Expression of Liver Fatty Acid Binding Protein During Embryonic and Post-hatch Development of Gallus domesticus

Program year: 1996/1997Digitized from print original stored in HDRTo date, developmental studies investigating liver fatty acid binding protein (L-FABP), an intracellular protein that binds fatty acids, have been performed predominantly in mammals. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate avian L-FABP expression during embryogenesis and early post-hatch. L-FABP expression was measured at days 10, 14, and 17 of embryogenesis and days 1,4, 7, and 11 post-hatch using western blot analysis with goat anti-chicken L-FABP as the primary antibody. The L-FABP protein bands were visualized using chemiluminescence and quantified using densitometry. Levels were low during early embryogenesis. The greatest increase occurred between days 10 and 14. After day 14, LFABP expression increased at a steady rate. Results from the current study suggest that, like the rat, chickens do not reach adult levels of L-FABP expression by the time of hatch or birth. Results also suggest that the change in diet from a high fat diet provided by the yolk to a high carbohydrate feed ration does not affect the steady increase in L-FABP expression observed in the developing chicks. Future studies may focus on how dietary mactronutrients as well as developmental energy demands affect L-FABP expression in the chick