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Published on: January 24, 2015
Lack of physiological plasticity in the early chicken embryo exposed to acute hypoxia
1Department of Biological Sciences, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada 89154-4004, USA. Jodi.Altimiras@rossini.zool.gu.se
Insights
Acute hypoxia significantly impacts chicken embryo survival and development, especially when occurring on day 4. Early embryos prioritize survival over compensatory mechanisms, leading to increased mortality and abnormalities.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Embryology
- Hypoxia Research
Background:
- Early embryonic development is sensitive to environmental stressors.
- Cardiac morphogenesis is a critical developmental window.
- Hypoxia, or low oxygen, can profoundly affect embryonic development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of acute hypoxia on chicken embryo growth and cardiac development.
- To determine if hypoxia exposure during specific developmental stages affects survivability and morphology.
- To analyze the effects of hypoxia on oxygen consumption in developing embryos.
Main Methods:
- Chicken embryos were exposed to acute hypoxia (10% oxygen) at 2, 3, and 4 days of development for 2, 4, or 6 hours.
- Embryos were allowed to develop until day 9.
- Measurements included embryo mass, heart mass, mortality rates, morphological abnormalities, and mass-specific oxygen consumption.
Main Results:
- Exposure to 6 hours of hypoxia on day 4 significantly increased mortality (38.9%) and developmental abnormalities (30%).
- Hypoxia on days 2 and 3 had minimal impact on survivability or morphology.
- Increased mass-specific oxygen consumption was observed in 4-day-old embryos exposed to hypoxia for 4 hours.
Conclusions:
- Acute hypoxia during early chicken embryogenesis (days 2-3) does not cause lasting harm.
- Hypoxia on day 4 severely impacts survivability and increases developmental abnormalities.
- The early embryo's response to acute hypoxia is primarily survival-based, relying on interindividual differences rather than compensatory mechanisms.
Abstract:
By exposing chicken embryos to hypoxia (10%) acutely (2, 4, and 6 hr) during early development (2, 3, and 4 days) we tested the hypothesis that hypoxia has an impact on embryonic growth and impairs cardiac development at the time cardiac morphogenesis is taking place. After the hypoxic perturbation, the embryos were allowed to develop until day 9, when embryo mass, heart mass, and rate of oxygen consumption were recorded. Four-day-old embryos exposed to 6 hr of hypoxia showed an increased mortality (38.9% versus 18% for controls), indicating the immediate effect of hypoxia on survivability. While only 8% of the controls displayed morphological abnormalities, 3- and 4-day-old embryos exposed for 6 hr showed more frequent developmental abnormalities (25% and 30% respectively). No significant differences in embryo or heart mass were found except in 4-day-old embryos exposed for 2 hr. Mass-specific oxygen consumption was not different between controls and embryos exposed to hypoxia at 2 or 3 days of development, but it was increased in 4-day-old embryos exposed for 4 hr (P < 0.05). These results suggest that an acute hypoxic episode does not have an impact when occurring very early in development (days 2 or 3). However, when the hypoxic episode occurs on day 4, survivability is largely decreased. Considering the lack of permanent effects on the surviving embryos, we suggest that the early embryo resorts to a simple strategy of death or survival, and the individual capacity for survival must be based on interindividual differences rather than the existence of compensatory mechanisms. J. Exp. Zool. 286:450-456, 2000.
