Chinese painted quail : establishment and use of the smallest laboratory animal in Aves

1998 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 08558088
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 展開研究
• Research Field: Laboratory animal science
• Research Institution: HIROSHIMA UNIVERSITY
• Principal Investigator: TSUDZUKI Masaoki Hiroshima University, Faculty of Applied Biological Science, Associate Professor, 生物生産学部, 助教授 (70212058)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): MIZUTANI Makoto Nippon Institute for Biological Science, Department of Laboratory Animal Science, 実験動物部, 主任研究員 (40072467) ; ITO Shin'ichi Gifu University, Faculty of Agriculture, Professor, 農学部, 教授 (20108062) ; ONO Tamao Sinsyu University, Faculty of Agriculture, Associate Professor, 農学部, 助教授 (10177264)
• Project Period (FY): 1996 – 1998
• Keywords: Chinese painted quail / Laboratory animal / Developmental stage / Biological engineering / Genetic marker / mtDNA / DNA marker / マイクロサテライトマーカー

Research Abstract

Chinese painted quail is the smallest species in the family Phasianidac. It shows good reproductive performance under artificial conditions. These characteristics indicate that Chinese painted quail is a excellent candidate for a laboratory animal. Thus, we performed developmental and genetic analyses for this species to establish Chinese painted quail as a laboratory animal. The results obtained are as follows :
1. Development of the external appearance and skeleton was precisely examined through all embryonic stages, and the list of normal embryonic development was established for both the external appearance and sleleton. 2. New simple methods were established with cellulose acetate membrane to electrophorese 20 enzymes and 3 proteins. 3. Polymorphisms were found in 8 enzymes (e.g., alcohol dehydrogenase) and 3 proteins (e.g., transferrin), and the mode of inheritance was determined for aspartate aminotransferase and transferrin. 4. Restriction endonuclease cleavage pattern was revealed for mtDNA with BamH I, Bgl I, EcoR I, Hind ill, Pst I, and Sal I.Moreover, nucleotide sequence of the cytochrome b gene was determined. 5. Artificial (in ovo) culture conditions for fertile eggs were established to develop embryos from a single cell stage to hatching. Chimeras were obtained between the Chinese painted quail and Japanese quail by reciprocally transfusing the PGCs to the embryonic blood vessel of the counterpart. 6. Six kinds of red blood cell agglutinogens recognized by plant lectins were discovered, and the mode of inheritance was determined for these 6 agglutinogens.
These results indicate that the first step was accomplished to develop Chinese painted quail as a laboratory animal.