Relationship of IGF-I mRNA Levels to Tissue Development in Chicken Embryos of Different Strains

Kita, K.; Noda, C.; Miki, K.; Kino, K.; Okumura, J.

doi:2000.13.12.1653

Article

Animal Reproduction and Physiology

Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences 2000;13(12): 1653-1658.
https://doi.org/10.5713/ajas.2000.1653 Published online December 1, 2000.

Relationship of IGF-I mRNA Levels to Tissue Development in Chicken Embryos of Different Strains

K. Kita, C. Noda, K. Miki, K. Kino, J. Okumura

Abstract

Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I mRNA levels in the eyes, heart, liver and breast muscle removed from dwarf egg-type, normal egg-type and normal meat-type chicken embryos at 7, 14 and 20 days of incubation were measured. There was no influence of chicken strain on IGF-I gene expression in the eyes and liver. The IGF-I gene expression in eyes increased significantly along with the incubation period. In the liver, IGF-I gene expression at 20 days of incubation was significantly higher than that at 14 days of incubation. In the muscle, the lowest value for IGF-I gene expression was observed in meat-type chicken embryos. Regression analysis revealed that IGF-I gene expression was significantly correlated to the weights of the eyes and liver, but not the muscle. We conclude that there is little influence of strain on tissue IGF-I gene expression in chicken embryos during incubation but that tissue development in chicken embryos is nevertheless at least partly regulated by the change in IGF-I gene expression.

Keywords: Chicken Embryo; Insulin-Like Growth Factor-I; mRNA; Dwarf; Broiler