title: Circadian clock genes are rhythmically expressed in specific segments of the hen oviduct.
abstract: In animals, core clock genes are expressed in many peripheral tissues throughout the body that contribute to tissue specific temporal regulation including those that comprise the reproductive system. The chicken ovulatory cycle seems to provide an example of a system in which circadian and interval timing mechanisms operate during ovulation-oviposition. However, little is known about the possible role of circadian regulation during egg formation and laying. To this end, we determined the rhythmic expression of several known canonical clock genes and clock controlled genes in the 4 segments of the chicken oviduct (infundibulum, magnum, isthmus, and uterus) taken from the same biological state (laying sequence and oviposition time) using real time RT-PCR. Except for Cry1, the other genes we analyzed were expressed in all 4 segments of the oviduct. Intriguingly, in a daily light-dark cycle, Bmal1, Clock, Per2, Per3, Cry2, and Rev-erbβ have highly significant rhythmic expression in the infundibulum and uterus but not in the magnum and isthmus. These results show that there is spatial specificity in the localization of clock cells in the hen reproductive tract and that peripheral clocks might have a direct role in the infundibulum and uterus where yolk is captured and the eggshell is formed, respectively.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Animal Genetics and Breeding, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu Campus, Chengdu 611130, China.
authors.forename: Z C
authors.initials: ZC
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Animal Genetics and Breeding, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu Campus, Chengdu 611130, China.
authors.forename: Y G
authors.initials: YG
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Animal Genetics and Breeding, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu Campus, Chengdu 611130, China.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Institute of Animal Genetics and Breeding, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu Campus, Chengdu 611130, China.
authors.forename: H D
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.affiliation: Institute of Animal Genetics and Breeding, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu Campus, Chengdu 611130, China.
authors.forename: D Y
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Institute of Animal Genetics and Breeding, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu Campus, Chengdu 611130, China.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an, Sichuan, 625014, China.
authors.forename: X L
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Institute of Animal Genetics and Breeding, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu Campus, Chengdu 611130, China.
authors.forename: Y P
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Institute of Animal Genetics and Breeding, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu Campus, Chengdu 611130, China. Electronic address: zhuqingsicau@163.com.
authors.forename: Q
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D030161:Avian Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D056926:CLOCK Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D002645:Chickens / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D057906:Circadian Clocks; D005260:Female; D010057:Oviducts / Q000378:metabolism*; D017440:Photoperiod
chemical_list: D030161:Avian Proteins; D056926:CLOCK Proteins
keywords: chicken; circadian; clock genes; oviduct