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It is accepted that type II iodothyronine deiodinase (D2) is predominantly found in brain, where it maintains homeostasis of thyroid hormone (TH) levels. The current study describes the production of a polyclonal D2 antiserum and its use in the comparison of D2 protein distribution with that of type I (D1) and type III (D3) deiodinase protein in the chicken choroid plexus (CP). Immunocytochemistry showed high D2 protein expression in the epithelial cells of the CP, whereas the D1 and D3 proteins were absent. Furthermore, dexamethasone treatment led to an upregulation of the D2 protein in these cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The melanocortin (MC) receptors belong to the family of G-proteincoupled receptors and have five subtypes (MC1-5) in mammals and chicken. We have expressed the chicken MC1-5 (cMC1-5) receptors and seven allelic variants of the cMC1 receptor and performed pharmacological characterization of these receptors. Three variants of the cMC1 receptor, all sharing a Glu to Lys mutation in position 92, are associated with dark feather coloration, and these were pharmacologically described as constitutively active. The pharmacological characterization of the cMC1-5 receptors provides insight of how this receptor family has evolved and useful information for the use of chicken in physiological experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have studied differential expression of genes using cDNA arrays in the hypothalamic region of two divergent chicken lines, which differ in body weight and feeding behavior. Several transcripts from genes in metabolic networks as well as from retroviruses were differentially expressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]