title: Effects of embryonic CO2 exposure on the adult ventilatory response in quail: does gender matter?
abstract: To test the hypothesis that the adult ventilatory response to CO2 can be modified by exposure to CO2 during development, we exposed Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) from two populations to 2% CO2 throughout embryonic development. The ventilatory response to 6% CO2 was subsequently measured in control and CO2-exposed quail following a 6-9 week deacclimation period. In one population of quail, CO2-exposed female, but not male, quail had a reduced ventilatory response to 6% CO2 as adults (P<0.001). Although control and CO2-exposed quail had similar ventilation while breathing air, CO2-exposed females exhibited a 26% reduction in mean ventilation at 6% CO2, primarily due to a reduced tidal volume. In contrast, the identical incubation treatment had no effect on the ventilation of either gender in a second population of quail. It appears that developmental plasticity in the hypercapnic ventilatory response may generally be greater in females, although this conclusion may vary depending on genetic factors.
authors.affiliation: Division of Biological Sciences, The University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA. bavisr@svm.vetmed.wisc.edu
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Bavis
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Kilgore
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000388:Air; D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003370:Coturnix / Q000196:embryology*; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D012119:Respiration / Q000187:drug effects*; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D013990:Tidal Volume / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D002245:Carbon Dioxide