A New Screening Model Using F1(AWE * WE) Japanese Quail Embryo for Evaluating Sex Reversal Effects

Abstract

F 1 (AWE × WE) strain of Japanese quail (Corturnix japonica) is produced from a mating between male AWE (albino plumage color) and female WE (wild plumage color) strains of Japanese quail. Male and female offspring exhibit wild and albino plumage colors, respectively, ruled by a criss-cross inheritance. F 1 (AWE × WE) eggs received 17 beta-estradiol (E 2 ) or methyltestosterone (MT) at 0, 20, 200, 2000, and 20000 ng/egg just before incubation. At 16 days of incubation, embryos were subjected to a complete necropsy and their gonads were grossly observed and examined histopathologically. Viabilities of the embryos at 16 days of incubation were not significantly different between the control and all E 2 groups and between the control and the MT 20, 200 and 2000 ng groups, whereas viability of the MT 20000 ng group was significantly lower than that of the control group. Grossly, genetic sex confirmed by plumage colors coincided completely with sex phenotype of the gonads in all embryos of the control and treated groups. Histopathologically, E 2 exposure induced a dose-dependent feminization such as ovotestis of the left testis. No abnormalities were detected in any male embryos of all the MT groups. E 2 and MT exposures induced no noticeable changes in the ovaries of any embryos. The present study suggests that the sex reversal test using F 1 (AWE × WE) Japanese quail embryos may be a rapid and cost-effective tool to evaluate screening feminization effects of the estrogenic endocrine disrupters. (J Toxicol Pathol 2004; 17: 245-252)

Sensitive embryonic endpoints with in ovo treatment for detecting androgenic and anti-androgenic effects of chemicals in Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica)

“…Previous workers did not find significant effects of in ovo treatment with androgenic compounds on the behavior, morphology, or sexual differentiation of the Japanese quail (Schumacher et al, 1989;Shibuya et al, 2004). Recently, however, Quinn et al (2007a,b) demonstrated that the in ovo treatment of 0.05 to 50 μg of trenbolone acetate, a synthetic androgen, on d 4 of incubation resulted in the inhibition of cloacal gland development and smaller and fewer follicles of bursa of Fabricius in male adult Japanese quail.…”

“…Schumacher et al (1989) reported that the exposure with 5β-dihydrotestosterone on d 9 of incubation in Japanese quail eggs showed no effect on behavior and morphology in male adults derived from the treated eggs. Shibuya et al (2004) treated fertile quail eggs with methyl testosterone just before incubation, but failed to find any effect on the sexual differentiation and structures of testes or ovaries in 16-d-old embryos. Recently, Quinn et al (2007a,b) demonstrated that the in ovo treatment with trenbolone acetate, an androgenic compound, on d 4 of incubation resulted in the inhibition of cloacal gland development and smaller and fewer follicles of bursa of Fabricius in male adult Japanese quail.…”

“…Regarding the xenoestrogenic effects on male embryos, Schumacher et al (1989) reported that the in ovo exposure with estradiol benzoate on d 9 of incubation caused the demasculization of sexual behavior and the inhibition of cloacal gland growth when the birds matured. Exposure of fertilized eggs to other estrogenic compounds such as diethylstilbestrol; 17α-ethynylestradiol; o,p′-dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane; 17β-estradiol; estrone; or estriol induced the ovotestes, abnormalities of the Mullerian duct, the demasculization of sexual behavior, and the inhibition of cloacal gland growth in male quail (Berg et al, 1998(Berg et al, , 2001aShibuya et al, 2004Shibuya et al, , 2005Blomqvist et al, 2006;Kamata et al, 2006b;Biau et al, 2007). Schumacher et al (1989) reported that the exposure with 5β-dihydrotestosterone on d 9 of incubation in Japanese quail eggs showed no effect on behavior and morphology in male adults derived from the treated eggs.…”

In ovo exposure to nonylphenol and bisphenol A resulted in dose‐independent feminization of male gonads in Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) embryos

“…The compounds were injected into the egg white through a small hole punched with a sterilized disposable 25-gauge needle at the blunt end of the egg, using a sterilized disposable 27-gauge needle attached to a sterilized Hamilton syringe as described previously [8]. The compounds were injected into the egg white through a small hole punched with a sterilized disposable 25-gauge needle at the blunt end of the egg, using a sterilized disposable 27-gauge needle attached to a sterilized Hamilton syringe as described previously [8].…”

“…A mating between male AWE quail with albino plumage color (AL Ã A/AL Ã A) and female WE quail with wild plumage color (AL Ã N/W) produced inheritably male F 1 quail with wild plumage color (AL Ã N/AL Ã A) and female F 1 quail with albino plumage color (AL Ã A/W) ruled by a criss-cross inheritance as described previously [8,9] (Fig. A mating between male AWE quail with albino plumage color (AL Ã A/AL Ã A) and female WE quail with wild plumage color (AL Ã N/W) produced inheritably male F 1 quail with wild plumage color (AL Ã N/AL Ã A) and female F 1 quail with albino plumage color (AL Ã A/W) ruled by a criss-cross inheritance as described previously [8,9] (Fig.…”