title: Expression of fos-like immunoreactivity in the hypothalamus of the ring dove (Streptopelia risoria) at the onset of incubation.
abstract: Fos immunocytochemistry was used in the ring dove (Streptopelia risoria) to identify areas in the forebrain and hypothalamus which might be involved in the expression of incubation behaviour and the associated changes in neuroendocrine function. In this species, both sexes participate in incubation which becomes fully established after laying the second egg in the two egg clutch. The eggs hatch after 14-15 days incubation. Observations were made in both sexes 16-18 h after laying the first egg, 3-5 h after laying the second egg, and after 12-14 days of incubation. Non-breeding birds were used as controls. Fos-labelled cells were observed in several forebrain areas in both sexes irrespective of reproductive status but their numbers did not change during incubation. In the hypothalamus, very few fos-labelled cells were seen in non-breeding birds but appeared in both sexes in the nucleus preopticus medialis after egg laying and after 12-14 days of incubation. Fos-labelled cells also appeared in the nucleus tuberis (=arcuate nucleus) in both sexes after laying the first or second egg and less abundantly, after 12-14 days incubation. Additionally, in males only, fos-labelled cells were seen after the laying of the first and second eggs in the rostral area of the nucleus tuberis close to the walls of the third ventricle. These observations suggest that the fos-labelled cells in the nucleus preopticus medialis may be involved in the expression of incubation behaviour while those in the nucleus tuberis may be involved in the regulation of gonadotrophin or prolactin secretion.
authors.affiliation: Division of Development and Reproduction, Roslin Institute Edinburgh, UK.
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Sharp
authors.forename: Q
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Georgiou
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Lea
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001111:Arcuate Nucleus of Hypothalamus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D001923:Brain Chemistry; D010856:Columbidae / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000378:metabolism*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D009425:Nesting Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D011301:Preoptic Area / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos