Endocrine Control of the Alkaline Phosphatase Isozyme of Serum in the Japanese Quail, Coturnix coturnix japonica
1971 Volume 8 Issue 4 Pages 224-230
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1971 Volume 8 Issue 4 Pages 224-230
In the present study, alkaline phosphatase isozyme of serum in Japanese quail was analyzed electrophoretically; and the relations among alkaline phosphatase activity, thyroidal function and sex hormone were examined.
The results are summarized as follows:
1) It was found that alkaline phosphatase activity (total activity) of serum in immature Japanese quail was higher than that of mature ones. In the male it continued to decrease with advancing age until 8 weeks of age and afterward it maintained a low activity in maturity. In the female it decreased with advancing age until 6 weeks of age; but at 7 weeks of age when the female reached the stage of egg-laying, serum alkaline phosphatase of the female increased somewhat and thereafter it declined again consistently. The activity of the female is slightly higher than that of the male at the mature stage.
2) By means of agar-gel electrophoresis, serum alkaline phosphatase of Japanese quail was separated into two polymorphic regions, and it was found that there existed Fpattern appearing in the fast mobility region (Akp-1) and A, B and C-pattern in the slow mobility region (Akp-2) on the anode side.
3) From the result of a comparative study on activities of the abovementioned patterns at each week, it was found that the activity of each pattern was higher in immature quail than in mature ones. Further, at the stage of sexual maturity, the activity of F-pattern of the female was higher than that of the male. These results suggest that the aforsaid difference between the male and female on alkaline phosphatase activity (total activity) at the mature stage is caused by the difference in F-pattern activity between the male and female.
4) To elucidate the endocrine control of serum alkaline phosphatase isozyme pattern in the Japanese quail, the present authors undertook the experiments of administration of L-thyroxine, feeding of thiouracil, gonadectomy and administration of sex hormones. As a result, it is suggested that alkaline phophatase activity at the immature stage is resulted to thyroidal function and that F-pattern activity of the female at the adult stage is controlled by estrogen.
