Lines Of White Leghorn Chickens Research Articles

Early Anatomical Development of Specific-Pathogen-Free New Hampshire Cockerels

THE domestic fowl has long been studied in laboratory as well as field biology. Selective breeding has led to the development and improvement of poultry strains particularly suited for egg production, as well as other strains which are rapid and efficient producers of meat. Total body growth of many of these strains has been studied in detail. Likewise, the effects of certain environmental factors on these growth patterns and on performance characteristics have also been studied (Deaton et al., 1969; Francis et al., 1968; McCartney et al., 1969; and Tindell et al., 1967a, b). Some of the important studies on organ-body weight relationships in poultry, in which a large number of organs were studied simultaneously, are those by Oakberg and Lucas (1949) and Oakberg (1951a, b) on 10 inbred lines of White Leghorn chickens, relative growth in bantams and leghorns (Lerner, 1941), the differential growth of organs and edible meat…

An Attempt to Improve Tolerance to Homografts in Chickens by Selection

NONAVAILABILITY of histocompatability lines in chickens has restricted their use as suitable genetic material for the study of immunologic and tolerance phenomena. Inbreeding has been practiced in the past (Cock and Clough, 1956; Crittenden et al., 1964; and Hasek et al., 1966) to increase the homograft acceptance in chickens, although complete homozygosity for histocompatibility genes was not reported until recently. Hasek et al. (1966) have been successful in producing histocompatible sublines (CA, CB, CC and CD) of an inbred C line of White Leghorn chickens by further inbreeding and selection for identity in homograft acceptance and erythrocyte antigens.The present work was planned to avoid long term inbreeding and the probable consequences of reduced reproductive ability of chickens (Crittenden et al., 1964; and Hasek et al., 1966). There seemed a good possibility that histocompatible lines with a minimum of inbreeding could be established by selection on the basis of tolerance…

Inheritance of susceptibility of chicken erythrocytes to haemagglutination by poxviruses and phospholipids

Red blood cells from individuals of six generations of the highly inbred RE line of White Leghorn chickens were tested for susceptibility to agglutination by vaccinia virus suspension or a beef heart extract (Wasserman antigen) or both. Some insusceptible individuals were found in five of the six generations, including the latest tested, the 20th full-sib generation. The results of specific matings in the RE line provide evidence that insusceptibility is determined by a single autosomal gene, designated vh, recessive to its allele Vh determining susceptibility. There was no complete association between the Vh locus and five blood-group loci, A, B, C, L, and N. It was not possible to test for incomplete association which might result from multiple allelism or linkage: reasons are given for supposing it to be extremely unlikely.

Some histochemical and biochemical ovservations on the lymphatic tissues of highly inbred white leghorns.

AbstractLymphatic tissues of inbred lines of White Leghorn chickens and 20‐day embryos (inbreeding coefficient exceeds 95%) were used in the experiments, e.g. line 6 was susceptible, line 7 was resistant, and line 15 I was intermediate in response to the virus. Enzyme reactions were studied in cryostat‐cut sections of tissues and in tissue minces by colorimetric procedures. Numbers of isozymes and proteins of lymphatic tissues were resolved by disc gel electrophoresis.Colorimetric tests showed that intensities of lactate, malate, isocitrate and succinic dehydrogenase catalyzed reactions were higher in the bursae of 15 I 20‐day embryos than they were in bursae of either line 6 or 7 embryos. Intensity of dehydrogenase reactions of the spleen (15 I embryos) exceeded that found in line 6 and 7 embryos. Intensity of diaphorase reactions in the spleen and thymus was fairly uniform in all lines of embryos. Intensity of DPN diaphorase reactions in the bursae of line 15 I embryos exceeds that found in either line 6 or 7 embryos. Intensity of enzyme reactions leveled off to become fairly uniform in lymphatic tissues of chickens 3–4 weeks post hatching with the exception that dehydrogenase reactions were less intense in the thymus of 15 I chickens.Photodensitometer scans of acrylamide gel columns showed that proteins of line 6 lymphatic tissues combined with less Amido black 10B than lymphatic proteins of either line 15 I or 7 embryos. There was fairly good agreement between concentrations of strong mobility (components 1–9) and weak mobility (components 10–16) in lymphatic tissues of all lines of embryos with the exception that strong mobility proteins were about twice as concentrated in line 15 I bursae. Variable numbers of lactate isozymes were found in the lymphatic tissues of 20‐day embryos.

METABOLISM AND EXCRETION AS FACTORS INFLUENCING SERUM CHOLESTEROL LEVEL IN TWO LINES OF CHICKENS.

SummaryTwo lines of White Leghorn chickens differing in serum cholesterol level were studied. The line difference in cholesterol was unchanged in serum from post-hepatic blood as compared to pre-hepatic blood. No line differences were observed in rate of in vitro cholesterogenesis from acetate-1-C14 incubated with blood or liver slices. Following administration of cholesterol-4-C14, differences were not detectable between lines in labeled nonsaponifiable substances in liver, gut, skin, adrenal, or carcass, or in the labeled saponifiable fraction of liver or feces. Fecal excretion of labeled nonsaponifiable substances, however, was significantly higher in the low line, suggesting genetic regulation of cholesterol homeostasis through excretory-pathways.Grateful acknowledgement is made to Dr. Sitarama Lakshmanan for consultation on radioisotope techniques and for the use of his laboratory.

Enhancement of Growth of Chick Host Spleens following Chorio-allantoic Membrane Grafts of Homologous Tissues1

ABSTRACT A striking enlargement of the host chick embryo spleen was obtained following chorio-allantoic grafts of adult chicken spleen tissue. When the adult chicken spleen tissue was killed by freezing and thawing before implantation on the chorio-allantoic membrane, no enlargement of the host chick embryo spleen was observed. However, a large number of the frozen grafts failed to ‘take’. X-irradiation of the donor spleen, at a level sufficient to block or inhibit mitosis, also removed the growth-stimulating abilty of the grafted tissue in spite of the fact that the grafts were well incorporated. This suggested that donor cells capable of undergoing mitosis were necessary for producing enlarged host spleens. Because of the possibility that antibody-forming mechanisms were destroyed at these levels of irradiation, the involvement of such mechanisms in this reaction was studied. In a comparison of the effect of spleen grafts between two inbred lines of White Leghorn chickens (S and R), a lesser stimulation was obtained when spleens from 5 line chickens were implanted on S line embryos than on R line embryos. Similarly, a lesser stimulation was obtained when R spleens were implanted on R embryos than on 5 embryos. Spleens from S line chickens also evoked a greater response than spleens from R line chickens. To test the role of antibodies in this reaction, spleens from adult chickens previously injected with chick embryo spleens were implanted on the chorioallantoic membrane. In all cases (7) the spleens from the injected chickens stimulated the host embryo spleen to a significantly lesser degree than spleens from non-injected chickens. Spleens from different animal species, including the turkey, pheasant, rat, and guinea-pig, were implanted on the chorio-allantoic membrane of the early chick embryo. The turkey and pheasant spleens stimulated the host chick embryo spleens to a significantly lesser degree than adult chicken spleen in spite of the greater genetic diversity and subsequently successful incorporation in the chorio-allantoic membrane. From the available evidence the authors suggest that the enlargement of the host chick embryo spleen following chorio-allantoic membrane grafts of homologous adult chicken tissue probably involves two separate steps: (1) a stimulation which may occur in the absence of intact cells; (2) an immune-type reaction which results in necrosis of areas in the host spleen, and stunting of growth of the hatched chicks.

The Response of Inbred Lines of Chickens to Lymphoid Tumor Transplants

AT THE time the present study was initiated, there existed at the U. S. Regional Poultry Research Laboratory a number of inbred lines of White Leghorn chickens with various degrees of resistance to naturally occurring lymphomatosis. Likewise, there existed a transplantable lymphoid tumor strain obtained originally from a chicken infected with naturally occurring lymphomatosis. This tumor tissue material, after numerous and frequent passages in vivo, was termed “Strain RPL-16” and at the time of this study had been carried approximately 61 passages.When tumor material RPL-16 was transplanted intramuscularly into very young chicks of different inbred lines, there was, within a period of a few days, a lymphoid growth response at the site of inoculation and frequently in the visceral organs. As a result of the tumor injections the mortality was much greater among the chickens of certain inbred lines than in others.The primary objectives of this study were .

Mortality from Lymphomatosis and Other Causes Among Inbred Lines of White Leghorns

THIS report presents data collected over a nine-year period on resistance and susceptibility to lymphomatosis among six different inbred lines of White Leghorn chickens maintained at the Regional Poultry Research Laboratory at East Lansing, Michigan. Waters (1945) presented data which included the behavior of these six inbred lines, together with nine other lines, for 1939 to 1943 inclusive. In addition to mortality from lymphomatosis, this report gives consideration to all other mortality occurring among the six inbred lines.In nearly all, if not all, experiments with living organisms, the investigator must contend not only with mortality resulting from the specific disease under consideration but also with mortality from a multiplicity of causes. Thus, when dealing with death from a specific disease as it occurs in a group of chickens, one should also give consideration to the aggregate of other reasons for death in this same group of chickens. It becomes .

Body Weight of Different Inbred Lines of Chickens

THIS study concerns the body weight, at ten months of age, of six different inbred lines of Single Comb White Leghorn chickens for the years 1942 to 1949, inclusive. An attempt has been made to determine what effect continuous inbreeding had on the definitive body weight of these different lines of chickens.It is probable that body weight is not the best criterion (Dunn, 1928; Lerner, 1944) for estimating the definitive size of a chicken. However, all the chickens in this study, within a given year or period, were provided with a similar environment and, for comparison of the different inbred lines, body weights therefore should prove to be useful.Waters and Bywaters (1943) reported on the body weight, at ten months of age, of the different strains of White Leghorns from which the present six in-inbred lines originated. A dissimilarity was indicated in the body weight of certain of .

The Effects of Feeding Tomatoes on the Incidence of Lymphomatosis in Chickens

A NUMBER of poultry producers have reported from time to time a decrease in lymphomatosis, or “fowl paralysis,” among chickens when tomatoes were supplied as a supplementary feed. However, a review of the literature fails to reveal any research with tomatoes either as a therapeutic or prophylactic agent in the control of lymphomatosis. An exploratory project was initiated cooperatively in June 1947 by the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station and the Regional Poultry Research Laboratory to determine if a diet consisting in part of tomatoes would influence the incidence of lymphomatosis. This paper gives the results of these investigations.MATERIAL AND METHODSInbred lines of White Leghorn chickens which have been selected for resistance and susceptibility to lymphomatosis, as described by Waters (1945), were used. Experiments were conducted over a period of two succeeding years. In each of the two experiments, the chicks used were hatched together in one hatch and .