Changes in the muscle condition of female Zebra Finches Poephila guttata during egg laying and the role of protein storage in bird skeletal muscle |
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| Authors: | DAVID C HOUSTON DAVID DONNAN PETER JONES IAN HAMILTON DAN OSBORNE |
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| Institution: | Applied Ornithology Unit, Zoology Department, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK;Institute of Cell, Animal and Population Biology, Edinburgh University, Edinburgh EH9 3JT, UK;Department of Biochemistry, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK;Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, Monks Wood Experimental Station, Abbots Ripton, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE17 2LS, UK |
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| Abstract: | Samples of pectoral muscle tissue from Zebra Finches Poephila guttata were taken from birds at various stages of egg laying. As egg laying progressed, there was a significant loss of both water-soluble and alkali-soluble proteins. Gel filtration of the water-soluble proteins showed three peaks, only one of which changed significantly during the laving cycle. This was a high-molecular-weight protein that declined in concentration during the period of egg laying. This protein may function as a reserve, enabling female birds to provide amino acids for egg protein production from their muscle tissue without impairing normal muscle function. |
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