TITLE:
Calcium Participates in Secretion of Porphyrin from Shell Gland Epithelial Cells of Japanese Quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica)
AUTHORS:
Osamu Kai
KEYWORDS:
Japanese Quail, Shell Gland Epithelial Cells, In Vitro Culture, Calcium Chloride, Protoporphyrin
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Animal Sciences,
Vol.9 No.1,
January
24,
2019
ABSTRACT: To investigate factors involved in the secretion of
protoporphyrin IX (PpIX), a superficial eggshell pigment, from shell gland epithelial cells
of Japanese quail, we cultured cells in Ham’s F12 medium with calcium chloride and quail
plasma. The addition of hormones (prostaglandin F2α,
progesterone, estradiol-17β) to the
medium did not change the PpIX concentration
in the culture supernatant, but changing the calcium chloride (CaCl2) concentration did: a lower
concentration of CaCl2 led to a higher PpIX concentration; 0 mM CaCl2 enhanced
the secretion of PpIX from epithelial cells prepared at 5 or 7 mM CaCl2.
The result
suggests that a drop in concentration of CaCl2 mimics the end of
shell calcification and stimulates
rapid secretion of PpIX in vivo.
Bovine serum albumin was almost as effective as quail plasma for PpIX secretion in culture, and
would facilitate further study of the mechanism of PpIX secretion.