Evidence of embryonic regulation of maternally derived yolk corticosterone

Carter, Amanda W.; Bowden, Rachel M.; Paitz, Ryan T.

doi:10.1242/jeb.182600

Cited by 13 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 65 publications

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“…This could be because the stress sessions did not induce a similar magnitude of corticosterone deposition as occurred in CORT treatment or because both the hen and embryo possess the capacity to regulate maternally derived corticosterone. As previously reported ( Vassallo et al., 2014 , Vassallo et al., 2019 , Carter et al., 2018 ), embryos can modulate their developmental environment through rapid metabolization of free corticosterone in the egg. In addition, the catalytic activity of enzymes such as 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase located in the ovary follicles of hens can reduce the concentration of corticosterone in the yolk ( Rettenbacher et al., 2013b ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 66%

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Effects of prenatal stress and genetics on embryonic survival and offspring growth of laying hens

2020

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Early-life exposure to stressors can shape the phenotype of the offspring resulting in changes that may affect their prehatch and posthatch development. This can be modeled indirectly through maternal exposure to stressors (natural model) or by offspring exposure to stress hormones (pharmacological model). In this study, both models were used to investigate the effects of genetic line on hatchability, late embryonic mortality, sex ratio, and body weight until 17 wk of age. To form the parent stock, fertilized eggs of 4 commercial genetic lines — two brown (brown 1 and 2), two white (white 1 and 2), and a pure line White Leghorn — were incubated, hatched, and housed identically in 4 flocks of 27 birds (24 females and 3 males) per strain. Each strain was equally separated into 2 groups: “maternal stress,” where hens were subjected to a series of acute psychological stressors (e.g., physical restraint, transportation) for 8 D before egg collection, and “control,” where hens received routine husbandry. At 3 maternal ages, fertile eggs from both treatments were collected, and additional eggs from the control group were injected with corticosterone (10 ng/mL egg content) (“CORT”). A “vehicle” treatment was included to account for effects of egg manipulation. Each maternal age comprised a replicate over time. Eggs were incubated and hatched, and the offspring (N = 1,919) were brooded until 17 wk under identical conditions. The results show that prenatal stress interacted with strain to decrease embryonic survival and growth. Among all strains, brown 2 was consistently the most affected line in both prehatch and posthatch development. Our study shows that embryonic survival and offspring growth are mostly affected by the pharmacological model and that strain differences may increase susceptibility to prenatal stress. Moreover, it suggests that the natural stressor model may be useful for quantifying the response of the mother to stressors, whereas the pharmacological model may be useful for quantifying the response of the embryo to increased levels of corticosterone.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 66%

“…The effects of maternal stress on egg composition have been extensively studied in birds (e.g., hormones ( Carter et al., 2018 ), antioxidants ( Possenti et al., 2018 ), and immunoglobulins ( Roth et al., 2018 )). Gonadal steroid hormones, and particularly androgens, are known to be important mediators of maternal effects.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of prenatal stress and genetics on embryonic survival and offspring growth of laying hens

2020

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“…Given the demonstrated phenotypic effects of corticosterone treatment in similar contexts, the lack of increase in tissue corticosterone could be explained by what we know of yolk hormone movement. The metabolism of corticosterone by the embryo is rapid (Carter et al, 2018), as is the conversion of the steroid from its lipid‐soluble to water‐soluble forms via reversible sulfonylation (Moore & Johnston, 2008; Paitz & Bowden, 2008). Our tissue corticosterone extractions and measurements targeted only lipophilic free corticosterone, and it is possible that this method obscured differences in levels of corticosterone metabolites.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Corticosterone does not have a role in temperature sex reversal in the central bearded dragon (Pogona vitticeps)

2021

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Environmental sex determination (ESD) is common among ectothermic vertebrates. The stress axis and production of stress hormones (corticosteroids) regulates ESD in fish, but evidence of a similar influence in reptiles is sparse and conflicting. The central bearded dragon (Pogona vitticeps) has a system of sex determination involving the interplay between sex chromosomes (ZZ/ZW female heterogamety) and the thermal environment. High egg incubation temperatures induce sex reversal of the ZZ genotype, feminizing chromosomally male individuals. Here we show that corticosterone elevation is not associated with sex reversal in the central bearded dragon, either during embryonic development or adulthood. We also demonstrate experimentally that sex determination is not affected by corticosterone injection into the yolk. This strongly suggests that stress axis upregulation by high temperature during incubation does not cause sex reversal in P. vitticeps. Our work is in general agreement with other research in reptiles, which suggests that the stress axis does not mediate sex in reptiles with ESD. Alternative biological systems may be responsible for capturing environmental conditions during reptile development, such as cellular calcium and redox regulation or the action of temperature‐sensitive splicing factors.

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“…Also using a single egg injection of corticosterone prior to incubation, Janczak et al (74) observed that chicks from injected eggs stayed longer in TI but only if they had been previously handled, suggesting that life experiences influence this behavioral effect of maternal stress. Interestingly, physiological studies on maternal stress and the HPA axis activation of the offspring showed that treatment effects are only observed when the offspring is also subjected to stressors (75)(76)(77). Therefore, a combination of maternal stress and life experience might be essential to trigger behavioral and physiological responses in the offspring.…”

Section: Limitations and Effects Of The Stress Treatmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Maternal Stress on Measures of Anxiety and Fearfulness in Different Strains of Laying Hens

et al. 2020

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Maternal stress can affect the offspring of birds, possibly due to hormone deposition in the egg. Additionally, phenotypic diversity resulting from domestication and selection for productivity has created a variety of poultry lines that may cope with stress differently. In this study, we investigated the effects of maternal stress on the behavior of different strains of laying hens and the role of corticosterone as its mediator. For this, fertilized eggs of five genetic lines-two brown (Brown 1 and 2), two white (White 1 and 2), and one pure line White Leghorn-were reared identically as four flocks of 27 birds (24F: 3M) per strain. Each strain was equally separated into two groups: Maternal Stress ("MS"), where hens were subjected to a series of daily acute psychological stressors for 8 days before egg collection, and "Control," which received routine husbandry. Fertile eggs from both treatments were collected at three different ages forming different offspring groups that were treated as replicates; additional eggs from Control were injected either with corticosterone diluted in a vehicle solution ("CORT") or just "Vehicle." Eggs from each replicate were incubated and hatched, and offspring (N = 1,919) were brooded under identical conditions. To measure the effects of maternal stress on anxiety and fear-like behavior, offspring were subjected to a social isolation test (SI) between 5 and 10 days of age and a tonic immobility test (TI) at 9 weeks of age. Compared to Control, MS decreased the number of distress vocalizations emitted by White 2 in SI. No effects of MS were observed in TI, and no effects of CORT were observed in any tests. Overall, brown lines vocalized more in SI and remained in TI for a longer duration than white strains, suggesting genetic differences in fear behavior. Females vocalized more than males in TI and showed a trend toward significance for the same trait in SI. Overall, results suggest that the effects of maternal stress on fearfulness are not directly mediated by corticosterone. Moreover, it highlights behavioral differences across various strains of laying hens, suggesting that fear responses are highly dependent on genotype.

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Evidence of embryonic regulation of maternally derived yolk corticosterone

Cited by 13 publications

References 65 publications

Effects of prenatal stress and genetics on embryonic survival and offspring growth of laying hens

Effects of prenatal stress and genetics on embryonic survival and offspring growth of laying hens

Corticosterone does not have a role in temperature sex reversal in the central bearded dragon (Pogona vitticeps)

Effects of Maternal Stress on Measures of Anxiety and Fearfulness in Different Strains of Laying Hens

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