Do chickens have gastrin-like compounds?

Gastrointestinal hormones in birds: morphological, chemical, and developmental aspects

Historically, the enterochromaffin cell was the first endocrine cell type detected in avian gut; subsequently, a number of types of such cells were distinguished on the basis of the ultrastructural features of the secretory granules. More recently, immunocytochemical procedures have revealed somatostatin-, pancreatic polypeptide (PP)-, polypeptide YY-, glucagon-, secretin-, vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP)-, gastrin-, cholecystokinin-, neurotensin-, bombesin-, substance P-, enkephalin-, motilin-, and FMRFamide-like immunoreactivity in avian gastrointestinal endocrine cells. Most endocrine cells are located in the antrum; there are a number in the proventriculus and small intestine but few in the gizzard, cecum, and rectum. Several avian gastroenteropancreatic hormones, including glucagon, VIP, secretin, bombesin, neurotensin, and PP, have been isolated and sequenced. They resemble the equivalent mammalian peptides in terms of molecular size but differ in amino acid composition and sequence; some (e.g., VIP) differ only in minor respects, others (e.g., secretin) more radically. Gastrointestinal endocrine cells appear late in development; available data indicate that few types are recognized by either immunocytochemistry or electron microscopy before 16 days of incubation. Experimental evidence has shown that at least the majority of gut endocrine cells are of endodermal origin and are not derived from the neural crest or neuroectoderm as earlier proposed. In early embryos, the progenitors of gastrointestinal endocrine cells are more widespread than are the differentiated cells in chicks at hatching. This, along with other observations, raises the question of factors that might influence the differentiation of gut endocrine cells.

Cholecystokinin-like peptides in avian brain and gut

Extracts of turkey brain and jejunum contain a factor closely resembling the COOH-terminal octapeptide of porcine cholecystokinin (CCK). Turkey antral extracts contain factors distinguishable in immunochemical and gel filtration properties from the mammalian forms of gastrin and CCK.

[Development and function of endocrine cells in the proventriculus of the chicken (author's transl)]

An argyrophil endocrine cell type with typical intraepithelial development is seen initially on the 8th day of incubation in the epithelium of the main lumen of the chicken-proventriculus. During the embryonic period, rapid development of these cells can be observed with a quantitative maximum on the 13th day of incubation. At this time increased digestive efficiency is necessary for the chicken embryo with the start of gastric secretion combined with the first swallowing of albumen. There is a subsequent decrease in the number of endocrine cells in the main lumen epithelium, their function in hatched or adult specimens is largely taken over by cells which appear in the epithelium of the glands of the proventriculus on the 16th and later days of incubation. On the 2nd day after hatching the adult distribution pattern of endocrine cells in the proventriculus is attained.

Endocrine cells of the stomach of chicks around the time of hatching

The proventriculus, gizzard and pyloric antrum (region between the gizzard and the duodenum) of 18-day Black Australorp chick embryos and of chicks within 30 h of hatching have been studied by electron microscopy. D and EC cells, and putative G, D1 and A-like cells were identified (terminology of Solcia et al., 1973) but no ECL cells. No endocrine cells of any kind were revealed in the gizzard.

The action of bombesin on gastric secretion of the chicken

The natural tetradecapeptide bombesin at a threshold dose of 3--5 ng/kg/min i.v. stimulates gastric secretion in the chicken with either an acute or a chronic proventriculus fistula; this effect is blocked by atropine. The occurrence of tachyphylaxis in the acute, but not in the chronic preparation, and the inhibition of the response by proventriculus acidification, in the presence of an intact sensitivity to caerulein -- a directly stimulating agent -- support the hypothesis of an indirect mechanism of action of bombesin, namely the release of endogenous gastrin, as well as of the existence of gastrin also in the chicken.