleneiodonium (DPI), a flavin inhibitor that blocks generation of intracellular ROS production, was used to confirm that the signal from PF6-AM was due to endogenous ROS production. All imaging was performed by live confocal microscopy. PF6-AM detected endogenous H2O2 in lens epithelial cells in whole lenses in ex vivo culture and in lens epithelial cells grown in primary culture. No endogenous H2O2 signal could be detected in differentiating lens fiber cells with this probe. Treatment with DPI markedly attenuated the fluorescence signal from the peroxide-specific probe PF6-AM in the lens epithelium, suggesting that basal generation of ROS occurs in this region. The lens epithelial cells producing an

  3. Hippocampus and medial striatum dissociation during goal navigation by geometry or features in the domestic chick: An immediate early gene study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mayer, Uwe; Pecchia, Tommaso; Bingman, Verner Peter; Flore, Michele; Vallortigara, Giorgio

    2016-01-01

    We employed a standard reference memory task to study the involvement of the hippocampal formation (HF) of domestic chicks that used the boundary geometry of a test environment to orient to and locate a reward. Using the immediate early gene product c-Fos as a neuronal activity marker, we found enhanced HF activation in chicks that learned to locate rewarded corners using the shape of a rectangular arena compared to chicks trained to solve the task by discriminating local features in a square-shaped arena. We also analyzed neuronal activity in the medial part of the medial striatum (mMSt). Surprisingly, in mMSt we observed a reverse pattern, with higher activity in the chicks that were trained to locate the goal by local features. Our results identify two seemingly parallel, memory systems in chicks, with HF central to the processing of spatial-geometrical information and mMSt important in supporting local feature discrimination. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  4. Validating growth and development of a seabird as an indicator of food availability: captive-reared Caspian Tern chicks fed ad libitum and restricted diets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lyons, Donald E.; Roby, Daniel D.

    2011-01-01

    For seabirds raising young under conditions of limited food availability, reducing chick provisioning and chick growth rates are the primary means available to avoid abandonment of a breeding effort. For most seabirds, however, baseline data characterizing chick growth and development under known feeding conditions are unavailable, so it is difficult to evaluate chick nutritional status as it relates to foraging conditions near breeding colonies. To address this need, we examined the growth and development of young Caspian Terns (Hydroprogne caspia), a cosmopolitan, generalist piscivore, reared in captivity and fed ad libitum and restricted (ca. one-third lower caloric intake) diets. Ad libitum-fed chicks grew at similar rates and achieved a similar size at fledging as previously documented for chicks in the wild and had energetic demands that closely matched allometric predictions. We identified three general characteristics of food-restricted Caspian Tern chicks compared to ad libitum chicks: (1) lower age-specific body mass, (2) lower age-specific skeletal and feather size, such as wing chord length, and (3) heightened levels of corticosterone in blood, both for baseline levels and in response to acute stress. Effects of diet restriction on feather growth (10-11% slower growth in diet-restricted chicks) were less pronounced than effects on structural growth (37-52% slower growth) and body mass (24% lower at fledging age), apparently due to preferential allocation of food resources to maintain plumage growth. Our results suggest that measurements of chick body mass and feather development (e.g., wing chord or primary length) or measurement of corticosterone levels in the blood would allow useful evaluation of the nutritional status of chicks reared in the wild and of food availability in the foraging range of adults. Such evaluations could also inform demography studies (e.g., predict future recruitment) and assist in evaluating designated piscivorous waterbird

  5. Study on the abnormal morphogenesis of the arterial end of the heart induced by neutron irradiation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hidaka, N [Hiroshima Univ. (Japan). Research Inst. for Nuclear Medicine and Biology

    1980-02-01

    Transposition complexes of the great arteries were frequently produced in rat embryonic hearts whose mothers were exposed to a single whole-body dose of 130 rad 14.1 MeV fast neutron radiation on 8 day after conception. To clarify the morphogenesis of transposition complexes, especially double outlet right ventricle (DORV), embryonic rat hearts were serially sectioned and were reconstructed photographically 13 to 16 days after conception, when truncal swelling, intercalated valve swelling, and conical ridges appeared. In the control group, all the hearts had a normal D (dextral) loop. In the experimental group, 82.6% of the hearts had a D loop, 11.3% had an L (levo) loop, and 5.9% had an A (anterior) loop. In this group, the D loop hearts were divided into normal, retarded, and abnormal. Most of the retarded hearts developed into abnormal hearts. The positional relationships between experimentally produced swelling and ridges are classified. Morphologic anomalies are formed in the truncoconal region and correspond to the site of and the quantitative changes of the swelling and ridges. Abnormality in the position and extent of the swelling and ridges is the most important characteristic in the morphogenesis of transposition complexes. The second most important characteristic is abnormality in the time of appearance and the extent and site of cell death in the conical septum. DORV is embryologically divided into two types: a type in which the great arteries are normally related and a type in which they are inversely related. The developmental process of the DORV is entirely different from that of the complete transposition of the great arteries.

  6. Lipid synthesis in the aorta of chick and other species

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rao, A.R.

    1976-01-01

    The relative rate of fatty acid biosynthesis from labelled acetate in the adipose tissue of chicken is much lower than that in the rat (O'Hea and Leveille, 1968). To determine similar species differences in lipid synthesis in the aortas of cock, rat, rabbit and monkey, thoracic and abdominal segments of fresh aortas were incubated in vitro with (1- 14 C)-acetate for 3 h. Total lipids and their fractions (free and total cholesterol, free fatty acids, triglycerides and phospholipids) were counted for radioactivity. Incorporation of radioactivity into total as well as all classes of lipids was several times greater in chicken than in other species. Significant and consistent incorporation into cholesterol occurred only in chicks. Synthesis into total lipids and triglycerides was greater in the thoracic segment of chicks. These findings (Rao and Rao, 1968) are consistent with the ready susceptibility of chicken to atherosclerosis. (author)

  7. Tissue-specific expression and regulation by 1,25(OH)2D3 of chick protein kinase inhibitor (PKI) mRNA.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marchetto, G S; Henry, H L

    1997-02-01

    The heat-stable protein kinase inhibitor (PKI) protein is a specific and potent competitive inhibitor of the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA). Previously, it has been shown that vitamin D status affects chick kidney PKI activity: a 5- to 10-fold increase in PKI activity was observed in kidneys of chronically vitamin D-deficient chicks and treatment with 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25[OH]2D3) in cultured kidney cells resulted in a 95% decrease in PKI activity. The authors have recently cloned the cDNA for chick kidney PKI and have used the coding sequence to study the regulation of PKI mRNA. Northern analysis showed the expression of two PKI messages, which are 2.7 and 3.3 kb in size. These mRNAs are expressed in brain, muscle, testis, and kidney, but not in pancreas, liver, or intestine. PKI mRNA steady-state levels are downregulated by 47% in kidneys from vitamin D-replete chicks as compared to vitamin D-deficient chicks. PKI mRNA levels in brain, muscle, and testis are not affected by vitamin D status. Treatment of primary chick kidney cultures treated with 10(-7) M 1,25(OH)2D3 for 24h resulted in a 20-30% decrease in PKI mRNA. 1,25(OH)2D3 treatment does not affect the stability of PKI mRNA as determined by treatment of cell cultures with actinomycin D. This study shows that 1,25(OH)2D3 directly and tissue-specifically downregulates PKI mRNA in the chick kidney.

  8. Utilization of supplemental methionine sources by primary cultures of chick hepatocytes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dibner, J.J.

    1983-01-01

    Utilization of 2-hydroxy-4-(methylthio) butanoic acid (HMB) as a substrate for protein synthesis was studied by using primary cultures of chick liver cells. Cultures were prepared by enzymatic dissociation of livers from week old Hubbard broiler chicks and were maintained for 4 days under nonproliferative conditions. Hepatocyte differentiation was verified by using dexamethasone induction of tyrosine aminotransferase activity. Conversion of [14C]HMB to L-methionine was shown by chromatographic analysis of hepatocyte protein hydrolysate and incorporation into protein was proven by cycloheximide inhibition of synthesis. When incorporation of HMB was compared to that of DL-methionine (DLM) equimolar quantities of the two sources were found in liver cell protein. These results support, at a cellular level, the conclusion that HMB and DLM are biochemically equivalent sources of methionine for protein synthesis

  9. Influence of Dietary Fat Source on Growth Performance Responses and Carcass Traits of Broiler Chicks

    OpenAIRE

    Mohammadreza Poorghasemi; Alireza Seidavi; Ali Ahmad Alaw Qotbi; Vito Laudadio; Vincenzo Tufarelli

    2013-01-01

    This study was conducted to determine the effects of three different fat sources and their combination on growth performance, carcass traits and intestinal measurements of broiler chickens reared to 42 d of age. Two hundred day-old male broiler chicks (Ross 308) were randomly assigned to one of five treatments with four replicates of 10 chicks based on a completely randomized design. The dietary treatments consisted of 4% added fat from three different sources and their combination as follows...

  10. A Circadian Clock Gene, Cry, Affects Heart Morphogenesis and Function in Drosophila as Revealed by Optical Coherence Microscopy.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aneesh Alex

    Full Text Available Circadian rhythms are endogenous, entrainable oscillations of physical, mental and behavioural processes in response to local environmental cues such as daylight, which are present in the living beings, including humans. Circadian rhythms have been related to cardiovascular function and pathology. However, the role that circadian clock genes play in heart development and function in a whole animal in vivo are poorly understood. The Drosophila cryptochrome (dCry is a circadian clock gene that encodes a major component of the circadian clock negative feedback loop. Compared to the embryonic stage, the relative expression levels of dCry showed a significant increase (>100-fold in Drosophila during the pupa and adult stages. In this study, we utilized an ultrahigh resolution optical coherence microscopy (OCM system to perform non-invasive and longitudinal analysis of functional and morphological changes in the Drosophila heart throughout its post-embryonic lifecycle for the first time. The Drosophila heart exhibited major morphological and functional alterations during its development. Notably, heart rate (HR and cardiac activity period (CAP of Drosophila showed significant variations during the pupa stage, when heart remodeling took place. From the M-mode (2D + time OCM images, cardiac structural and functional parameters of Drosophila at different developmental stages were quantitatively determined. In order to study the functional role of dCry on Drosophila heart development, we silenced dCry by RNAi in the Drosophila heart and mesoderm, and quantitatively measured heart morphology and function in those flies throughout its development. Silencing of dCry resulted in slower HR, reduced CAP, smaller heart chamber size, pupal lethality and disrupted posterior segmentation that was related to increased expression of a posterior compartment protein, wingless. Collectively, our studies provided novel evidence that the circadian clock gene, dCry, plays

  11. A Circadian Clock Gene, Cry, Affects Heart Morphogenesis and Function in Drosophila as Revealed by Optical Coherence Microscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zeng, Xianxu; Tate, Rebecca E.; McKee, Mary L.; Capen, Diane E.; Zhang, Zhan; Tanzi, Rudolph E.; Zhou, Chao

    2015-01-01

    Circadian rhythms are endogenous, entrainable oscillations of physical, mental and behavioural processes in response to local environmental cues such as daylight, which are present in the living beings, including humans. Circadian rhythms have been related to cardiovascular function and pathology. However, the role that circadian clock genes play in heart development and function in a whole animal in vivo are poorly understood. The Drosophila cryptochrome (dCry) is a circadian clock gene that encodes a major component of the circadian clock negative feedback loop. Compared to the embryonic stage, the relative expression levels of dCry showed a significant increase (>100-fold) in Drosophila during the pupa and adult stages. In this study, we utilized an ultrahigh resolution optical coherence microscopy (OCM) system to perform non-invasive and longitudinal analysis of functional and morphological changes in the Drosophila heart throughout its post-embryonic lifecycle for the first time. The Drosophila heart exhibited major morphological and functional alterations during its development. Notably, heart rate (HR) and cardiac activity period (CAP) of Drosophila showed significant variations during the pupa stage, when heart remodeling took place. From the M-mode (2D + time) OCM images, cardiac structural and functional parameters of Drosophila at different developmental stages were quantitatively determined. In order to study the functional role of dCry on Drosophila heart development, we silenced dCry by RNAi in the Drosophila heart and mesoderm, and quantitatively measured heart morphology and function in those flies throughout its development. Silencing of dCry resulted in slower HR, reduced CAP, smaller heart chamber size, pupal lethality and disrupted posterior segmentation that was related to increased expression of a posterior compartment protein, wingless. Collectively, our studies provided novel evidence that the circadian clock gene, dCry, plays an essential

  12. AUGMENTATIVE EFFECT OF PROSTAGLANDIN E1 ON PENTOBARBITAL HYPNOSIS MEDIATED BY 5-HT IN CHICKS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Amalendu Chanda

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Prostaglandins (PG are present in different tissues specially in brain tissues endowed with different central nervous system activities. Similarly, 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT a biogenic amine with its presence in different central and peripheral tissues as neurotransmitter plays an important role in the regulation of physiological functions specially hypnosis, convulsions, analgesia in rats, mice, cats and chicks etc. Pentobarbitone (PB induced sleep appear to be a serotonergic modulator activity in different animals. PGE1 potentiates the pentobarbitone hypnosis also mediated through serotonin. In the present study, PGE1 induced sleeping time in chicks was evaluated. Drugs affecting 5-HT synthesis, metabolism and receptor activity modulate the potentiating response, while adrenergic receptor antagonists did not showed any response. This study suggest that PGE1 potentiate PB induced sleep through serotonergic signaling pathway as PGE1 increased 5-HT synthesis rate in chick brain.

  13. Catching-up but telomere loss: half-opening the black box of growth and ageing trade-off in wild king penguin chicks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Geiger, Sylvie; Le Vaillant, Maryline; Lebard, Thomas; Reichert, Sophie; Stier, Antoine; LE Maho, Yvon; Criscuolo, Francois

    2012-03-01

    One of the reasons for animals not to grow as fast as they potentially could is that fast growth has been shown to be associated with reduced lifespan. However, we are still lacking a clear description of the reality of growth-dependent modulation of ageing mechanisms in wild animals. Using the particular growth trajectory of small king penguin chicks naturally exhibiting higher-than-normal growth rate to compensate for the winter break, we tested whether oxidative stress and telomere shortening are related to growth trajectories. Plasma antioxidant defences, oxidative damage levels and telomere length were measured at the beginning and at the end of the post-winter growth period in three groups of chicks (small chicks, which either passed away or survived the growth period, and large chicks). Small chicks that died early during the growth period had the highest level of oxidative damage and the shortest telomere lengths prior to death. Here, we show that small chicks that grew faster did it at the detriment of body maintenance mechanisms as shown by (i) higher oxidative damage and (ii) accelerated telomere loss. Our study provides the first evidence for a mechanistic link between growth and ageing rates under natural conditions. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  14. Imidacloprid Exposure Suppresses Neural Crest Cells Generation during Early Chick Embryo Development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Chao-Jie; Wang, Guang; Wang, Xiao-Yu; Liu, Meng; Chuai, Manli; Lee, Kenneth Ka Ho; He, Xiao-Song; Lu, Da-Xiang; Yang, Xuesong

    2016-06-15

    Imidacloprid is a neonicotinoid pesticide that is widely used in the control pests found on crops and fleas on pets. However, it is still unclear whether imidacloprid exposure could affect early embryo development-despite some studies having been conducted on the gametes. In this study, we demonstrated that imidacloprid exposure could lead to abnormal craniofacial osteogenesis in the developing chick embryo. Cranial neural crest cells (NCCs) are the progenitor cells of the chick cranial skull. We found that the imidacloprid exposure retards the development of gastrulating chick embryos. HNK-1, PAX7, and Ap-2α immunohistological stainings indicated that cranial NCCs generation was inhibited after imidacloprid exposure. Double immunofluorescent staining (Ap-2α and PHIS3 or PAX7 and c-Caspase3) revealed that imidacloprid exposure inhibited both NCC proliferation and apoptosis. In addition, it inhibited NCCs production by repressing Msx1 and BMP4 expression in the developing neural tube and by altering expression of EMT-related adhesion molecules (Cad6B, E-Cadherin, and N-cadherin) in the developing neural crests. We also determined that imidacloprid exposure suppressed cranial NCCs migration and their ability to differentiate. In sum, we have provided experimental evidence that imidacloprid exposure during embryogenesis disrupts NCCs development, which in turn causes defective cranial bone development.

  15. Application of high-performance liquid chromatography to the determination of glyoxylate synthesis in chick embryo liver.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qureshi, A A; Elson, C E; Lebeck, L A

    1982-11-19

    The isolation and identification of three major alpha-keto end products (glyoxylate, pyruvate, alpha-ketoglutarate) of the isocitrate lyase reaction in 18-day chick embryo liver have been described. This was accomplished by the separation of these alpha-keto acids as their 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazones (DNPHs) by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The DNPHs of alpha-keto acids were eluted with an isocratic solvent system of methanol-water-acetic acid (60:38.5:1.5) containing 5 mM tetrabutylammonium phosphate from a reversed-phase ultrasphere C18 (IP) and from a radial compression C18 column. The separation can be completed on the radial compression column within 15-20 min as compared to 30-40 min with a conventional reversed-phase column. Retention times and peak areas were integrated for both the assay samples and reference compounds. A relative measure of alpha-keto acid in the peak was calculated by comparison with the standard. The identification of each peak was done on the basis of retention time matching, co-chromatography with authentic compounds, and stopped flow UV-VIS scanning between 240 and 440 nm. Glyoxylate represented 5% of the total product of the isocitrate lyase reaction. Day 18 parallels the peak period of embryonic hepatic glycogenesis which occurs at a time when the original egg glucose reserve has been depleted.

  16. Economic Impacts of White Chick Syndrome in Ontario, Canada.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Long, Kathleen E; Hastie, Gordon M; Ojkić, Davor; Brash, Marina L

    2017-09-01

    A cluster of 12 cases of White Chick Syndrome (WCS) in broiler breeder flocks producing affected progeny occurred from June to November 2015 in two broiler chicken hatcheries owned by a single company in Ontario, Canada. Cases were identified by the presence of typical chicks in the hatchery characterized by pale to white down, enlarged abdomens, and occasionally brown wiry fluff on the dorsum of the neck that were generally weak. Affected broiler breeder flocks experienced egg production drops of 0% to 15% and hatchability drops of 1.8% to 49.1%. Some flocks experienced increased feed clean-up duration and/or reduced hatching egg weight. The financial impacts of WCS to affected hatching egg producers averaged $5,912 CAD (US$4,417) per 10 000 hens and were as great as $16,788 CAD (US$12,544) per 10 000 hens. The financial impacts of WCS to the affected hatcheries averaged $1,723 CAD (US$1,287) per 10 000 broiler breeder hens and were as great as $4,096 (US$3,060) per 10 000 hens.

  17. Biomechanical regulation of in vitro cardiogenesis for tissue-engineered heart repair.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zimmermann, Wolfram-Hubertus

    2013-01-01

    The heart is a continuously pumping organ with an average lifespan of eight decades. It develops from the onset of embryonic cardiogenesis under biomechanical load, performs optimally within a defined range of hemodynamic load, and fails if acutely or chronically overloaded. Unloading of the heart leads to defective cardiogenesis in utero, but can also lead to a desired therapeutic outcome (for example, in patients with heart failure under left ventricular assist device therapy). In light of the well-documented relevance of mechanical loading for cardiac physiology and pathology, it is plausible that tissue engineers have integrated mechanical stimulation regimens into protocols for heart muscle construction. To achieve optimal results, physiological principles of beat-to-beat myocardial loading and unloading should be simulated. In addition, heart muscle engineering, in particular if based on pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes, may benefit from staggered tonic loading protocols to simulate viscoelastic properties of the prenatal and postnatal myocardial stroma. This review will provide an overview of heart muscle mechanics, summarize observations on the role of mechanical loading for heart development and postnatal performance, and discuss how physiological loading regimens can be exploited to advance myocardial tissue engineering towards a therapeutic application.

  18. Chicks prefer to peck at insect-like elongated stimuli moving in a direction orthogonal to their longer axis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clara, Elena; Regolin, Lucia; Vallortigara, Giorgio; Rogers, Lesley J

    2009-11-01

    Spontaneous preferences towards possible prey have been little investigated using targets in motion. Preferences of domestic chicks (Gallus gallus) to peck at video-images of stimuli representing live insects moving along their longer body axis (i.e. "forwards") or along the shorter body axis (i.e. "sideways") were investigated. Chicks presented with both types of stimulus displayed a significant preference for pecking at stimuli moving sideways. This preference was already present on day 1 post-hatching, and it strengthened on day 6 for those chicks that had experienced pecking at live insects. Head angles used to fixate the stimuli prior to pecking were also analysed and were consistent (i.e. 30 degrees -35 degrees and 60 degrees -65 degrees ) with those reported for fixation of non-edible targets (larger stimuli at a distance). In a first control experiment the same video-presented stimuli were used but the insect's legs were removed to reduce flickering. In a second control experiment, paper-printed images of the whole insect were used. In both cases, the sideways direction of movement was clearly preferred. Overall, our data show that chicks have a spontaneous preference to peck at video-images resembling live insects moving along their shorter body axis. Sideways movement may constitute a crucial signal attracting chicks' attention and enhancing predatory responses possibly because of stronger stimulation of motion detectors.

  19. Behavioral and physiological responses to male handicap in chick-rearing black-legged kittiwakes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leclaire, S.; Bourret, V.; Wagner, R.H.; Hatch, Shyla A.; Helfenstein, F.; Chastel, O.; Danchin, E.

    2011-01-01

    Parental investment entails a trade-off between the benefits of effort in current offspring and the costs to future reproduction. Long-lived species are predicted to be reluctant to increase parental effort to avoid affecting their survival. We tested this hypothesis in black-legged kittiwakes Rissa tridactyla by clipping flight feathers of experimental males at the beginning of the chick-rearing period. We analyzed the consequences of this handicap on feeding and attendance behavior, body condition, integument coloration, and circulating levels of corticosterone and prolactin in handicapped males and their mates in comparison to unmanipulated controls. Chicks in both groups were compared in terms of aggressive behavior, growth, and mortality. Handicapped males lost more mass, had less bright integuments, and attended the nest less often than controls. Nevertheless, they fed their chicks at the same rate and had similar corticosterone and prolactin levels. Compared with control females, females mated with handicapped males showed a lower provisioning rate and higher nest attendance in the first days after manipulation. Their lower feeding rate probably triggered the increased sibling aggression and mortality observed in experimental broods. Our findings suggest that experimental females adaptively adjusted their effort to their mate's perceived quality or that their provisioning was constrained by their higher nest attendance. Overall, our results suggest that kittiwake males can decrease their condition for the sake of their chicks, which seems to contradict the hypothesis that kittiwakes should be reluctant to increase parental effort to avoid affecting their survival. ?? 2011 The Author. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Society for Behavioral Ecology. All rights reserved.

  20. Melatonin modulates monochromatic light-induced melatonin receptor expression in the hypothalamus of chicks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Liwei; Chen, Funing; Cao, Jing; Dong, Yulan; Wang, Zixu; Chen, Yaoxing

    2017-09-01

    To study the mechanism of the effect of monochromatic light on physiological function in chicken, a total of 192 newly hatched chicks were randomly divided into intact, sham-operated and pinealectomy groups then exposed to white light (WL), red light (RL), green light (GL) and blue light (BL) using a light-emitting diode (LED) system for two weeks. At P14, the hypothalami were immediately collected for immunohistochemical staining of melatonin receptor subtypes (Mel1a and Mel1b) and detection of Mel1a and Mel1b expressions using RT-PCR and western blot. Immunohistochemical staining of the hypothalamus showed that the Mel1a-ir cells were distributed in the preoptic area (POA), nucleus preopticus periventricularis (POP) and suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN), and the Mel1b-ir cells were presented in the POA and SCN. Analysis of RT-PCR and western blot showed that the mRNA and protein levels of Mel1a and Mel1b in the hypothalamus of chick exposed to GL were increased by 10.7-29.3%, 9.18-35.9% and 8.97-27.3% compared to those in the chicks exposed to WL (P=0.029-0.002), RL (P=0.027-0.001) and BL (P=0.038-0.007) in the intact group, respectively. After pinealectomy, however, these parameters decreased and there were no significant differences among the WL, RL, GL and BL groups. These findings suggested that melatonin plays a critical role in GL illumination-enhanced Mel1a and Mel1b expressions in the hypothalamus of chicks. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  1. Development of receptors for insulin and insulin-like growth factor-I in head and brain of chick embryos: Autoradiographic localization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bassas, L.; Girbau, M.; Lesniak, M.A.; Roth, J.; de Pablo, F.

    1989-01-01

    In whole brain of chick embryos insulin receptors are highest at the end of embryonic development, while insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) receptors dominate in the early stages. These studies provided evidence for developmental regulation of both types of receptors, but they did not provide information on possible differences between brain regions at each developmental stage or within one region at different embryonic ages. We have now localized the specific binding of [125I]insulin and [125I]IGF-I in sections of head and brain using autoradiography and computer-assisted densitometric analysis. Embryos have been studied from the latter part of organogenesis (days 6 and 12) through late development (day 18, i.e. 3 days before hatching), and the binding patterns have been compared with those in the adult brain. At all ages the binding of both ligands was to discrete anatomical regions. Interestingly, while in late embryos and adult brain the patterns of [125I]insulin and [125I] IGF-I binding were quite distinct, in young embryos both ligands showed very similar localization of binding. In young embryos the retina and lateral wall of the growing encephalic vesicles had the highest binding of both [125I]insulin and [125I]IGF-I. In older embryos, as in the adult brain, insulin binding was high in the paleostriatum augmentatum and molecular layer of the cerebellum, while IGF-I binding was prominent in the hippocampus and neostriatum. The mapping of receptors in a vertebrate embryo model from early prenatal development until adulthood predicts great overlap in any possible function of insulin and IGF-I in brain development, while it anticipates differential localized actions of the peptides in the mature brain

  2. One day-old chicks transport: Assessment of thermal profile in a tropical region

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aérica C. Nazareno

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study was to assess the thermal profile of truck with different levels of box placement during one day-old chicks transport. An experiment was conducted through monitoring of 11 transport loads. A acclimatized truck was used in this research, with maximum capacity of 630 one day-old chicks boxes, totalizing 63,000 animals. The assessment of thermal environment was performed in 5 min intervals, through the following variables: temperature, relative humidity and specific enthalpy. The treatments were registered at two levels of the load (first rack and floor where 17 data loggers were distributed throughout the truck. The experiment used a completely randomized design and geostatistics was used for spatial dependency and Kriging interpolation. The microclimatic conditions of the truck were not as per recommended values, which confirm a heterogeneous distribution of heat and moisture in environment. Regarding the box positioning, the mean values of thermal variables associated with thermal comfort of one day-old chicks was found in the floor area. The most stressful environment for birds inside the truck was located in front and at the center of the truck.

  3. Foraging Habitat and Chick Diets of Roseate Tern, Sterna dougallii, Breeding on Country Island, Nova Scotia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jennifer C. Rock

    2007-06-01

    Full Text Available Breeding seabirds are threatened by human activities that affect nesting and foraging habitat. In Canada, one of the seabirds most at risk of extirpation is the Roseate Tern, Sterna dougallii. Although critical nesting habitat has been identified for the Roseate Tern in Canada, its foraging locations and the diet of its chicks are unknown. Therefore, our goal was to determine the foraging locations and diet of chicks of Roseate Tern breeding on Country Island, Nova Scotia, which is one of Canada's two main breeding colonies. In 2003 and 2004, we radio-tracked the Roseate Tern by plane to locate foraging areas and conducted feeding watches to determine the diet of chicks. Roseate Tern foraged approximately 7 km from the breeding colony over shallow water < 5 m deep. In both years, sand lance, Ammodytes spp., was the most common prey item delivered to chicks, followed by hake, Urophycis spp. Our results are consistent with previous work at colonies in the northeastern United States, suggesting that throughout its range, this species may be restricted in both habitat use and prey selection. The reliance on a specific habitat type and narrow range of prey species makes the Roseate Tern generally susceptible to habitat perturbations and reductions in the availability of prey.

  4. Retinoic Acid-Induced Epidermal Transdifferentiation in Skin

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yoshihiro Akimoto

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Retinoids function as important regulatory signaling molecules during development, acting in cellular growth and differentiation both during embryogenesis and in the adult animal. In 1953, Fell and Mellanby first found that excess vitamin A can induce transdifferentiation of chick embryonic epidermis to a mucous epithelium (Fell, H.B.; Mellanby, E. Metaplasia produced in cultures of chick ectoderm by high vitamin A. J. Physiol. 1953, 119, 470–488. However, the molecular mechanism of this transdifferentiation process was unknown for a long time. Recent studies demonstrated that Gbx1, a divergent homeobox gene, is one of the target genes of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA for this transdifferentiation. Furthermore, it was found that ATRA can induce the epidermal transdifferentiation into a mucosal epithelium in mammalian embryonic skin, as well as in chick embryonic skin. In the mammalian embryonic skin, the co-expression of Tgm2 and Gbx1 in the epidermis and an increase in TGF-β2 expression elicited by ATRA in the dermis are required for the mucosal transdifferentiation, which occurs through epithelial-mesenchymal interaction. Not only does retinoic acid (RA play an important role in mucosal transdifferentiation, periderm desquamation, and barrier formation in the developing mammalian skin, but it is also involved in hair follicle downgrowth and bending by its effect on the Wnt/β-catenin pathway and on members of the Runx, Fox, and Sox transcription factor families.

  5. Organic and inorganic selenium in Aseel chicken diets: Effect on hatching traits.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khan, M T; Mahmud, A; Zahoor, I; Javed, K

    2017-05-01

    A study was conducted to evaluate the effect of dietary selenium (Se) sources (organic and inorganic Se at 0.30 ppm and basal diet at 0 ppm level of supplemented Se) on hatching traits in four varieties of Aseel chicken, Lakha, Mushki, Peshawari, and Mianwali. In total, 84 adult molted hens (50 wk old), 21 from each variety, were randomly assigned to 12 treatment groups in a 3 (Se diets) × 4 (Aseel varieties) factorial arrangement under a randomized complete block design. Each treatment was replicated 7 times with individual hens in each. Settable egg, fertility, hatch of fertile eggs, hatchability, A-grade chick, and embryonic mortality parameters were evaluated. The results indicated that the birds fed an organic Se supplemented diet had greater (P < 0.05) settable eggs, fertility, hatch of fertile eggs, hatchability, and A-grade chicks and reduced embryonic mortality than those fed inorganic or no Se. Among varieties, Mushki had lower (P < 0.05) fertility, hatch of fertile eggs, hatchability, and A-grade chicks than rest of three varieties. Interaction of Se sources and varieties indicated that dietary organic Se supplementation improved (P < 0.05) hatch of fertile eggs in Peshawari and Mianwali, whereas hatchability only in Peshawari variety and reduced embryonic mortality in Mianwali. It was concluded that dietary supplementation of organic Se could be used to improve hatching traits as well as reduce embryonic mortality in native Aseel chicken. © 2016 Poultry Science Association Inc.

  6. Ex Ovo Model for Directly Visualizing Chick Embryo Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dorrell, Michael I.; Marcacci, Michael; Bravo, Stephen; Kurz, Troy; Tremblay, Jacob; Rusing, Jack C.

    2012-01-01

    We describe a technique for removing and growing chick embryos in culture that utilizes relatively inexpensive materials and requires little space. It can be readily performed in class by university, high school, or junior high students, and teachers of any grade level should be able to set it up for their students. Students will be able to…

  7. Systematic assessment of blood circulation time of functionalized upconversion nanoparticles in the chick embryo

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nadort, Annemarie; Liang, Liuen; Grebenik, Ekaterina; Guller, Anna; Lu, Yiqing; Qian, Yi; Goldys, Ewa; Zvyagin, Andrei

    2015-12-01

    Nanoparticle-based delivery of drugs and contrast agents holds great promise in cancer research, because of the increased delivery efficiency compared to `free' drugs and dyes. A versatile platform to investigate nanotechnology is the chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane tumour model, due to its availability (easy, cheap) and accessibility (interventions, imaging). In our group, we developed this model using several tumour cell lines (e.g. breast cancer, colon cancer). In addition, we have synthesized in-house silica coated photoluminescent upconversion nanoparticles with several functional groups (COOH, NH2, PEG). In this work we will present the systematic assessment of their in vivo blood circulation times. To this end, we injected chick embryos grown ex ovo with the functionalized UCNPs and obtained a small amount of blood at several time points after injection to create blood smears The UCNP signal from the blood smears was quantified using a modified inverted microscope imaging set-up. The results of this systematic study are valuable to optimize biochemistry protocols and guide nanomedicine advancement in the versatile chick embryo tumour model.

  8. Mom's shadow: structure-from-motion in newly hatched chicks as revealed by an imprinting procedure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mascalzoni, Elena; Regolin, Lucia; Vallortigara, Giorgio

    2009-03-01

    The ability to recognize three-dimensional objects from two-dimensional (2-D) displays was investigated in domestic chicks, focusing on the role of the object's motion. In Experiment 1 newly hatched chicks, imprinted on a three-dimensional (3-D) object, were allowed to choose between the shadows of the familiar object and of an object never seen before. In Experiments 2 and 3 random-dot displays were used to produce the perception of a solid shape only when set in motion. Overall, the results showed that domestic chicks were able to recognize familiar shapes from 2-D motion stimuli. It is likely that similar general mechanisms underlying the perception of structure-from-motion and the extraction of 3-D information are shared by humans and animals. The present data shows that they occur similarly in birds as known for mammals, two separate vertebrate classes; this possibly indicates a common phylogenetic origin of these processes.

  9. Evolution and development of ventricular septation in the amniote heart.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robert E Poelmann

    Full Text Available During cardiogenesis the epicardium, covering the surface of the myocardial tube, has been ascribed several functions essential for normal heart development of vertebrates from lampreys to mammals. We investigated a novel function of the epicardium in ventricular development in species with partial and complete septation. These species include reptiles, birds and mammals. Adult turtles, lizards and snakes have a complex ventricle with three cava, partially separated by the horizontal and vertical septa. The crocodilians, birds and mammals with origins some 100 million years apart, however, have a left and right ventricle that are completely separated, being a clear example of convergent evolution. In specific embryonic stages these species show similarities in development, prompting us to investigate the mechanisms underlying epicardial involvement. The primitive ventricle of early embryos becomes septated by folding and fusion of the anterior ventricular wall, trapping epicardium in its core. This folding septum develops as the horizontal septum in reptiles and the anterior part of the interventricular septum in the other taxa. The mechanism of folding is confirmed using DiI tattoos of the ventricular surface. Trapping of epicardium-derived cells is studied by transplanting embryonic quail pro-epicardial organ into chicken hosts. The effect of decreased epicardium involvement is studied in knock-out mice, and pro-epicardium ablated chicken, resulting in diminished and even absent septum formation. Proper folding followed by diminished ventricular fusion may explain the deep interventricular cleft observed in elephants. The vertical septum, although indistinct in most reptiles except in crocodilians and pythonidsis apparently homologous to the inlet septum. Eventually the various septal components merge to form the completely septated heart. In our attempt to discover homologies between the various septum components we aim to elucidate the

  10. Secondary chondrocyte-derived Ihh stimulates proliferation of periosteal cells during chick development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buxton, Paul G; Hall, Brian; Archer, Charles W; Francis-West, Philippa

    2003-10-01

    The development of the skull is characterised by its dependence upon epigenetic influences. One of the most important of these is secondary chondrogenesis, which occurs following ossification within certain membrane bone periostea, as a result of biomechanical articulation. We have studied the genesis, character and function of the secondary chondrocytes of the quadratojugal of the chick between embryonic days 11 and 14. Analysis of gene expression revealed that secondary chondrocytes formed coincident with Sox9 upregulation from a precursor population expressing Cbfa1/Runx2: a reversal of the normal sequence. Such secondary chondrocytes rapidly acquired a phenotype that is a compound of prehypertrophic and hypertrophic chondrocytes, exited from the cell cycle and upregulated Ihh. Pulse and pulse/chase experiments with BrdU confirmed the germinal region as the highly proliferative source of the secondary chondrocytes, which formed by division of chondrocyte-committed precursors. By blocking Hh signalling in explant cultures we show that the enhanced proliferation of the germinal region surrounding the secondary chondrocytes derives from this Ihh source. Additionally, in vitro studies on membrane bone periosteal cells (non-germinal region) demonstrated that these cells can also respond to Ihh, and do so both by enhanced proliferation and precocious osteogenesis. Despite the pro-osteogenic effects of Ihh on periosteal cell differentiation, mechanical articulation of the quadratojugal/quadrate joint in explant culture revealed a negative role for articulation in the regulation of osteocalcin by germinal region descendants. Thus, the mechanical stimulus that is the spur to secondary chondrocyte formation appears able to override the osteogenic influence of Ihh on the periosteum, but does not interfere with the cell cycle-promoting component of Hh signalling.

  11. Immunological evaluation of the intestinal mucosa of broiler chicks treated with Lactobacillus Spp. and challenged with Salmonella Enteritidis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    AS Okamoto

    2007-12-01

    Full Text Available This study aimed at the antibody production by intestinal mucosa of broilers chicks were orally inoculated with Lactobacillus spp. at one and/or 21 days of age, and subsequently challenged with Salmonella enterica, subspecies enterica, serotype Enteritidis (S. Enteritidis. A total number of 288 drug-free broiler chicks was divided into 6 groups (groups A, B, C, D, E, and F, according to age at Lactobacillus spp. inoculation and SE challenge. The intestinal mucosa immune response was determined as the production of immunoglobulin A against S. Enteritidis, and evaluated by the Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA technique in intestinal washing fluid. Groups treated with Lactobacillus spp. presented higher IgA production only when the chicks were challenged with S. Enteritidis at 21 days of age. Nevertheless, the expected stimulus for intestinal mucosa antibody production induced by Lactobacillus spp was observed in only some of the treated groups, demonstrating that the protocol utilized in the present experiment resulted in few beneficial effects for chicks, particularly during the first days of life.

  12. Prenatal complex rhythmic music sound stimulation facilitates postnatal spatial learning but transiently impairs memory in the domestic chick.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kauser, H; Roy, S; Pal, A; Sreenivas, V; Mathur, R; Wadhwa, S; Jain, S

    2011-01-01

    Early experience has a profound influence on brain development, and the modulation of prenatal perceptual learning by external environmental stimuli has been shown in birds, rodents and mammals. In the present study, the effect of prenatal complex rhythmic music sound stimulation on postnatal spatial learning, memory and isolation stress was observed. Auditory stimulation with either music or species-specific sounds or no stimulation (control) was provided to separate sets of fertilized eggs from day 10 of incubation. Following hatching, the chicks at age 24, 72 and 120 h were tested on a T-maze for spatial learning and the memory of the learnt task was assessed 24 h after training. In the posthatch chicks at all ages, the plasma corticosterone levels were estimated following 10 min of isolation. The chicks of all ages in the three groups took less (p memory after 24 h of training, only the music-stimulated chicks at posthatch age 24 h took a significantly longer (p music sounds facilitates spatial learning, though the music stimulation transiently impairs postnatal memory. 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  13. Automatic system for 3D reconstruction of the chick eye based on digital photographs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wong, Alexander; Genest, Reno; Chandrashekar, Naveen; Choh, Vivian; Irving, Elizabeth L

    2012-01-01

    The geometry of anatomical specimens is very complex and accurate 3D reconstruction is important for morphological studies, finite element analysis (FEA) and rapid prototyping. Although magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography and laser scanners can be used for reconstructing biological structures, the cost of the equipment is fairly high and specialised technicians are required to operate the equipment, making such approaches limiting in terms of accessibility. In this paper, a novel automatic system for 3D surface reconstruction of the chick eye from digital photographs of a serially sectioned specimen is presented as a potential cost-effective and practical alternative. The system is designed to allow for automatic detection of the external surface of the chick eye. Automatic alignment of the photographs is performed using a combination of coloured markers and an algorithm based on complex phase order likelihood that is robust to noise and illumination variations. Automatic segmentation of the external boundaries of the eye from the aligned photographs is performed using a novel level-set segmentation approach based on a complex phase order energy functional. The extracted boundaries are sampled to construct a 3D point cloud, and a combination of Delaunay triangulation and subdivision surfaces is employed to construct the final triangular mesh. Experimental results using digital photographs of the chick eye show that the proposed system is capable of producing accurate 3D reconstructions of the external surface of the eye. The 3D model geometry is similar to a real chick eye and could be used for morphological studies and FEA.

  14. Chronic hypoxic incubation blunts a cardiovascular reflex loop in embryonic American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eme, John; Hicks, James W; Crossley, Dane A

    2011-10-01

    Hypoxia is a naturally occurring environmental challenge for embryonic non-avian reptiles, and this study is the first to investigate the impact of chronic hypoxia on a possible chemoreflex loop in a developing non-avian reptile. We measured heart rate and blood pressure in normoxic and hypoxic-incubated (10% O(2)) American alligator embryos (Alligator mississippiensis) at 70 and 90/95% of development. We hypothesized that hypoxic incubation would blunt embryonic alligators' response to a reflex loop stimulated by phenylbiguanide (PBG), a 5-HT(3) receptor agonist that stimulates vagal pulmonary C-fiber afferents. PBG injection caused a hypotensive bradycardia in 70 and 95% of development embryos (paired t tests, P alligator, with an extended length of time between each developmental stage relative to avian species, may provide an excellent model to test the cardiorespiratory effects of prolonged exposure to changes in atmospheric gases. This extended period allows for lengthy studies at each stage without the transition to a new stage, and the natural occurrence of hypoxia and hypercapnia in crocodilian nests makes this stress ecologically and evolutionarily relevant.

  15. The role of GABAergic system on the inhibitory effect of ghrelin on food intake in neonatal chicks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jonaidi, H; Abbassi, L; Yaghoobi, M M; Kaiya, H; Denbow, D M; Kamali, Y; Shojaei, B

    2012-06-27

    Ghrelin is a gut-brain peptide that has a stimulatory effect on food intake in mammals. In contrast, this peptide decreases food intake in neonatal chicks when injected intracerebroventricularly (ICV). In mammals, neuropeptide Y (NPY) mediates the orexigenic effect of ghrelin whereas in chicks it appears that corticotrophin releasing factor (CRF) is partially involved in the inhibitory effect of ghrelin on food intake. Gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) has a stimulatory effect on food intake in mammals and birds. In this study we investigated whether the anorectic effect of ghrelin is mediated by the GABAergic system. In Experiment 1, 3h-fasted chicks were given an ICV injection of chicken ghrelin and picrotoxin, a GABA(A) receptors antagonist. Picrotoxin decreased food intake compared to the control chicks indicating a stimulatory effect of GABA(A) receptors on food intake. However, picrotoxin did not alter the inhibitory effect of ghrelin on food intake. In Experiment 2, THIP hydrochloride, a GABA(A) receptor agonist, was used in place of picrotoxin. THIP hydrochloride appeared to partially attenuate the decrease in food intake induced by ghrelin at 30 min postinjection. In Experiment 3, the effect of ICV injection of chicken ghrelin on gene expression of glutamate decarboxylase (GAD)(1) and GAD(2), GABA synthesis enzymes in the brain stem including hypothalamus, was investigated. The ICV injection of chicken ghrelin significantly reduced GAD(2) gene expression. These findings suggest that ghrelin may decrease food intake in neonatal chicks by reducing GABA synthesis and thereby GABA release within brain feeding centers. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Highly variable penetrance of abnormal phenotypes in embryonic lethal knockout mice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilson, Robert; Geyer, Stefan H.; Reissig, Lukas; Rose, Julia; Szumska, Dorota; Hardman, Emily; Prin, Fabrice; McGuire, Christina; Ramirez-Solis, Ramiro; White, Jacqui; Galli, Antonella; Tudor, Catherine; Tuck, Elizabeth; Mazzeo, Cecilia Icoresi; Smith, James C.; Robertson, Elizabeth; Adams, David J.; Mohun, Timothy; Weninger, Wolfgang J.

    2017-01-01

    Background: Identifying genes that are essential for mouse embryonic development and survival through term is a powerful and unbiased way to discover possible genetic determinants of human developmental disorders. Characterising the changes in mouse embryos that result from ablation of lethal genes is a necessary first step towards uncovering their role in normal embryonic development and establishing any correlates amongst human congenital abnormalities. Methods: Here we present results gathered to date in the Deciphering the Mechanisms of Developmental Disorders (DMDD) programme, cataloguing the morphological defects identified from comprehensive imaging of 220 homozygous mutant and 114 wild type embryos from 42 lethal and subviable lines, analysed at E14.5. Results: Virtually all mutant embryos show multiple abnormal phenotypes and amongst the 42 lines these affect most organ systems. Within each mutant line, the phenotypes of individual embryos form distinct but overlapping sets. Subcutaneous edema, malformations of the heart or great vessels, abnormalities in forebrain morphology and the musculature of the eyes are all prevalent phenotypes, as is loss or abnormal size of the hypoglossal nerve. Conclusions: Overall, the most striking finding is that no matter how profound the malformation, each phenotype shows highly variable penetrance within a mutant line. These findings have challenging implications for efforts to identify human disease correlates. PMID:27996060

  17. Effects of various stocking density on productive performance and some physiological traits of broiler chicks

    OpenAIRE

    Ihsan T. Tayeb,; Siamand Nizar Hassan,; Merkhan M. Mustafa,; Shawkat Abdulrazaq M. Sadeq,; Gulizar Issa Ameen,; Asia Mohamed Hassan

    2011-01-01

    This experiment was carried out as a survey at the commercial poultry farm of broiler chickens in Duhok region namely Amedy, Akry and Sumail in order to study the effect of stocking density on the chick performance and some physiological traits. Chicks were divided into three stocking densities namely 8.66, 10.41 and 13.36 birds/m². The results obtained are summarized as follows: Live body weights and feed conversion ratio at 7 weeks of age were non significant differences between different s...

  18. Heart-specific expression of laminopathic mutations in transgenic zebrafish.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Verma, Ajay D; Parnaik, Veena K

    2017-07-01

    Lamins are key determinants of nuclear organization and function in the metazoan nucleus. Mutations in human lamin A cause a spectrum of genetic diseases that affect cardiac muscle and skeletal muscle as well as other tissues. A few laminopathies have been modeled using the mouse. As zebrafish is a well established model for the study of cardiac development and disease, we have investigated the effects of heart-specific lamin A mutations in transgenic zebrafish. We have developed transgenic lines of zebrafish expressing conserved lamin A mutations that cause cardiac dysfunction in humans. Expression of zlamin A mutations Q291P and M368K in the heart was driven by the zebrafish cardiac troponin T2 promoter. Homozygous mutant embryos displayed nuclear abnormalities in cardiomyocyte nuclei. Expression analysis showed the upregulation of genes involved in heart regeneration in transgenic mutant embryos and a cell proliferation marker was increased in adult heart tissue. At the physiological level, there was deviation of up to 20% from normal heart rate in transgenic embryos expressing mutant lamins. Adult homozygous zebrafish were fertile and did not show signs of early mortality. Our results suggest that transgenic zebrafish models of heart-specific laminopathies show cardiac regeneration and moderate deviations in heart rate during embryonic development. © 2017 International Federation for Cell Biology.

  19. A study of inoculation route and dosage levels on embryonated chicken eggs as media for testing tea mistlestoe (Scurrula oortiana extract activity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sri Murtini

    2006-06-01

    Full Text Available Tea mistlestoe extract (Scurrula oortiana has cytotoxic activity which is potential to be used in preventing viral induced-chicken tumor. The following study was designed to evaluate the effects of different inoculation routes, dosage levels, and strains of embryonated chicken eggs as media for testing the tea mistlestoe extract (Scurrula oortiana antiviral activity. Proper inoculation route was examined by inoculation of the extract at dose level of 0,2 mg/egg into embryonated layer eggs via allantoic cavity, chorio-allantoic membrane, and yolk sac. Effect of dose level of tea mistlestoe extract on embryo development was examined in groups of embryonated broiler eggs inoculated with the extract at 0.02, 0.2, 2, 20, or 200 mg/egg. Inoculation of tea mistlestoe extract into allantoic cavity was the safest procedure as indicated by the absence of embryos mortality, and faster embryo growth compared to those of chorio-allantoic membrane and yolk sac-inoculated eggs. The extract induced different growth effects when inoculated into embryonated layer or broiler eggs. Administration of the extract at dose levels between 0,02–200 mg/egg reduced significantly the weight of broiler embryoes, but not the relative weights of liver, heart and spleen. Administration of similar dosage in layer embryoes did not cause any significant difference in the embryoes weight. This study suggests that the study of antiviral activity of tea mistlestoe extract in embryonated chicken eggs should be carried out on embryonated eggs of layer breeds and the extract should be inoculated via allantoic cavity.

  20. Maternal intake of fat, riboflavin and nicotinamide and the risk of having offspring with congenital heart defects

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Smedts, H.P.M.; Rakhshandehroo, M.; Verkleij-Hagoort, A.C.; Vries, de J.H.M.; Ottenkamp, J.; Steegers, E.A.P.; Steegers-Theunissen, R.P.M.

    2008-01-01

    With the exception of studies on folic acid, little evidence is available concerning other nutrients in the pathogenesis of congenital heart defects (CHDs). Fatty acids play a central role in embryonic development, and the B-vitamins riboflavin and nicotinamide are co-enzymes in lipid metabolism.

  1. Maternal intake of fat, riboflavin and nicotinamide and the risk of having offspring with congenital heart defects

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Smedts, Huberdina P. M.; Rakhshandehroo, Maryam; Verkleij-Hagoort, Anna C.; de Vries, Jeanne H. M.; Ottenkamp, Jaap; Steegers, Eric A. P.; Steegers-Theunissen, Régine P. M.

    2008-01-01

    BACKGROUND: With the exception of studies on folic acid, little evidence is available concerning other nutrients in the pathogenesis of congenital heart defects (CHDs). Fatty acids play a central role in embryonic development, and the B-vitamins riboflavin and nicotinamide are co-enzymes in lipid

  2. Advanced Oxidation Process sanitization of hatching eggs reduces Salmonella in broiler chicks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rehkopf, A C; Byrd, J A; Coufal, C D; Duong, T

    2017-10-01

    The microbial quality of eggs entering the hatchery is an important critical control point for biosecurity, pathogen reduction, and food safety programs in poultry production. Developing interventions to reduce Salmonella contamination of eggs is important to improving the microbial food safety of poultry and poultry products. The hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and ultraviolet light (UV) Advanced Oxidation Process (AOP) has been previously demonstrated to be effective in reducing Salmonella on the surface of experimentally contaminated eggs. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of treating eggs with an egg-sanitizing apparatus using the H2O2/UV AOP on Salmonella contamination during incubation, hatching, and in broiler chicks during grow-out. Experimentally contaminated eggs were treated using the automated H2O2/UV AOP egg sanitizer and incubated for 21 d. AOP sanitization reduced Salmonella up to 7 log10 cfu egg-1 (P Salmonella positive eggs by up to 75% (P Salmonella-positive eggs during incubation. Additionally, Salmonella was recovered from more chicks hatched from untreated eggs than from eggs treated using the H2O2/UV AOP egg sanitizer (P Salmonella contamination on the surface of eggs using the H2O2/UV AOP egg sanitizer prior to incubation may reduce the gastrointestinal colonization of chicks by Salmonella. © 2017 Poultry Science Association Inc.

  3. Effect of Administration of Withania somnifera on Some Hematological and Immunological Profile of Broiler Chicks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Muhammad Mushtaq*, F. R. Durrani, N. Imtiaz, Umer Sadique1, A. Hafeez, S. Akhtar2 and S. Ahmad3

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available This study was conducted to assess the performance of broiler chickens based on some hematological and immunological profile, upon inclusion of aqueous extract of Withania somnifera (W. somnifera in their drinking water. For this purpose, 240 a-day-old broiler chicks were purchased from a local hatchery and divided into four groups i.e. WST-0, WST-I, WST-II and WST-III. Group WST-0 was kept as control, while chicks in group WST-I, WST-II and WST-III were offered in their drinking water with an extract of W. somnifera at 10, 20 and 30g/L for 35 days, starting from day 1 of age. Feed intake and body weight were recorded on regular basis and hematological and immunological profile of the birds was analyzed at the end of experiment. Administration of W. somnifera extract resulted in significantly higher feed intake and body weight of birds in all treated groups. An increase in the values of Hb, PCV and TLC was noted in the treatment groups. A non significant difference was noted in the counts of neutrophils, lymphocytes, eosinophils and monocytes in all treatment groups as compared to control. Antibodies titers against IB and IBD were significantly higher in all treatment groups as compare to the values shown by the chicks in control group. Findings of this study indicated that administration of W. somnifera extract to broiler chicks improve their feed intake, body weight gain, hematological profile and immunological status.

  4. Assessment of hatchling egg losses and two chick sexing methods ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Assessment of hatchling egg losses and two chick sexing methods in the Nigerian indigenous chicken. ... Journal of Agricultural Research and Development ... The aim of the present study is to evaluate hatchling egg loss as well as sex determination methods at day old and sexual dimorphism over 8 weeks in Nigerian ...

  5. AFCF and clinoptilolite use in reduction of (137)Cs deposition in several days' contaminated broiler chicks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mitrovic, B; Vitorovic, G; Vitorovic, D; Dakovic, A; Stojanovic, M

    2007-01-01

    The objective of this study was to investigate the binding efficiency of AFCF and clinoptilolite, mixed to the feed and administered orally using gastric tube to chronically (137)Cs alimentary contaminated broiler chicks. Seventy-five male Hybro broiler chicks, between 35 and 47 days of age were divided into five groups (15 birds per group) reared in cages (five birds in a cage) and fed a standard diet. Every day during 13 days of the experimental period all chicks received orally 1 ml CsCl water solution with activity of 1310 Bq ml(-1)(137)Cs (gastric tube). Group 1 was the control group and received no binders. The experimental groups received the binders. Group 2 received 0.2 g of AFCF in the form of water solution (gastric tube); group 3 received 0.2% AFCF in the feed; group 4 received 2g clinoptilolite in the form of water suspension (gastric tube) and group 5 received 2% clinoptilolite in the feed. Five chicks from each group were sacrificed on days 4, 10 and 13 of the experimental period. Using gamma spectrometric methods specific activity of (137)Cs was determined in the samples of breast meat, liver and gizzard. The results obtained showed that administering binders to the chronically contaminated broiler chicks significantly (pmeat, liver and gizzard. Decreasing deposition of (137)Cs in breast meat and internal organs increased with time of contamination and binders' administration. With AFCF as a cesium binder, on day 13 of measuring the (137)Cs activity in breast meat was 80-83% lower than that in the control group, 89% in liver and 83-84% in gizzard. Natural clinoptilolite demonstrated lower binding efficiency. On day 13 of measuring the (137)Cs activity in breast meat was 53-69% lower than that in the control group, 67-60% in liver and 59-71% in gizzard.

  6. Defined Engineered Human Myocardium With Advanced Maturation for Applications in Heart Failure Modeling and Repair.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tiburcy, Malte; Hudson, James E; Balfanz, Paul; Schlick, Susanne; Meyer, Tim; Chang Liao, Mei-Ling; Levent, Elif; Raad, Farah; Zeidler, Sebastian; Wingender, Edgar; Riegler, Johannes; Wang, Mouer; Gold, Joseph D; Kehat, Izhak; Wettwer, Erich; Ravens, Ursula; Dierickx, Pieterjan; van Laake, Linda W; Goumans, Marie Jose; Khadjeh, Sara; Toischer, Karl; Hasenfuss, Gerd; Couture, Larry A; Unger, Andreas; Linke, Wolfgang A; Araki, Toshiyuki; Neel, Benjamin; Keller, Gordon; Gepstein, Lior; Wu, Joseph C; Zimmermann, Wolfram-Hubertus

    2017-05-09

    Advancing structural and functional maturation of stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes remains a key challenge for applications in disease modeling, drug screening, and heart repair. Here, we sought to advance cardiomyocyte maturation in engineered human myocardium (EHM) toward an adult phenotype under defined conditions. We systematically investigated cell composition, matrix, and media conditions to generate EHM from embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes and fibroblasts with organotypic functionality under serum-free conditions. We used morphological, functional, and transcriptome analyses to benchmark maturation of EHM. EHM demonstrated important structural and functional properties of postnatal myocardium, including: (1) rod-shaped cardiomyocytes with M bands assembled as a functional syncytium; (2) systolic twitch forces at a similar level as observed in bona fide postnatal myocardium; (3) a positive force-frequency response; (4) inotropic responses to β-adrenergic stimulation mediated via canonical β 1 - and β 2 -adrenoceptor signaling pathways; and (5) evidence for advanced molecular maturation by transcriptome profiling. EHM responded to chronic catecholamine toxicity with contractile dysfunction, cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, cardiomyocyte death, and N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide release; all are classical hallmarks of heart failure. In addition, we demonstrate the scalability of EHM according to anticipated clinical demands for cardiac repair. We provide proof-of-concept for a universally applicable technology for the engineering of macroscale human myocardium for disease modeling and heart repair from embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes under defined, serum-free conditions. © 2017 American Heart Association, Inc.

  7. Effects of graded doses of goitrin, a goitrogen in rapeseed, on synthesis and release of thyroid hormone in chicks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Akiba, Yukio; Matsumoto, Tatsuro

    1977-01-01

    Intrathyroidal metabolism in synthesis and release of thyroid hormone was investigated in chicks administered three different levels of goitrin (0.0125, 0.025 and 0.05% in the diet) for 14 days. Thyroid glands were enlarged to 2-5 times as large as that of the control in proportion to the goitrin content of the diet. Typical high radioiodine uptake goiter was demonstrated in the goitrin-administered chicks. Total thyroid 125 I content increased about twice as much as that of the control in the goitrin-administered chicks though it was depressed in 0.0065% PUT-administered chicks. Decrease of plasma PB 125 I (approximately a half of the control) was ascertained by the estimation of plasma thyroxine by radiostereoassay. In the intrathyroidal metabolism of iodine, synthesis of iodothyronines and iodination of MIT were suppressed by goitrin, but monoiodination of tyrosine was rather accelerated. The elevated ratio of thyroid iodothyronines/plasma PBI (1.5-1.7 times as much as that of the control) reveals that the depression of plasma level of thyroid hormone is more striking than the decrease in thyroid hormone in the gland in the goitrin-administered chicks. It is, therefore, suggested that goitrin has inhibitory effects not only on the biosynthesis of thyroid hormone in the gland but also on the release of thyroid hormone from the gland. (auth.)

  8. Development of Fourier domain optical coherence tomography for applications in developmental biology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davis, Anjul Maheshwari

    finite element model which treats the embryonic chick heart tube as a modified peristaltic pump.

  9. Effect of Administration of Withania somnifera on Some Hematological and Immunological Profile of Broiler Chicks

    OpenAIRE

    Muhammad Mushtaq*, F. R. Durrani, N. Imtiaz, Umer Sadique1, A. Hafeez, S. Akhtar2 and S. Ahmad3

    2012-01-01

    This study was conducted to assess the performance of broiler chickens based on some hematological and immunological profile, upon inclusion of aqueous extract of Withania somnifera (W. somnifera) in their drinking water. For this purpose, 240 a-day-old broiler chicks were purchased from a local hatchery and divided into four groups i.e. WST-0, WST-I, WST-II and WST-III. Group WST-0 was kept as control, while chicks in group WST-I, WST-II and WST-III were offered in their drinking water with ...

  10. Modulation of heart rate response to acute stressors throughout the breeding season in the king penguin Aptenodytes patagonicus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Viblanc, Vincent A; Smith, Andrew D; Gineste, Benoit; Kauffmann, Marion; Groscolas, René

    2015-06-01

    'Fight-or-flight' stress responses allow animals to cope adaptively to sudden threats by mobilizing energy resources and priming the body for action. Because such responses can be costly and redirect behavior and energy from reproduction to survival, they are likely to be shaped by specific life-history stages, depending on the available energy resources and the commitment to reproduction. Here, we consider how heart rate (HR) responses to acute stressors are affected by the advancing breeding season in a colonial seabird, the king penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus). We subjected 77 birds (44 males, 33 females) at various stages of incubation and chick-rearing to three experimental stressors (metal sound, distant approach and capture) known to vary both in their intensity and associated risk, and monitored their HR responses. Our results show that HR increase in response to acute stressors was progressively attenuated with the stage of breeding from incubation to chick-rearing. Stress responses did not vary according to nutritional status or seasonal timing (whether breeding was initiated early or late in the season), but were markedly lower during chick-rearing than during incubation. This pattern was obvious for all three stressors. We discuss how 'fight-or-flight' responses may be modulated by considering the energy commitment to breeding, nutritional status and reproductive value of the brood in breeding seabirds. © 2015. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

  11. Nodal signals mediate interactions between the extra-embryonic and embryonic tissues in zebrafish

    OpenAIRE

    Xiang, Fan; Hagos, Engda G.; Xu, Bo; Sias, Christina; Kawakami, Koichi; Burdine, Rebecca D.; Dougan, Scott T.

    2007-01-01

    In many vertebrates, extra-embryonic tissues are important signaling centers that induce and pattern the germ layers. In teleosts, the mechanism by which the extra-embryonic yolk syncytial layer (YSL) patterns the embryo is not understood. Although the Nodal-related protein Squint is expressed in the YSL, its role in this tissue is not known. We generated a series of stable transgenic lines with GFP under the control of squint genomic sequences. In all species, nodal-related genes induce thei...

  12. Dead-in-shell positions of near-term ostrich embryos

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Z Brand

    2016-12-06

    %) ... thickness, hatching and embryonic development of these economically important domesticated birds are ... success rate than most domesticated poultry species, with high chick mortality in the period close to pipping.

  13. Simulated Microgravity Modulates Differentiation Processes of Embryonic Stem Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vaibhav Shinde

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Background/Aims: Embryonic developmental studies under microgravity conditions in space are very limited. To study the effects of altered gravity on the embryonic development processes we established an in vitro methodology allowing differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs under simulated microgravity within a fast-rotating clinostat (clinorotation and capture of microarray-based gene signatures. Methods: The differentiating mESCs were cultured in a 2D pipette clinostat. The microarray and bioinformatics tools were used to capture genes that are deregulated by simulated microgravity and their impact on developmental biological processes. Results: The data analysis demonstrated that differentiation of mESCs in pipettes for 3 days resultet to early germ layer differentiation and then to the different somatic cell types after further 7 days of differentiation in the Petri dishes. Clinorotation influences differentiation as well as non-differentiation related biological processes like cytoskeleton related 19 genes were modulated. Notably, simulated microgravity deregulated genes Cyr61, Thbs1, Parva, Dhrs3, Jun, Tpm1, Fzd2 and Dll1 are involved in heart morphogenesis as an acute response on day 3. If the stem cells were further cultivated under normal gravity conditions (1 g after clinorotation, the expression of cardiomyocytes specific genes such as Tnnt2, Rbp4, Tnni1, Csrp3, Nppb and Mybpc3 on day 10 was inhibited. This correlated well with a decreasing beating activity of the 10-days old embryoid bodies (EBs. Finally, we captured Gadd45g, Jun, Thbs1, Cyr61and Dll1 genes whose expressions were modulated by simulated microgravity and by real microgravity in various reported studies. Simulated microgravity also deregulated genes belonging to the MAP kinase and focal dhesion signal transduction pathways. Conclusion: One of the most prominent biological processes affected by simulated microgravity was the process of cardiomyogenesis. The

  14. Changes in dynamic embryonic heart wall motion in response to outflow tract banding measured using video densitometry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stovall, Stephanie; Midgett, Madeline; Thornburg, Kent; Rugonyi, Sandra

    2016-11-01

    Abnormal blood flow during early cardiovascular development has been identified as a key factor in the pathogenesis of congenital heart disease; however, the mechanisms by which altered hemodynamics induce cardiac malformations are poorly understood. This study used outflow tract (OFT) banding to model increased afterload, pressure, and blood flow velocities at tubular stages of heart development and characterized the immediate changes in cardiac wall motion due to banding in chicken embryo models with light microscopy-based video densitometry. Optical videos were used to acquire two-dimensional heart image sequences over the cardiac cycle, from which intensity data were extracted along the heart centerline at several locations in the heart ventricle and OFT. While no changes were observed in the synchronous contraction of the ventricle with banding, the peristaltic-like wall motion in the OFT was significantly affected. Our data provide valuable insight into early cardiac biomechanics and its characterization using a simple light microscopy-based imaging modality.

  15. Capture and retention of tritiated serotonin by the chick notochord

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gerard, Anne; Gerard, Hubert; Dollander, Alexis

    1978-01-01

    The 3 day old chick notochord capacity to fix tritiated serotonin is maximal in its axis and in cephalic region. Observations permitting to find, the intracellular serotonin binding sites, contribute to an explanation of the capture mechanism and suggest a special direct role of the notochord on the monoaminergic neuron cytodifferentiation [fr

  16. IMMUNO-MODULATORY EFFECT OF INACTIVATED EIMERIA TENELLA VACCINE AND LIVE IMPPORTED COCCIDIAL VACCINE ON NEWCASTLE DISEASE VIRUS VACCINA TED BROILER CHICKS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Muhammad Akram Muneer, Haji Ahmad Hashmi, Masood Rabbani, Zahid Munir Chaudhry and Ali M. Bahrami

    2001-01-01

    Full Text Available A total of 160 one-day-old broiler chicks were used to evaluate the immunomodulatory effects of an inactivated Eimeria tenella vaccine and a live polyvalent imported antiococcidial vaccine (Coccivac. This study indicated that both of these vaccines did not adversely affect the development of serum antibody against Newcastle disease virus (NDV and the chicks vaccinated with either of the anticoccidial vaccines resisted the virulent NDV challenge. A study of the lymphoid organs such as bursa of fabricuis: thymus and spleen from the experimental chicks indicated that those organs were comparable with those from the chicks not vaccinated with these coccidial vaccines. The overall findings of this study indicate that anticoccidial vaccines do not have any effects on the immune functions of the vaccinates. In fact these vaccines prevented the occurrence of clinical coccidiosis in the vaccinates.

  17. Environmental influences on Adelie penguin breeding schedules, endocrinology, and chick survival.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ninnes, C E; Waas, J R; Ling, N; Nakagawa, S; Banks, J C; Bell, D G; Bright, A; Carey, P W; Chandler, J; Hudson, Q J; Ingram, J R; Lyall, K; Morgan, D K J; Stevens, M I; Wallace, J; Möstl, E

    2011-08-01

    To understand how the social and physical environment influences behaviour, reproduction and survival, studies of underlying hormonal processes are crucial; in particular, interactions between stress and reproductive responses may have critical influences on breeding schedules. Several authors have examined the timing of breeding in relation to environmental stimuli, while others have independently described endocrine profiles. However, few studies have simultaneously measured endocrine profiles, breeding behaviour, and offspring survival across seasons. We measured sex and stress hormone concentrations (oestrogens, testosterone, and corticosterone), timing of breeding, and chick survival, in Adelie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) at two colonies in two different years. Clutch initiation at Cape Bird South (CBS; year 1, ~14,000 pairs) occurred later than at Cape Crozier East (CCE; year 2, ~ 25,000 pairs); however, breeding was more synchronous at CBS. This pattern was probably generated by the persistence of extensive sea ice at CBS (year 1). Higher corticosterone metabolite and lower sex hormone concentrations at CBS correlated with later breeding and lower chick survival compared to at CCE - again, a likely consequence of sea ice conditions. Within colonies, sub-colony size (S, 50-100; M, 200-300; L, 500-600; XL, >1000 pairs) did not influence the onset or synchrony of breeding, chick survival, or hormone concentrations. We showed that the endocrine profiles of breeding Adelie penguins can differ markedly between years and/or colonies, and that combining measures of endocrinology, behaviour, and offspring survival can reveal the mechanisms and consequences that different environmental conditions can have on breeding ecology. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. Is fledging in king penguin chicks related to changes in metabolic or endocrinal status?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Corbel, Hélène; Morlon, Francis; Groscolas, René

    2008-02-01

    This study examines the possibility that metabolic or endocrinal factors initiate fledging in the king penguin, a semi-altricial seabird species breeding a single chick on the ground. Chick fledging (departure to sea) occurred 5d after completion of the molt. It was preceded by a 16d fasting period and by a 7-fold increase in locomotor activity. From the measurement of the plasma concentration of metabolites and of glucagon and insulin, pre-fledging king penguin chicks were found to adapt to fasting in a classical way, i.e. by sparing body protein and mobilizing fat stores. At fledging, chicks were in phase II of fasting and their departure to sea was not stimulated by reaching critical energy depletion (phase III), in contrast to that which has been reported in breeding-fasting adults. The plasma level of corticosterone remained unchanged throughout the whole pre-fledging period, providing no support for a role of this stress-hormone in the facilitation of fledging. Thus, king penguin fledglings did not appear to be environmentally or nutritionally stressed. The plasma levels of thyroid hormones were elevated during the pre-fledging molt, in accordance with their key role in molt control in adult penguins. These levels declined by the time of the molt end, the plasma level of T4 thereafter being directly related to the time left before fledging. These results do not support the view that chronically elevated levels of thyroid hormones are required for the energy-demanding transition between being ashore and in cold water, but they suggest that the maintenance of high T4 levels may delay fledging.

  19. Altered glucose transport to utero-embryonic unit in relation to delayed embryonic development in the Indian short-nosed fruit bat, Cynopterus sphinx.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arnab, Banerjee; Amitabh, Krishna

    2011-02-10

    The aim of this study was to compare the changes in concentration of glucose and glucose transporters (GLUTs) in the utero-embryonic unit, consisting of decidua, trophoblast and embryo, during delayed and non-delayed periods to understand the possible cause of delayed embryonic development in Cynopterus sphinx. The results showed a significantly decreased concentration of glucose in the utero-embryonic unit due to decline in the expression of insulin receptor (IR) and GLUT 3, 4 and 8 proteins in the utero-embryonic unit during delayed period. The in vitro study showed suppressive effect of insulin on expression of GLUTs 4 and 8 in the utero-embryonic unit and a significant positive correlation between the decreased amount of glucose consumed by the utero-embryonic unit and decreased expression of GLUTs 4 (r=0.99; psphinx. Increased supply of fatty acid to the delayed embryo may be responsible for its survival under low glucose condition but unable to promote embryonic development in C. sphinx. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Changes in force and calcium sensitivity in the developing avian heart.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Godt, R E; Fogaça, R T; Nosek, T M

    1991-11-01

    The aim of this study was to characterize the development of the contractile properties of intact and chemically skinned muscle from chicken heart and to compare these characteristics with those of developing mammalian heart reported by others. Small trabeculae were dissected from left ventricles of Arbor Acre chickens between embryonic day 7 and young adulthood (7 weeks post-hatching). At all ages, increasing extracellular calcium (0.45-3.6 mM) progressively increased twitch force of electrically stimulated trabeculae. Twitch force at 1.8 mM extracellular calcium, normalized to cross-sectional area, increased to a maximum at 1 day post-hatching, remained constant through 3 weeks post-hatching, but then decreased at 7 weeks post-hatching. The maximal calcium-activated force of trabeculae chemically skinned with Triton X-100 detergent increased to a maximum 2 days before the time of hatching and was not significantly changed up to 7 weeks post-hatching. Over the ages studied, average twitch force in 1.8 mM calcium was between 26 and 66% of maximal calcium-activated force after skinning, suggesting that the contractile apparatus is not fully activated during the twitch in normal Ringer. In skinned trabeculae, the calcium sensitivity of the contractile apparatus was higher in the embryo than in the young adult. These age-dependent changes in calcium sensitivity are correlated with isoform switching in troponin T. A decrease in pH from 7.0 to 6.5 decreased the calcium sensitivity of the contractile apparatus to a greater degree in skinned trabeculae from young adult hearts than in those from embryonic hearts. This change in susceptibility to acidosis is temporally associated with isoform switching in troponin I.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

  1. Bendiocarb effect on liver and central nervous system in the chick embryo

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Petrovová, E.; Sedmera, David; Lešník, František; Luptáková, L.

    2009-01-01

    Roč. 44, č. 4 (2009), s. 383-388 ISSN 0360-1234 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50450515 Keywords : Bendiocarb * Chick embryo * Toxicity Subject RIV: EA - Cell Biology Impact factor: 1.097, year: 2009

  2. Toxic effect of ciprofloxacin on some biochemical variables in chicks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Y. Z. Salih

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available The aim of the present study was to examine the acute and sub acute toxicity of ciprofloxacin on lipids metabolism ofchicks which included determination of cholesterol, triglyceride, high density lipoprotein, low density lipoprotein, and albuminlevels in serum of chicks. The biochemical changes induced by giving ciprofloxacin as a single dose (200 and 400 mg/kg.body weight intraperitoneally included significant increases of cholesterol, triglyceride and low density lipoprotein levels inserum, whereas albumin level significantly decreased, and there was no significant changes in high density lipoprotein levelsas compared with control group. Repeated treatment with ciprofloxacin (100 mg/kg. body weight intra peritoneal for 14 dayscaused significant increase in cholesterol level, albumin level significantly decreased as compared with control group, whereasit did not change significantly high density lipoprotein and triglyceride levels, repeated treatment of ciprofloxacin also showedsignificant decrease of the body weights of the chicks as compared with control group. The results suggest that there are toxiceffects of ciprofloxacin on lipids metabolism as seen through changes in cholesterol, triglyceride, albumin and low densitylipoprotein level.

  3. A comparison of cecal colonization of Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium in white leghorn chicks and Salmonella-resistant mice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bogomolnaya Lydia M

    2008-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Salmonellosis is one of the most important bacterial food borne illnesses worldwide. A major source of infection for humans is consumption of chicken or egg products that have been contaminated with Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium, however our knowledge regarding colonization and persistence factors in the chicken is small. Results We compared intestinal and systemic colonization of 1-week-old White Leghorn chicks and Salmonella-resistant CBA/J mice during infection with Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium ATCC14028, one of the most commonly studied isolates. We also studied the distribution of wild type serotype Typhimurium ATCC14028 and an isogenic invA mutant during competitive infection in the cecum of 1-week-old White Leghorn chicks and 8-week-old CBA/J mice. We found that although the systemic levels of serotype Typhimurium in both infected animal models are low, infected mice have significant splenomegaly beginning at 15 days post infection. In the intestinal tract itself, the cecal contents are the major site for recovery of serotype Typhimurium in the cecum of 1-week-old chicks and Salmonella-resistant mice. Additionally we show that only a small minority of Salmonellae are intracellular in the cecal epithelium of both infected animal models, and while SPI-1 is important for successful infection in the murine model, it is important for association with the cecal epithelium of 1-week-old chicks. Finally, we show that in chicks infected with serotype Typhimurium at 1 week of age, the level of fecal shedding of this organism does not reflect the level of cecal colonization as it does in murine models. Conclusion In our study, we highlight important differences in systemic and intestinal colonization levels between chick and murine serotype Typhimurium infections, and provide evidence that suggests that the role of SPI-1 may not be the same during colonization of both animal models.

  4. Generating and evaluating a ranked candidate gene list for potential vertebrate heart field regulators

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    G. Musso

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The vertebrate heart develops from two distinct lineages of cardiomyocytes that arise from the first and second heart fields (FHF and SHF, respectively. The FHF forms the primitive heart tube, while adding cells from the SHF allows elongation at both poles of the tube. Initially seen as an exclusive characteristic of higher vertebrates, recent work has demonstrated the presence of a distinct FHF and SHF in lower vertebrates, including zebrafish. We found that key transcription factors that regulate septation and chamber formation in higher vertebrates, including Tbx5 and Pitx2, influence relative FHF and SHF contributions to the zebrafish heart tube. To identify molecular modulators of heart field migration, we used microarray-based expression profiling following inhibition of tbx5a and pitx2ab in embryonic zebrafish (Mosimann & Panakova, et al, 2015; GSE70750. Here, we describe in more detail the procedure used to process, prioritize, and analyze the expression data for functional enrichment.

  5. Penguin Chicks Benefit from Elevated Yolk Androgen Levels under Sibling Competition

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Poisbleau, Maud; Mueller, Wendt; Carslake, David; Demongin, Laurent; Groothuis, Ton G. G.; Van Camp, Jeff; Eens, Marcel; Müller, Martina S.; Roelofs, Yvonne; Erikstad, Kjell Einar; Deschner, Tobias; Müller, Wendt; Reina, Richard

    2012-01-01

    Crested penguins (genus Eudyptes) have a peculiar hatching pattern, with the first-laid egg (A-egg) hatching after the second-laid egg (B-egg) and chicks from A-eggs typically having a much lower survival probability. Maternal yolk androgens have been suggested to contribute to the competitive

  6. The 'ventral organs' of Pycnogonida (Arthropoda) are neurogenic niches of late embryonic and post-embryonic nervous system development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brenneis, Georg; Scholtz, Gerhard

    2014-01-01

    Early neurogenesis in arthropods has been in the focus of numerous studies, its cellular basis, spatio-temporal dynamics and underlying genetic network being by now comparably well characterized for representatives of chelicerates, myriapods, hexapods and crustaceans. By contrast, neurogenesis during late embryonic and/or post-embryonic development has received less attention, especially in myriapods and chelicerates. Here, we apply (i) immunolabeling, (ii) histology and (iii) scanning electron microscopy to study post-embryonic ventral nerve cord development in Pseudopallene sp., a representative of the sea spiders (Pycnogonida), the presumable sister group of the remaining chelicerates. During early post-embryonic development, large neural stem cells give rise to additional ganglion cell material in segmentally paired invaginations in the ventral ectoderm. These ectodermal cell regions - traditionally designated as 'ventral organs' - detach from the surface into the interior and persist as apical cell clusters on the ventral ganglion side. Each cluster is a post-embryonic neurogenic niche that features a tiny central cavity and initially still houses larger neural stem cells. The cluster stays connected to the underlying ganglionic somata cortex via an anterior and a posterior cell stream. Cell proliferation remains restricted to the cluster and streams, and migration of newly produced cells along the streams seems to account for increasing ganglion cell numbers in the cortex. The pycnogonid cluster-stream-systems show striking similarities to the life-long neurogenic system of decapod crustaceans, and due to their close vicinity to glomerulus-like neuropils, we consider their possible involvement in post-embryonic (perhaps even adult) replenishment of olfactory neurons - as in decapods. An instance of a potentially similar post-embryonic/adult neurogenic system in the arthropod outgroup Onychophora is discussed. Additionally, we document two transient posterior

  7. Peculiarities of Embryonic and Post-Embryonic Development of Оesophagostomum dentatum (Nematoda, Strongylidae Larvae Cultured in Vitro

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yevstafieva V. А.

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Morphometric peculiarities of the development of Оesophagostomum dentatum Rudolphi, 1803 from egg to infective larva were studied under laboratory conditions at various temperatures. The determined optimum temperature for embryonic and post-embryonic development of О. dentatum larvae from domestic pig (Sus scrofa domesticus Linnaeus, 1758 is 22 °С. At this temperature, 81 % of larvae develop to the third stage (L3 on the 10th day. Temperatures of 24 °С and 20 °С are less favorable for the development of the nematode, at those temperatures only 67 and 63 % of larvae, respectively, reached infective stage by the 10th day of cultivation. Embryonic development of О. dentatum eggs is characterized by their lengthening (by 8.87-9.50 %, р < 0.01 and widening (by 6.77-9.35 %, р < 0.05-0.01, and post-embryonic larval development is associated with lengthening (by 4.59-17.33 %, р < 0.01-0.001.

  8. Binding characteristics of brain-derived neurotrophic factor to its receptors on neurons from the chick embryo

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rodriguez-Tebar, A.; Barde, Y.A.

    1988-09-01

    Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein known to support the survival of embryonic sensory neurons and retinal ganglion cells, was derivatized with 125I-Bolton-Hunter reagent and obtained in a biologically active, radioactive form (125I-BDNF). Using dorsal root ganglion neurons from chick embryos at 9 d of development, the basic physicochemical parameters of the binding of 125I-BDNF with its receptors were established. Two different classes of receptors were found, with dissociation constants of 1.7 x 10(-11) M (high-affinity receptors) and 1.3 x 10(-9) M (low-affinity receptors). Unlabeled BDNF competed with 125I-BDNF for binding to the high-affinity receptors with an inhibition constant essentially identical to the dissociation constant of the labeled protein: 1.2 x 10(-11) M. The association and dissociation rates from both types of receptors were also determined, and the dissociation constants calculated from these kinetic experiments were found to correspond to the results obtained from steady-state binding. The number of high-affinity receptors (a few hundred per cell soma) was 15 times lower than that of low-affinity receptors. No high-affinity receptors were found on sympathetic neurons, known not to respond to BDNF, although specific binding of 125I-BDNF to these cells was detected at a high concentration of the radioligand. These results are discussed and compared with those obtained with nerve growth factor on the same neuronal populations.

  9. Binding characteristics of brain-derived neurotrophic factor to its receptors on neurons from the chick embryo

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rodriguez-Tebar, A.; Barde, Y.A.

    1988-01-01

    Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein known to support the survival of embryonic sensory neurons and retinal ganglion cells, was derivatized with 125I-Bolton-Hunter reagent and obtained in a biologically active, radioactive form (125I-BDNF). Using dorsal root ganglion neurons from chick embryos at 9 d of development, the basic physicochemical parameters of the binding of 125I-BDNF with its receptors were established. Two different classes of receptors were found, with dissociation constants of 1.7 x 10(-11) M (high-affinity receptors) and 1.3 x 10(-9) M (low-affinity receptors). Unlabeled BDNF competed with 125I-BDNF for binding to the high-affinity receptors with an inhibition constant essentially identical to the dissociation constant of the labeled protein: 1.2 x 10(-11) M. The association and dissociation rates from both types of receptors were also determined, and the dissociation constants calculated from these kinetic experiments were found to correspond to the results obtained from steady-state binding. The number of high-affinity receptors (a few hundred per cell soma) was 15 times lower than that of low-affinity receptors. No high-affinity receptors were found on sympathetic neurons, known not to respond to BDNF, although specific binding of 125I-BDNF to these cells was detected at a high concentration of the radioligand. These results are discussed and compared with those obtained with nerve growth factor on the same neuronal populations

  10. Toxicity to Chicks of Aspergillus and Penicillium Species Isolated from Moldy Pecans 1

    Science.gov (United States)

    Doupnik, Ben; Bell, D. K.

    1971-01-01

    Isolates of Aspergillus chevalieri, A. flavus, A. ochraceus, A. repens, and Penicillium funiculosum and complexes of P. citrinum-P. implicatum isolated from moldy pecan meats were toxic to chicks. PMID:5564681

  11. Quantitative assessment of angiogenesis in the chick embryo and its chorioallantoic membrane by computerised analysis of angiographic images

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nikiforidis, G.; Papazafiropoulos, D.; Siablis, D.; Karnabatidis, D.; Hatjikondi, O.; Dimopoulos, J.

    1999-01-01

    We studied, in vivo, the angiogenesis process in the chick embryo and its chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) using digital subtraction angiography (DSA) in conjunction with computer-assisted image analysis. In a series of fertilised eggs, angiography was carried out at days 8, 10, 12 and 14 of embryonic development. The angiographic images were digitised and subsequently processed for a specific image analysis. A set of specific morphological parameters has been defined to allow an analytical characterisation of the vascularity status. Vessels were classified into three categories according to their diameter (50-100, 100-200, and >200 μm). The data were normalised and statistically evaluated. Graphs showing the development of angiogenesis were obtained. Total vascular area revealed a continuous rise, whereas, total vascular length increased until day 12 and then it started decreasing. These morphometric parameters in the first two vessel categories progressively increased throughout the entire period of development, whereas in the third category they increased until day 10 and then they started decreasing. By applying a vascular casting technique CAM vessels were visualised and compared with those extracted from the processed angiographic image. The comparison revealed that there is exact matching for the first two vessel categories (diameters higher than 100 μm) while the matching of the third category (diameters between 50 and 100 μm) is approximate

  12. Embryonic Stem Cell-Derived Cardiomyocyte Heterogeneity and the Isolation of Immature and Committed Cells for Cardiac Remodeling and Regeneration

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kenneth R. Boheler

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Pluripotent stem cells represent one promising source for cell replacement therapy in heart, but differentiating embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (ESC-CMs are highly heterogeneous and show a variety of maturation states. In this study, we employed an ESC clonal line that contains a cardiac-restricted ncx1 promoter-driven puromycin resistance cassette together with a mass culture system to isolate ESC-CMs that display traits characteristic of very immature CMs. The cells display properties of proliferation, CM-restricted markers, reduced mitochondrial mass, and hypoxia-resistance. Following transplantation into rodent hearts, bioluminescence imaging revealed that immature cells, but not more mature CMs, survived for at least one month following injection. These data and comparisons with more mature cells lead us to conclude that immature hypoxia resistant ESC-CMs can be isolated in mass in vitro and, following injection into heart, form grafts that may mediate long-term recovery of global and regional myocardial contractile function following infarction.

  13. Growth performance and certain body measurements of ostrich chicks as affected by dietary protein levels during 2-9 weeks of age.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mahrose, Kh M; Attia, A I; Ismail, I E; Abou-Kassem, D E; El-Hack, M E Abd

    2015-01-01

    The present work was conducted to examine the effects of dietary crude protein (CP) levels (18, 21 and 24%) on growth performance (Initial and final body weight, daily body weight gain, feed consumption, feed conversion and protein efficiency ratio) during 2-9 weeks of age and certain body measurements (body height, tibiotarsus length and tibiotarsus girth) at 9 weeks of age. A total of 30 African Black unsexed ostrich chicks were used in the present study in simple randomized design. The results of the present work indicated that initial and final live body weight, body weight gain, feed consumption, feed conversion of ostrich chicks were insignificantly affected by dietary protein level used. Protein efficiency ratio was high in the group of chicks fed diet contained 18% CP. Results obtained indicated that tibiotarsus girth was decreased (P≤0.01) with the increasing dietary protein level, where the highest value of tibiotarsus girth (18.38 cm) was observed in chicks fed 18% dietary protein level. Body height and tibiotarsus length were not significantly different. In conclusion, the results of the present study indicate that ostrich chicks (during 2-9 weeks of age) could grow on diets contain lower levels of CP (18%).

  14. Label-free separation of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and their cardiac derivatives using Raman spectroscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chan, J W; Lieu, D K; Huser, T R; Li, R A

    2008-09-08

    Self-renewable, pluripotent human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) can be differentiated into cardiomyocytes (CMs), providing an unlimited source of cells for transplantation therapies. However, unlike certain cell lineages such as hematopoietic cells, CMs lack specific surface markers for convenient identification, physical separation, and enrichment. Identification by immunostaining of cardiac-specific proteins such as troponin requires permeabilization, which renders the cells unviable and non-recoverable. Ectopic expression of a reporter protein under the transcriptional control of a heart-specific promoter for identifying hESC-derived CMs (hESC-CMs) is useful for research but complicates potential clinical applications. The practical detection and removal of undifferentiated hESCs in a graft, which may lead to tumors, is also critical. Here, we demonstrate a non-destructive, label-free optical method based on Raman scattering to interrogate the intrinsic biochemical signatures of individual hESCs and their cardiac derivatives, allowing cells to be identified and classified. By combining the Raman spectroscopic data with multivariate statistical analysis, our results indicate that hESCs, human fetal left ventricular CMs, and hESC-CMs can be identified by their intrinsic biochemical characteristics with an accuracy of 96%, 98% and 66%, respectively. The present study lays the groundwork for developing a systematic and automated method for the non-invasive and label-free sorting of (i) high-quality hESCs for expansion, and (ii) ex vivo CMs (derived from embryonic or adult stem cells) for cell-based heart therapies.

  15. A Novel View of the Adult Stem Cell Compartment From the Perspective of a Quiescent Population of Very Small Embryonic-Like Stem Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ratajczak, Mariusz Z; Ratajczak, Janina; Suszynska, Malwina; Miller, Donald M; Kucia, Magda; Shin, Dong-Myung

    2017-01-06

    Evidence has accumulated that adult hematopoietic tissues and other organs contain a population of dormant stem cells (SCs) that are more primitive than other, already restricted, monopotent tissue-committed SCs (TCSCs). These observations raise several questions, such as the developmental origin of these cells, their true pluripotent or multipotent nature, which surface markers they express, how they can be efficiently isolated from adult tissues, and what role they play in the adult organism. The phenotype of these cells and expression of some genes characteristic of embryonic SCs, epiblast SCs, and primordial germ cells suggests their early-embryonic deposition in developing tissues as precursors of adult SCs. In this review, we will critically discuss all these questions and the concept that small dormant SCs related to migratory primordial germ cells, described as very small embryonic-like SCs, are deposited during embryogenesis in bone marrow and other organs as a backup population for adult tissue-committed SCs and are involved in several processes related to tissue or organ rejuvenation, aging, and cancerogenesis. The most recent results on successful ex vivo expansion of human very small embryonic-like SC in chemically defined media free from feeder-layer cells open up new and exciting possibilities for their application in regenerative medicine. © 2017 American Heart Association, Inc.

  16. The chick somitogenesis oscillator is arrested before all paraxial mesoderm is segmented into somites

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    McGrew Michael J

    2010-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Somitogenesis is the earliest sign of segmentation in the developing vertebrate embryo. This process starts very early, soon after gastrulation has initiated and proceeds in an anterior-to-posterior direction during body axis elongation. It is widely accepted that somitogenesis is controlled by a molecular oscillator with the same periodicity as somite formation. This periodic mechanism is repeated a specific number of times until the embryo acquires a defined specie-specific final number of somites at the end of the process of axis elongation. This final number of somites varies widely between vertebrate species. How termination of the process of somitogenesis is determined is still unknown. Results Here we show that during development there is an imbalance between the speed of somite formation and growth of the presomitic mesoderm (PSM/tail bud. This decrease in the PSM size of the chick embryo is not due to an acceleration of the speed of somite formation because it remains constant until the last stages of somitogenesis, when it slows down. When the chick embryo reaches its final number of somites at stage HH 24-25 there is still some remaining unsegmented PSM in which expression of components of the somitogenesis oscillator is no longer dynamic. Finally, we identify a change in expression of retinoic acid regulating factors in the tail bud at late stages of somitogenesis, such that in the chick embryo there is a pronounced onset of Raldh2 expression while in the mouse embryo the expression of the RA inhibitor Cyp26A1 is downregulated. Conclusions Our results show that the chick somitogenesis oscillator is arrested before all paraxial mesoderm is segmented into somites. In addition, endogenous retinoic acid is probably also involved in the termination of the process of segmentation, and in tail growth in general.

  17. Growth Retardation of Chick Embryo Exposed to a Low Dose of Electromagnetic Waves

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Siddiqi, N.; Norrish, M.; Heming, T.

    2016-01-01

    Background: The objectives of this study were to explore the effects of low dose of the non-ionizing (REW) emitted by a mobile phone on the development of chick embryo. Methods: one hundred and twenty chick fertilized eggs were equally divided into a control and an exposed group. Sixty fertilized eggs were placed in an egg incubator with a mobile phone (SAR US: 1.10W/kg (head) 0.47 W/kg body) in silent mode having vibration disable mode. Mobile was called for a total of 20 minutes in 24 hours. Twenty embryos each were sacrificed at day 5, 10 and 15, mortality, wet body weight, head to rump length, eye diameter and morphological changes were noted. The control group, 60 eggs were incubated in the same conditions, having removed the phone. Results: No mortality was noted. The experimental group exposed to REW showed subcutaneous haemorrhagic areas and significant growth retardation at day 10 as evidence by smaller eye diameter, wet weight and CR length than the control group. There were no significant growth differences at either day 5 or at day 15. Conclusion: Electromagnetic waves emitted from mobile phones even though for a very short duration of 20 minutes per day have affected the growth of the chick embryo at day 10 of incubation, Hence exposure of these waves are not 100 percent safe. (author)

  18. Growth Retardation Of Chick Embryo Exposed To A Low Dose Of Electromagnetic Waves.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siddiqi, Najam; John C, Muthusami; Norrish, Mark; Heming, Thomas

    2016-01-01

    The objectives of this study were to explore the effects of low dose of the nonionizing (REW) emitted by a mobile phone on the development of chick embryo. one hundred and twenty chick fertilized eggs were equally divided into a control and an exposed group. Sixty fertilized eggs were placed in an egg incubator with a mobile phone (SAR US: 1.10W/kg (head) 0.47 W/kg body) in silent mode having vibration disable mode. Mobile was called for a total of 20 minutes in 24 hours. Twenty embryos each were sacrificed at day 5, 10 and 15, mortality, wet body weight, head to rump length, eye diameter and morphological changes were noted. The control group, 60 eggs were incubated in the same conditions, having removed the phone. No mortality was noted. The experimental group exposed to REW showed subcutaneous haemorrhagic areas and significant growth retardation at day 10 as evidence by smaller eye diameter, wet weight and CR length than the control group. There were no significant growth differences at either day 5 or at day 15. Electromagnetic waves emitted from mobile phones even though for a very short duration of 20 minutes per day have affected the growth of the chick embryo at day 10 of incubation, Hence exposure of these waves are not 100% safe.

  19. Metal sensitivity of the embryonic development of the ramshorn snail Marisa cornuarietis (Prosobranchia).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sawasdee, Banthita; Köhler, Heinz-R

    2010-11-01

    We investigated the effects of metal ions on the embryonic development of the ramshorn snail, Marisa cornuarietis, by exposing embryos to varying concentrations of copper (0, 50, 100, and 250 μg Cu(2+)/L), lead (0, 5, 10, and 15 mg Pb(2+)/L), lithium (0, 1, 2.5, and 3 mg Li(+)/L), or palladium (0, 50, 100, and 500 μg Pd(2+)/L). Effects of these metals were examined by recording mortality, the rate of tentacles and eyes formation, heart rate, hatching success, and weight after hatching. Compared to the control, we found a significant delay in the formation of tentacles and eyes after treatment with 100 μg Cu(2+)/L, 15 mg Pb(2+)/L, 2.5 mg Li(+)/L or 500 μg Pd(2+)/L. The heart rate decreased significantly at 500 μg Pd(2+)/L. At 10 mg Pb(2+)/L, 2.5 mg Li(+)/L, or 500 μg Pd(2+)/L, hatching was delayed significantly; 50 μg Cu(2+)/L induced a significantly earlier hatching, and reduced body weight. The LC(50) values were calculated to be about 50 μg Cu(2+)/L, 500 μg Pd(2+)/L, 2500 μg Li(+)/L, and 10000 μg Pb(2+)/L. These results show that the embryonic development of M. cornuarietis is about as sensitive to copper and lithium, compared to the most sensitive fishes used in embryo toxicity testing. Even though the MariETT is a laboratory-based assay focusing on toxicological endpoints of a selected model species, future application is envisaged to include testing of "natural" samples such as stream water or sediment interstitial water.

  20. Characterization of a highly virulent and antimicrobial-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii strain isolated from diseased chicks in China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Dong; Liu, Zeng-Shan; Hu, Pan; Hui, Qi; Fu, Bao-Quan; Lu, Shi-Ying; Li, Yan-Song; Zou, De-Ying; Li, Zhao-Hui; Yan, Dong-Ming; Ding, Yan-Xia; Zhang, Yuan-Yuan; Zhou, Yu; Liu, Nan-Nan; Ren, Hong-Lin

    2016-08-01

    Poultry husbandry is a very important aspect of the agricultural economy in China. However, chicks are often susceptible to infectious disease microorganisms, such as bacteria, viruses and parasites, causing large economic losses in recent years. In the present study, we isolated an Acinetobacter baumannii strain, CCGGD201101, from diseased chicks in the Jilin Province of China. Regression analyses of virulence and LD50 tests conducted using healthy chicks confirmed that A. baumannii CCGGD201101, with an LD50 of 1.81 (±0.11) × 10(4) CFU, was more virulent than A. baumannii ATCC17978, with an LD50 of 1.73 (±0.13) × 10(7) CFU. Moreover, TEM examination showed that the pili of A. baumannii CCGGD201101 were different from those of ATCC17978. Antibiotic sensitivity analyses showed that A. baumannii CCGGD201101 was sensitive to rifampicin but resistant to most other antibiotics. These results imply that A. baumannii strain CCGGD201101 had both virulence enhancement and antibiotic resistance characteristics, which are beneficial for A. baumannii survival under adverse conditions and enhance fitness and invasiveness in the host. A. baumannii CCGGD20101, with its high virulence and antimicrobial resistance, may be one of the pathogens causing death of diseased chicks. © 2016 The Societies and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.