Divergent selection in Japanese quail for the plasma cholesterol response to ACTH.

Two lines of Japanese quail were divergently selected for high and low plasma cholesterol levels after three daily injections with 2 IU of adrenocorticotropen (ACTH)/100 g of body weight. Plasma cholesterols were obtained at 31 days of age, just before the first injection, and at 34 days of age, after the last injection. After eight generations of selection, the plasma cholesterol level after ACTH injections in the high line was 34% greater than the level in the control line, whereas the low line level was approximately 14% less than that in the control. Selection differentials were significantly greater in the high line than in the low line. The realized heritability for plasma cholesterol before ACTH treatment calculated by regression of progeny on mid-parent was .25 in the high line and .16 in the low line.