![]() Identification of unique region-dependent neurochemical changes in the intestinal tract following stress highlights environmental stressors as potential drivers of microbial endocrinology-based mechanisms of avian host-microbiome dialogue. The present study provides the first evidence that the structure of the avian cecal microbial community is shaped by selection pressure on the bird for neuroendocrine response to stress. Changes in neurochemicals known to be affected by the microbiome were also identified in tissues outside of the gut, suggesting a potential relationship in birds between the cecal microbiome and overall avian physiology. Our results demonstrate that birds which contrast in corticosterone response to stress show profound separation in cecal microbial community structure as well as exhibit differences in tissue neurochemical concentrations and structural morphologies of the gut. ![]() As such, we utilized Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) that diverge in corticosterone response to stress to examine the relationship between stress-related neurochemical concentrations at sites of host-microbe interaction, such as the gut, and the cecal microbiome. Avian in vivo models that enable the study of the neuroendocrine dynamic between host and microbiome are needed. Neuroendocrine plasticity of avian tissues that are focal points of host-microbiome interaction, such as the gut and lung, has likewise received limited attention. The importance of the cecal microbiome in avian health is well-recognized, yet little is understood regarding the mechanisms underpinning the avian host-microbiome relationship. Here, we provide detailed methods for generating transgenic quail using high-titer lentivirus.Microbial endocrinology, which is the study of neuroendocrine-based interkingdom signaling, provides a causal mechanistic framework for understanding the bi-directional crosstalk between the host and microbiome, especially as regards the effect of stress on health and disease. Finally, Japanese quail are ideal for in ovo imaging of embryos expressing fluorescent reporters introduced from a transgene and/or electroporation. In addition, transgenic quail offer all of the advantages of the classic avian developmental model system, such as the ability to readily produce quail:chick transplant chimeras. The high degree of homology between chicken and quail genomes allows researchers to design highly specific DNA constructs for the production of transgenic birds. The relatively small size of the adults, short time to sexual maturity, and prodigious egg production of the Japanese quail make development of transgenic lines less labor- and space-intensive compared to chickens. Recently, the Japanese quail has proven to be an excellent model organism for the production of transgenic avians using lentiviral vectors. Efforts to develop a system for the rapid production of transgenic chickens have met with many obstacles, including high animal husbandry costs and long generational times. Unfortunately, the availability of molecular genetic techniques, such as transgenics and knockouts, has been limited for developmental biologists using avian animal models. ![]() The ability to generate transgenic mice has been a powerful tool in studying functional genomics, and much of our knowledge about developmental biology has come from the study of chicken embryology.
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