Francoeur Laurie, Stephens Claire S, Johnson Patricia A
Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
Animals (Basel). 2021 Sep 16;11(9):2706. doi: 10.3390/ani11092706.
Intense selective breeding of chickens has resulted in suboptimal egg production in broiler breeder hens. This reproductive phenotype is exacerbated by feeding, which leads to excessive and disorganized follicular growth. One strategy used to improve broiler breeder hens' reproductive efficiency is restricted feeding. In this study, we sought to identify transcriptional changes, which translate the level of dietary intake into increased follicle selection. Broiler breeder hens ( = 16 per group) were raised according to commercial guidelines until 28 weeks of age and then randomly assigned to an diet (FF) or continued on a restricted diet (RF) for 6 weeks. Following dietary treatment, FF hens ( = 2) with excessive follicle selection and RF hens ( = 3) with normal follicle selection were selected for RNA-sequencing. Transcriptomes of granulosa cells from 6-8-mm follicles were sequenced to identify transcriptional differences in the follicle population from which selection was made for the preovulatory stage. Differential expression analysis identified several genes known to play a role in follicle development (CYP11A1, STAR, INHA, and INHBB) that are upregulated in FF hens. These changes in gene expression suggest earlier granulosa cell differentiation and steroidogenic competency in the granulosa layer from FF hens.
对鸡进行高强度的选择性育种导致肉种鸡的产蛋性能不理想。这种繁殖表型会因饲养方式而加剧，进而导致卵泡过度生长且生长紊乱。一种用于提高肉种鸡繁殖效率的策略是限制饲养。在本研究中，我们试图确定转录变化，这些变化将饮食摄入量转化为增加的卵泡选择。肉种鸡（每组16只）按照商业指南饲养至28周龄，然后随机分为自由采食组（FF）或继续限制饲养组（RF），为期6周。经过饮食处理后，选择卵泡选择过多的FF组母鸡（n = 2）和卵泡选择正常的RF组母鸡（n = 3）进行RNA测序。对6 - 8毫米卵泡的颗粒细胞转录组进行测序，以确定在排卵前阶段从中进行选择的卵泡群体中的转录差异。差异表达分析确定了几个已知在卵泡发育中起作用的基因（CYP11A1、STAR、INHA和INHBB），这些基因在FF组母鸡中上调。基因表达的这些变化表明FF组母鸡颗粒层中的颗粒细胞分化和类固醇生成能力更早。
