Om. Andrisani et al., ISOLATION OF HEART AND CARDIOGENIC PRIMORDIUM FROM EARLY JAPANESE-QUAIL EMBRYOS FOR RNA AND GENE-EXPRESSION STUDY, ACT VET B, 65(1), 1996, pp. 51
We have successfully and reproducibly isolated total RNA from small am
ounts of Japanese quail cardiac tissue (sample size of 5-25 embryonic
hearts), employing the Triozol method for RNA preparation. We have iso
lated RNA from the embryonic heart of approximately 150 quail embryos,
at different stages of myocardiogenesis, including 8-14 somite stages
, 15-19 somite stages, and 20-34 somite stages. We have also isolated
the cardiogenic primordium from 2-8 somite stages. In addition, we iso
lated myocardial RNA from approximately 400 Japanese quail embryos of
the hypodynamy-selected Ivanka 01 strain of Japanese quail (Institute
of Animal Biochemistry and Genetics, Slovak Academy Sciences). Specifi
cally, we obtained total RNA from embryonic hearts of approximately 10
0 Japanese quail embryos from each of these stages: 8-14 somites, 15-1
9 somites, and 20-34 somites. We have developed these isolation proced
ures in support of our investigations of avian heart development. The
aim of this work is to examine the effect of gravity (hypergravity and
1 g) on the expression pattern of specific groups of genes, in the em
bryonic heart of developing chick and quail embryos. Based on these re
sults we will, formulate a cellular and molecular biologic model of ho
w the developing cardiac myocyte senses and responds to gravity and ch
anged load application during its development.