Gene expression data from maturing oocyte of chickens

In avian species, maternal blood immunoglobulin Y (IgY) is transferred to the egg yolks of maturing oocytes, but the mechanism underlying this transfer is unknown. IgY-deficient chickens were developed by removal of bursa of Fabricius (Bx group). Since DIG-labeled IgY uptake into egg yolk was approximately 2-fold higher in the Bx group than that of the control, upregulated genes in oocyte of the Bx group were determined to identify IgY receptor responsible for maternal blood IgY transfer by microarray analysis. GeneChip® Chicken Genome Array was used for high-throughput screening of upregulated genes in oocytes of the IgY-deficient chickens. The germinal disks of F5-F7 yellow follicles of three birds were pooled, and their total RNA was used for microarray analysis.