Informace o publikaci
Effects of experimentally increased in ovo lysozyme on egg hatchability, chicks immune response and phenotype in a precocial bird
| Autoři | |
|---|---|
| Rok publikování | 2015 |
| Druh | Článek v odborném periodiku |
| Časopis / Zdroj | Journal of Experimental Zoology, Part A |
| Fakulta / Pracoviště MU | |
| Citace | |
| Doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jez.1935 |
| Obor | Fyziologie |
| Klíčová slova | lysozyme; Coturnix japonica |
| Popis | In birds, spectrum of egg white proteins deposited into the egg during its formation are thought to be essential maternal effects. Particularly, egg white lysozyme (LSM), exhibiting great between and within species variability, is considered to be essential for developing avian embryos due to its physiological, antimicrobial and innate immunodefence functions. However, there have been few studies investigating effects of LSM on early post-hatching phenotype, despite its broad physiological and protective role during embryogenesis. Here, we test how experimentally increased concentrations of egg white LSM affect hatchability in Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) and chick phenotype immediately after hatching (particularly body weight, tarsus length, plasma LSM concentration and plasma complement activity). Chicks from eggs with increased LSM concentration displayed reduced tarsus length compared to chicks from control eggs while hatchability, body weight and plasma LSM concentration were unaffected. It is worth noting that no effect of increased in ovo lysozyme on eggs hatchability could be related to pathogen-free environment during artificial incubation which caused minimal pressure on embryo viability, thus no opportunity for antimicrobial action of egg white LSM While tangible in vivo mechanisms during avian embryogenesis remain to be tested, our study is the first to document experimentally that egg white LSM appears to have growth-regulation role during embryo development, with possible underlying phenotypic consequences in the early post-hatching period in precocial birds. |