title: Culture system for embryos of blue-breasted quail from the blastoderm stage to hatching.
abstract: The blue-breasted quail (Coturnix chinensis), the smallest species in the order Galliforms, is a candidate model animal for avian developmental engineering because it is precocious and prolific. This species requires 17 days to hatch and 8 to 9 weeks to mature to an adult body weight of about 50 g, whereas the Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) requires 16 days to hatch and 6 to 8 weeks to mature to an adult body weight of 100 to 150 g. The early embryo is the most challenging embryonic stage in terms of culture and manipulation for avian biotechnology. We have evaluated various conditions for the culture of blue-breasted quail embryos from the blastoderm stage to hatching. A hatchability rate of 26% (10/39) is among the best of the various culture conditions examined in the present study and the embryo culture system should facilitate advances in avian biotechnology.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Agriculture, Shinshu University, Minamiminowa, Nagano, Japan.
authors.forename: Tamao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ono
authors.forename: Yoshifumi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nakane
authors.forename: Takahiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wadayama
authors.forename: Masaoki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tsudzuki
authors.forename: Kenjiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Arisawa
authors.forename: Shoko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ninomiya
authors.forename: Toshihiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mizutani
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kagami
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001709:Biotechnology; D001756:Blastoderm; D003370:Coturnix; D046149:Embryo Culture Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D023421:Models, Animal; D011784:Quail / Q000196:embryology*