Velleman Sandra G, Clark Daniel L, Tonniges Jeffrey R
Department of Animal Sciences, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, The Ohio State University, Wooster, OH 44691.
Avian Dis. 2018 Mar;62(1):28-35. doi: 10.1637/11766-110217-Reg.1.
The wooden breast (WB) has been classically identified by the phenotypic presence of a wood-like pectoralis major (p. major) muscle. The WB-affected p. major muscle is characterized by necrotic muscle fibers and the replacement of muscle with connective tissue, water, and fat. The objective of the current study was to determine the effect of the WB myopathy on sarcomere organization by transmission electron microscopy. Sarcomere structure and organization were examined in two broiler lines with a high incidence of WB (Lines A and B) and another broiler line without WB (Line C). Affected muscle had an increase in smaller myofibers with diameters of 20 μm or less. Sarcomere organization decreased with fiber diameter in both Lines A and B. The structure and organization of sarcomeres in Line C were similar to WB-unaffected muscle in Lines A and B. Taken together, these data demonstrate that the WB myopathy detrimentally affects sarcomere organization in a broiler line-specific manner. Disorganization of sarcomere structure will affect the function of the p. major muscle as well as meat quality.
木胸（WB）传统上是通过胸大肌呈现出类似木头的外观来识别的。受WB影响的胸大肌的特征是肌纤维坏死，肌肉被结缔组织、水和脂肪替代。本研究的目的是通过透射电子显微镜确定WB肌病对肌节组织的影响。在两个WB发病率高的肉鸡品系（A系和B系）和另一个无WB的肉鸡品系（C系）中检查肌节结构和组织。受影响的肌肉中，直径为20μm或更小的较小肌纤维数量增加。A系和B系中，肌节组织均随纤维直径减小。C系中肌节的结构和组织与A系和B系中未受WB影响的肌肉相似。综上所述，这些数据表明，WB肌病以肉鸡品系特异性方式对肌节组织产生不利影响。肌节结构紊乱将影响胸大肌的功能以及肉质。
