The Role of Japanese Quail in Ecotoxicology Completed
The Challenge: Wild birds are exposed throughout their lives to natural and synthetic chemicals that are present in the environment, many of which interfere with the animal’s physiological and developmental systems. Relative concentrations, routes, frequency, and the environment in which chemical exposure occurs will determine to a large extent the bird’s response. Well-designed avian field studies conducted on site are expensive, both in terms of personnel and funding. In order to address specific field exposures and/or focus on variables of particular concern, pen studies can be conducted on a smaller scale. The Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica, JQ) has been used as a model for gallinaceous birds in research because it exhibits a short generation time of 53-74 days and all stages of its development can be maintained and tested in captivity under controlled laboratory pen conditions. As we move towards minimizing the numbers of animals used for research, the role of the JQ as an appropriate model for avian wildlife in ecotoxicological studies is being redefined.
The Science: A considerable number of studies have been conducted at PWRC using the JQ as an avian model. In the 1980s, LC50 dietary tests were conducted screening the response of subadult JQ to over 190 environmental chemicals. More recently, JQ have been used as an avian wildlife model for developing protocols and evaluating genomic and transgenerational effects from exposure to agricultural, pharmaceutical and industrial endocrine active chemicals. For example, JQ were selected for evaluating bioaccessibility of lead, for modeling adsorption, distribution, metabolism and elimination (ADME) of neonicotinoid insecticides, and for modeling the effects of contaminants on vitellogenin production in birds.
The Future: Research is needed to assess potential effects of new technologies (e.g. LED lighting) and of mixtures of emerging contaminants, such as pharmaceuticals or industrial chemicals, on avian productivity and development. The rapid turnaround time required to complete multiple trials with the JQ and the flexibility of being able to conduct these throughout the year, allow researchers to evaluate toxicity and response-types in an avian test system before initiating larger scaled studies with an alternative wildlife avian species, such as the American kestrel or screech owl, whose life cycles may be seasonally determined.
Below are publications associated with this project.
Toxicokinetics of imidacloprid-coated wheat seeds in Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) and an evaluation of hazard
Effects on circulating steroid hormones and gene expression along the hypothalamus–pituitary–gonadal axis in adult Japanese quail exposed to 17β-trenbolone across multiple generations
Effect of 17β-trenbolone on male and female reproduction in Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica)
A noninvasive, direct real-time PCR method for sex determination in multiple avian species
- Overview
The Challenge: Wild birds are exposed throughout their lives to natural and synthetic chemicals that are present in the environment, many of which interfere with the animal’s physiological and developmental systems. Relative concentrations, routes, frequency, and the environment in which chemical exposure occurs will determine to a large extent the bird’s response. Well-designed avian field studies conducted on site are expensive, both in terms of personnel and funding. In order to address specific field exposures and/or focus on variables of particular concern, pen studies can be conducted on a smaller scale. The Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica, JQ) has been used as a model for gallinaceous birds in research because it exhibits a short generation time of 53-74 days and all stages of its development can be maintained and tested in captivity under controlled laboratory pen conditions. As we move towards minimizing the numbers of animals used for research, the role of the JQ as an appropriate model for avian wildlife in ecotoxicological studies is being redefined.
The Science: A considerable number of studies have been conducted at PWRC using the JQ as an avian model. In the 1980s, LC50 dietary tests were conducted screening the response of subadult JQ to over 190 environmental chemicals. More recently, JQ have been used as an avian wildlife model for developing protocols and evaluating genomic and transgenerational effects from exposure to agricultural, pharmaceutical and industrial endocrine active chemicals. For example, JQ were selected for evaluating bioaccessibility of lead, for modeling adsorption, distribution, metabolism and elimination (ADME) of neonicotinoid insecticides, and for modeling the effects of contaminants on vitellogenin production in birds.
The Future: Research is needed to assess potential effects of new technologies (e.g. LED lighting) and of mixtures of emerging contaminants, such as pharmaceuticals or industrial chemicals, on avian productivity and development. The rapid turnaround time required to complete multiple trials with the JQ and the flexibility of being able to conduct these throughout the year, allow researchers to evaluate toxicity and response-types in an avian test system before initiating larger scaled studies with an alternative wildlife avian species, such as the American kestrel or screech owl, whose life cycles may be seasonally determined.
- Publications
Below are publications associated with this project.
Toxicokinetics of imidacloprid-coated wheat seeds in Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) and an evaluation of hazard
Birds are potentially exposed to neonicotinoid insecticides by ingestion of coated seeds during crop planting. Adult male Japanese quail were orally dosed with wheat seeds coated with an imidacloprid (IMI) formulation at either 0.9 mg/kg body weight (BW) or 2.7 mg/kg BW (~3 and 9% of IMI LD50 for Japanese quail, respectively) for 1 or 10 days. Quail were euthanized between 1 and 24 h post-exposureAuthorsThomas G. Bean, Michael S. Gross, Natalie K. Karouna-Renier, Paula F. P. Henry, Sandra L. Schultz, Michelle Hladik, Kathryn Kuivila, Barnett A. RattnerEffects on circulating steroid hormones and gene expression along the hypothalamus–pituitary–gonadal axis in adult Japanese quail exposed to 17β-trenbolone across multiple generations
We investigated the effects of the androgenic growth promoter 17β-trenbolone (17βTB) on adult Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) exposed across three generations. The F0 generation was exposed after sexual maturity to 0, 1, 5, 10, 20, and 40 ppm through feed. The F1 generation was exposed in ovo by maternal transfer and through feed at the same doses as their parents. The F2 generation was exposedAuthorsNatalie K. Karouna-Renier, Yu Chen, Paula F. P. Henry, Catherine M. Maddox, Dan SpragueEffect of 17β-trenbolone on male and female reproduction in Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica)
The anabolic steroid 17β trenbolone (17β-TB), a known endocrine disrupting chemical, may influence reproductive functions in avian wildlife. We evaluated the effects of dietary exposure to 17β-TB at 5 and 20 ppm on reproductive functional endpoints in Japanese quail during and after sexual maturation. In the male, 5 and 20 ppm treatments revealed no differences in body and testes weight, testes hiAuthorsPaula F.P. Henry, Valorie G. Akuffo, Yu Chen, Natalie K. Karouna-Renier, Daniel T. Sprague, Murray R. BakstA noninvasive, direct real-time PCR method for sex determination in multiple avian species
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based methods to determine the sex of birds are well established and have seen few modifications since they were first introduced in the 1990s. Although these methods allowed for sex determination in species that were previously difficult to analyse, they were not conducive to high-throughput analysis because of the laboriousness of DNA extraction and gel electrophoAuthorsJessica L. Brubaker, Natalie K. Karouna-Renier, Yu Chen, Kathryn Jenko, Daniel T. Sprague, Paula F.P. Henry