Japanese quail, Transgenesis, Egg production, Egg shell quality TRANSGENIC QUAIL: TOWARDS IMPROVE EGG PRODUCTION AND EGG QUALITY. By Tarik S.K.M.  Rabie 1 *, H. S. Zeweil 2 , and A.A. Mohamed 2 1 Suez Canal University, Faculty of Agriculture, Animal Production Department, Egypt. 2 Alexandria University, Faculty of Agriculture (Saba Basha), Department of Animal and Fish Production, Egypt. * Corresponding Author. Mailing address: Suez Canal University, Faculty of Agriculture, Animal Production Department, 41522 Ismailia, Egypt, e- mail: t.rabie@scuegypt.edu.eg Received: 10/11/2009 Accepted: 10/12/2009 Abstract: The present study was conducted to determine the influence of transgenesis of Japanese quail on the egg production and external and internal egg quality during the first 45 days of lay such as egg production percentage, egg weight, egg mass, egg shape index, egg shell percentage, egg Shell thickness, yolk index, yolk weight percentage, and albumen weight percentage, and transgenic response was measured. The experimental population used in this study based on two generations which has been described in details previously (Rabie et al., 2009) , which produced by inoculation of the fragmented purified DNA or genes - as part of growth hormone gene - from pituitary gland either from Hubbard broiler breeders chickens (HB) or Muscovy ducks (MD), at two levels of concentration (20 and 40ng) into embryonic cell of two Japanese quail strains (Brown and Golden). The obtained results showed that inoculated MD gene 40ng increased egg number and egg mass of first generation (G 1 ) for transgenic Brown quail (33.3 & 436.9) compared to the HB gene at the same level (19.8 & 240.17). The same trend was also, noticed in the second generation (G 2 ) for Golden quail strain. Golden quail had more variation due to transgenesis than Brown quail during G 1 and G 2 . MD DNA source increased shell weight percentage of both Brown and Golden quail strains during G 1 (14.9 & 15.23 %) compared to that the HB source (13.88 & 10.92%), while MD gene 40ng increased egg yolk weight percentage of Golden quail (32.64%) compared to MD DNA 20ng during G 2 (30.29%). Moreover, Brown quail of HB gene origin showed positive transgenic response in egg number and egg mass, while Golden quail strain had positive transgenic response on egg number with both MD DNA, and MD gene sources.