Adult Male Quail Research Articles

Testosterone regulation of androgen receptor levels in the uropygial gland of quails ( Coturnix coturnix): A further proof for the androgen dependency of the uropygial gland

In castrated quails supplemented with testosterone by a chronically implanted silastic capsule, removal of the implant resulted in the gradual disappearance of the androgen receptors in both cloacal and uropygial glands. However, after a 7-day time span, the receptors reappeared in both glands but did not reach the original level of implanted birds. On the other hand, the photostimulation of intact birds induced an increase of the receptor content of their uropygial and cloacal glands when compared to sexually quiescent birds. These results show that, the concentration of the androgen receptors of the uropygial and cloacal glands of adult male quails is partly controlled by testosterone. By comparison with the mechanism of the action of testosterone in mammal target organs, our results add weight to the androgen dependency of quails uropygial glands (a sebaceous like organ).

Discrimination learning in adult bobwhite quail fed paraquat

AbstractAdult male bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus) were fed a diet containing 0, 25 or 100 ppm paraquat dichloride. After 60 d on treated diets, discrimination learning was evaluated with acquisition and reversal tests. The three groups performed similarly on these tests. Dose‐related histopathological lesions were not found in liver, kidney or lung tissues.

Effects of chicken (Gln 8)- and mammalian (Arg 8)-luteinizing hormone-releasing hormones on the release of gonadotrophins in vitro and in vivo from the adenohypophysis of Japanese quail

Both chicken luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (Gln 8-LH-RH) and mammalian luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (Arg 8-LH-RH) increased the release of FSH and LH from adenohypophysial halves of adult male Japanese quail when the halves were incubated in a medium containing LH-RH. Elevation of the FSH release was less marked than that of the LH release irrespective of the LH-RH species. A pulse stimulation (10 min) of adenohypophysial halves with chicken as well as mammalian LH-RH in vitro resulted in a burst of both FSH and LH release. The increment of the FSH release was smaller than that of the LH release. A single intravenous injection of each LH-RH to adult male quail induced rapid increases of plasma FSH and LH levels within 5 min. The plasma levels of FSH and LH returned to their initial levels at varying times after the injection depending on the dose of LH-RH. Again, the increment of the FSH level was smaller than that of the LH level, showing a similar profile to the in vitro pulse stimulation experiment. No significant difference in ability to stimulate FSH and LH secretions from the quail adenohypophysis was detected between chicken and mammalian LH-RHs under either in vivo or in vitro conditions, whereas chicken LH-RH has been reported to be far less potent than mammalian LH-RH when tested on the rat adenohypophysis.

Androgen regulation of secretions in the sebaceous-like uropygial gland of the male Japanese quail.

The uropygial gland of the male quail is a sebaceous-like, androgen-dependent structure. The waxes secreted by this gland consist of fatty acids esterified by alkane-2,3-diols. In adult male quail the relative concentrations of all fatty acids were not affected by castration and testosterone treatment; but in contrast, the relative concentration of dodecane diol was found to be correlated with the androgen levels. In castrated quail administration of testosterone induced an increase in the dodecane diol percentage which was blocked by protein-synthesis inhibitors. Furthermore, the effects of testosterone were found to be neutralized by the administration of cyproterone acetate. Consequently it may be stated that the relative concentration of dodecane diol is indeed a very good marker for androgenicity in the uropygial gland of the male quail. This experimental model seems well suited for evaluating the stimulators and inhibitors of the activity of the sebaceous gland.

Androgen Concentrations in Testicular and Peripheral Blood in the Male Japanese Quail

Two experiments were conducted in which the concentrations of testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT), an active metabolite of testosterone, were studied in the general circulation and in the testicular effluent. In the first experiment, blood samples taken from adult male quail were analyzed by radioimmunoassay for androgen and DHT concentrations; from these data, testosterone concentrations were calculated. The average concentration of androgen was 4238 pg/ml plasma. The average ratio of DHT/testosterone was .75. In the second experiment, steroid concentrations were compared in blood samples taken from the testicular vein and from the general circulation. Androgen concentrations in the general circulation were 36% of that obtained for the testicular effluent. In addition, testosterone and DHT concentrations in the general circulation were 36 and 46%, respectively, as high as concentrations in the testicular vein. Comparison of the average ratios of testosterone/DHT in the general versus testicular plasma revealed a higher ratio in the general circulation (.73 vs. .51, respectively). These results provide additional evidence for testosterone as the major male steroid secreted by the gonads. In addition, the relative concentration of DHT in the quail, which is higher than documented for most species, was higher in the peripheral than in the testicular circulation. This may indicate peripheral metabolism of testosterone to its active metabolite, DHT, and could have implications as to the availability of DHT for its target tissues.

Androgen control of the secretion in the sebaceous-like preen gland

Uropygial gland of quails was previously proved to have androgen receptors [1]. The waxes secreted by this gland were shown to consist mainly of linear saturated fatty acids esterified by linear saturated diols [2]. In adult male quails, the relative concentration of the C12 diol was found to be correlated to the androgen levels of the birds. Furthermore, in castrated quails implanted with testosterone propionate capsules, 6 days were required for the C12 diol to reach the level found in sexually active birds. These testosterone effects related to the C12 diol were nullified by cyproterone acetate administration. Consequently the C12 diol is a reliable specific marker for androgenecity in the quails' preen gland, a new and accurate model for the study of androgen action in sebaceous glands.

Iron mobilization in estrogenized male quail

1. 1. A single diethylstilbestrol (DES) injection (5 mg DES/100 g body wt) was administrated to several lots (three specimens each) of adult male quail ( Corturnix coturnix japonica). The birds were sacrificed 24, 48, 72 and 96 hr after the DES injection. 2. 2. A significant increase in liver weight and a clear drop in the hemoglobin concentration were observed after 24 hr. Later, a progressive rise was observed in plasma iron, total iron binding capacity, plasma copper and the phosphoprotein (vitellogenin), which reached highest values after 96 hr. 3. 3. In the liver, the iron showed an initial increase (24 hr), due to a rise in non-ferritin iron followed by a progressive decrease. Ferritin iron increased slowly but was significantly higher after 96 hr. 4. 4. This experimental model on male quail suggests an estrogen response in birds that could be more general and uniform than in mammals.

Temperature regulation during exercise in the Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica)

1. Four adult male quails were trained to run on a treadmill. In the experiments, they ran for 10 min at speeds of 0.15, 0.27 or 0.50 m·s−1 and at ambient temperatures of 10, 20 or 30 °C. The metabolic heat production, respiratory frequency, core and skin temperature were measured continously throughout each experiment. 2. The heat production during rest was 9.1 W·kg−1 at 30 °C, 12.2 W·kg−1 at 20 °C and 16.3 W·kg−1 at 10 °C ambient temperature. The increase in heat production with decreasing ambient temperature was caused by shivering. During the starting phase (the first 2.5 min) of the 10 min exercise periods the production of heat depended on both the speed of running and the ambient temperature, whereas during the last 5 min of working the heat production depended only on the speed of running (Fig. 4). 3. The core temperature during rest was slightly higher at 10 °C (due to shivering) than at 20 or 30 °C ambient temperature, whereas the skin temperature was highest at 30 °C. The core and skin temperature increased during exercise, and they reached a plateau throughout the trials of low and moderate running. These plateaus were nearly independent of the ambient temperature. During fast running, the two body temperatures also showed a dependence on ambient temperature. 4. The rate of respiration rose immediately with the onset of running. The increase depended on the speed of running and the body temperature, but was more or less independent of the level of heat production. Fast running produced panting at high ambient temperature. The panting started at the same threshold of body temperature in working and resting birds. There was no indication for a shift of the thermoregulatory mechanisms of heat loss during exercise.

5β-Dihydrotestosterone is weakly androngenic in the adult Japanese quail ( Coturnix coturnix japonica)

Adult male castrated quail received injections of 0 or 2 mg of 5β-dihydrotestosterone (β-DHT) for 14 consecutive days. These treatments were combined with daily injections of 0.1, 0.5, or 1.0 mg testosterone (T). Control birds were injected with the same volume (0.2 ml) of propylene glycol which was the solvent for all steroids. The cloacal gland area and the sexual activity of all birds were repeatedly measured during the period of injections. At the end, the sternotracheal muscles of all males were also weighed. Treatment with T stimulated the cloacal gland growth and increased the sternotracheal muscle weight. β-DHT injections also produced a weak, though quite consistent stimulation of these parameters. The effects of the two steroids were additive, and did not interact with each other. By themselves, β-DHT injections were ineffective on behavior, but they potentiated the stimulating action of 0.5 mg T administration. These results indicate that β-DHT cannot be considered as an inactive steroid in male birds.

O.p'-DDT causes growth of an androgen-dependent gland in Coturnix quail.

O,p′-DDT injected into adult castrated male quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) stimulated growth of the proctodeal (foam) gland, a structure that is androgen but not estrogen responsive, indicating that this pesticide constituent, in addition to its known estrogenic actions, is also androgenic.

Effects of 77 chemicals on reproduction in male and female coturnix quail

Seventy-one chemicals were administered as single oral doses at about 50% of the estimated LD 50 to adult male Coturnix quail ( Coturnix coturnix). None reduced the fertility of eggs produced by female mates by more than 50%. Of six additional chemicals similarly administered to female quail at 24 to 56% of the estimated LD 50, only one, P,P-bis(1-aziridinyl)- N-phenylphosphinic amide, reduced expected egg fertility by more than 50%.

Effects of toxaphene and endrin at very low dietary concentrations on discrimination acquisition and reversal in bobwhite quail, Colinus virginianus

Adult male bobwhite quail Colinus virginianus were fed toxaphene (chlorinated camphene, 67–69% chlorine) at 10 and 50 ppm or endrin (1,2,3,4,10,10-hexachloro-6,7-epoxy-1,4,4a,5,6,7,8,8a-octahydro-1,4-endo-endo,5,8-dimethanonaphalene) at 0·1 and 1·0 ppm and their performance on non-spatial discrimination reversal tasks was measured. The birds were on dosage for 138 days (beginning at the age of 3 days) prior to testing. Two tests (with different pairs of patterns) were conducted with toxaphene-treated birds and five with endrin-treated birds. The toxaphene-treated birds made 50% more errors than did controls ( p < 0·02). There was no difference between the effects of the two treatment levels. The performance of the treated birds on a second test equalled that of the controls, indicating that the birds were able to adjust to the pesticide whilst on treatment. Endrin-treated birds made from 36 to 139% more errors than did controls ( p < 0·025). The difference between the number of errors made by the controls and the number made by the treated birds on the acquisition, or initial problem of each test, increased exponentially over the first four tests. The 0·1 ppm birds made significantly more errors than the 1·0 ppm birds after reversal 3 or 4 in the first three tests. The endrin effects were reversed after 50 days of untreated feed. The principal effect of endrin was to impair the birds' ability to solve a novel problem. The effects of toxaphene in birds treated as adults appeared after about 30 days of treatment and those of endrin after about 40 days of treatment. Mean brain residues in endrin-treated birds were 0·075 ppm (wet weight basis) for the 0·1 ppm level birds and 0·35 ppm for the 1·0 ppm level birds.

Effects of cold (+4°C) on thyroid metabolism of iodine ( 127I and 131I) in quail ( Coturnix coturnix japonica)—A comparison with the rat

1. 1.|A kinetic study of the absolute specific activity (SA) of iodine in intrathyroidal iodotyrosines and iodothyronines, and in plasma PBI, was performed comparatively in adult male rats and quail kept at +25°C (controls) or exposed to +4°C (for 2 days or 30 days before the iodine measurements). 2. 2.|In both species, 2 days of cold exposure induced a rapid increase (20 to 50%) in the SA of intrathyroidal iodoaminoacids and plasma PBI, leading to a rapid equilibration between the SA measured. After 30 days an acceleration in iodine turnover was still measurable in rats, but the stimulation then appeared more important in quail. In addition, the acceleration of iodine turnover led to a characteristic bimodal pattern of this turnover which was apparent only in quail, and could reflect an important production of non-hormonal iodinated proteins. Although the bird thyroid has been claimed to be less reactive to cold than its mammalian homologues, the present study indicates that, at least in bird species whose thyroidal stores of iodine are not excessive, the thyroid is even more responsive to cold than the rat thyroid.

The metabolism of cholecalciferol in the liver of Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) with particular reference to the effects of oestrogen

1. Studies were carried out in vitro with the livers of Japanese quail that had been fed from hatching on diets supplying their full requirements for vitamin D. 2. 25-Hydroxycholecalciferol was the major metabolite when liver homogenates of egg-laying female and oestrogen-treated quail of both sexes were incubated with [3H]cholecalciferol. 3. Very little 25-hydroxycholecalciferol was generated from liver homogenates of adult male and immature quail. Instead the cholecalciferol was converted into one or more compounds less polar than 25-hydroxycholecalciferol and into a number of highly polar metabolites, some of which were water-soluble. 4. Oestrogen not only stimulated the 25-hydroxylation of cholecalciferol but also protected both cholecalciferol and 25-hydroxycholecalciferol from degradation by the enzymic pathways active in immature and male birds. 5. These actions of oestrogen may be of physiological significance in relation to the high requirements of laying birds for 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol to support the intense metabolism of calcium associated with egg-shell calcification.

Social Inhibition of Operant Behavior in Japanese Quail: The Effect of FR And DRL Schedules

Operant key pecking was assessed in Japanese quail during visual exposure to either one male or one female companion under a variety of fixed-ratio (FR) and differential-reinforcement-of-low-rate (DRL) schedules. Experiment 1 tested eight adult male quail on FR-2, FR-10, and FR-20 schedules of food reinforcement. The results indicated that a criterion FR schedule value exists (FR-20) in which stable social inhibition of key pecking breaks down. Social inhibition of responding during FR-2 and FR-10 performance was essentially the same as that obtained for continuous reinforcement (CRF) in earlier studies. Experiment 2 assessed food-reinforced key pecking in another group of eight adult male quail on DRL-2, DRL-4, DRL-8, DRL-12, and DRL-16 schedules of reinforcement. While a weak social inhibition effect was obtained during DRL-12 performance, the criterion concept was not applicable to these findings since the companion effects during DRL schedules were ambiguous. DRL behavior was found to coincide with established response patterns of pigeons showing increased disinhibition of pecking with increased DRL interval. These data begin to establish the limits under which social inhibition of operant key pecking in quail will occur.

Duration of Exposures to a Conspecific and Social Inhibition of Operant Behavior in Japanese Quail

Though there are a theory of social facilitation and research data which suggest behavior will be enhanced in the presence of a conspecific, social inhibition of operant behavior does occur reliably in Japanese quail ( Coturnix coturnix japonica). Key pecking was assessed in 10 adult male quail during a series of episodes where a conspecific was either visible or not visible to the subject and each episode was either 10 sec., 60 sec. or 120 sec. in duration. Results indicated that consistent significant inhibition of responding occurred as a function of visual exposure to the companion; responding during sessions where durations of exposure were short (either 10 or 60 sec.) was significantly lower than that where durations were 120 sec., and interactions between the duration of exposure and visibility of a companion indicated that differences in duration were largely related to increased responding in the 120-sec. condition when the companion was not visible. There parametric findings serve further to define the conditions under which a conspecific can be a stimulus controlling learned behavior.

Evaluation of 45 chemicals as chemosterilants in adult male quail (Coturnix coturnix).

Evaluation of 45 chemicals as chemosterilants in adult male quail (Coturnix coturnix).

The Effects of Gold Thioglucose and Monosodium Glutamate on Growth and Feed Consumption of the Chicken and the Japanese Quail

A single intraperitoneal injection of gold thioglucose to the chicken (Gallus domesticus) and the Japanese quail (Cotrunix cotrunix japonica) showed that the LD 50 of the drug was 0.25mg/g body weight for White Leghorn 12-day-old cockerels, 0.1mg/g for the adult male quail and more than 0.1mg/g for the adult female quail.Neither growth promotion nor increase in feed consumption was observed in the cockerel and the quail which received the LD 50 dose of gold thioglucose, as compared with the cockerel and quail which did not receive the drug. No hyperphagia or obesity was observed in the gold thioglucose-treated-chicken and quail.No damage to the ventromedial nucleus in hypothalamus was observed in the gold thioglucose-treated-cockerels (Courtesy to the inspection by Dr. Shigeto Kanematsu, Iwate University, Morioka-shi).Subcutaneous injections of monosodium glutamate at the dosage level of 0.5, 1 and 2mg/g body weight for 10 days to the 3-day-old quail of both sexes did not induce any accerelation of growth or increase in feed consumption as compared with the nontreated control birds.

Oxygen consumption by the Japanese quailcoturnix coturnix japonica

Synopsis The effect of environmental temperature upon the oxygen consumption of the growing Japanese quail has been determined and the values of the upper critical temperatures from hatching to maturity (6 weeks) have been calculated. The resting oxygen consumption during growth and adulthood has been measured at environmental temperatures within the zone of thermal neutrality. Three metabolic phases have been differentiated and the equations of the regression lines are given. No difference in the oxygen uptake of adult male and female quail could be detected when the values were expressed in ml./g.2/3/hr.