Magnum Morphogenesis during the Natural Development of the Quail Oviduct: Analysis of Egg White Proteins and Progesterone Receptor Concentration1

Abstract

The histological development of the quail oviduct and the changes in concentrations of progesterone receptor, ovalbumin, conalbumin, ovomucoid and ovoglycocomponents are analyzed during the period spanning 7-35 days of age. The initiation of luminal epithelial cell proliferation is the first event of magnum growth. The epithelial cells begin to evaginate into subepithelial stroma and form tubular glands. Meanwhile, luminal epithelium starts cellular pleomorphism through ciliogenesis. No egg white proteins are detectable in the developing glands; at the same time, the concentration of the progesterone receptor increases from about 5500 sites/cell to 30,300 sites/cell. Tubular gland cells then begin to synthetize and accumulate egg white proteins, mucous cells differentiate in the luminal epithelium, and the cell proliferation decreases and finally stops. Compared with earlier studies dealing with the blood levels of estrogen and progesterone in developing quails during the same period, and the cellular changes induced in the oviducts of ovariectomized and ovariectomized-hypophysectomized quail by exogenous steroids, these results distinguish between the cellular responses that are physiologically controlled by estradiol and other responses that have multihormonal regulation.

Immunolocalization of Intermediate Filaments and Laminin in the Oviduct of the Immature and Mature Japanese Quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica)

“…Tubular glands in immature quails were sparsely distributed, while glands in mature birds were compacted. Similar observations have been made in the oviductal regions of the immature and mature domestic fowl (Breen and De Bruyn, 1969;Palmiter and Wrenn, 1971), Japanese quail (Hoffer, 1971;Eroschenko, 1979;Pageaux et al, 1986;Berg et al, 2001), ostrich (Madekurozwa, 2002(Madekurozwa, , 2004 and rhea (Parizzi et al, 2008). A study by Yu and Marquardt (1973) has shown that the egg white protein ovalbumin is secreted by magnal tubular glands.…”

Recrudescence Mechanisms and Gene Expression Profile of the Reproductive Tracts from Chickens during the Molting Period

“…Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) endows cells with migratory and invasive properties, and plays an important role in developmental processes including tissue repair and differentiation [34]. Previously, Heryanto et al suggested that the tubular glands were generated by the invasion and cytodifferentiation of the mucosal epithelium and old glandular cells were replaced with newly derived GE during oviductal tissue remodeling [35], [36]. Our results suggest that up-regulation of cytokeratin is a defining factor for initiation of regeneration and plays a significant role in initial tissue remodeling of the reproductive tract.…”

Regulation of quail oviduct phospholipase A2 activity by estradiol

“…Estradiol markedly stimulates this alkaline fraction and apparently shifts its optimal activity to a more neutral pH. In quails, natural or estrogen-induced development of the oviduct begins with the proliferation of the primitive luminal epithelium: epithelial cells evaginate into subepithelial stroma and form tubular glands (27,28). The identification of these changes requires further study.…”