Expression of arylhydrocarbon (dioxin)‎ receptor in chicken genital system during prelaying and laying periods

Abstract EN

The present immunohistochemical study was carried out in the chicken genital tract as an attempt to understand the regulation of the Ah receptor expression.

Two groups of chickens were investigated; namely, immature chickens, mature chickens (hens) in laying period.

The monoclonal Ah receptor antibody omitted in control sections was diluted 1 : 1000 and applied according to the manufacturer's instructions.

In the ovaries, the Ah receptor was expressed in the interstitial cells in all studied birds in addition to stromal elements in the laying hens.

The expression in the oviduct varied according to the physiological state, indicating a developmental as well as endocrine control.

In immature chickens, the receptor was not expressed.

In the laying hens both cytoplasmic and nuclear staining was evident in the luminal epithelial cells.

Nuclear localization is an obligatory process for activation and transcription of this receptor.

Our results indicated that the Ah receptor is involved in the process of egg production in the laying hens and its expression is greatly influenced by the endocrine function of the chicken ovary.