Key Laboratory of Tropical Animal Breeding and Epidemic Disease Research of Hainan Province, School of Tropical Agriculture and Forestry, Hainan University, Haikou 570100, China.
Key Laboratory of Tropical Animal Breeding and Epidemic Disease Research of Hainan Province, School of Tropical Agriculture and Forestry, Hainan University, Haikou 570100, China.
Poult Sci. 2024 Nov;103(11):104161. doi: 10.1016/j.psj.2024.104161. Epub 2024 Aug 5.
Rising temperatures and intensified agricultural practices have heightened heat stress (HS)-related challenges in poultry farming, notably heat-induced sudden death in chickens. Wenchang chickens, recognized for their heat resistance, have emerged as the potential candidates for improving the economic efficiency of poultry farming. The adrenal gland plays a crucial role in preventing HS-induced heart failure sudden death by secreting hormones. However, little is known about the damage to and resilience of Wenchang chicken adrenal glands during HS. In this study, 34 healthy Wenchang chickens with similar weights were selected for formal experimentation, with 10 as the control group (Con). Following a single exposure to acute HS of 42 ± 1°C and 65% relative humidity for 5 h, 15 deceased individuals formed the HS death (HSD) group, and 9 survived comprised the HS survival (HSS) group. ELISA revealed significant higher (P < 0.05) levels of COR and NE in the HSS and the lowest levels of CORT and EPI in the HSD. Histopathological analysis indicated major degeneration in HSS cortical and chromaffin cells and extensive cell necrosis (nuclear pyknosis) in HSD. Proteomic analysis identified 572 DEPs in HSD vs. Con and 191 DEPs in HSS vs. Con. Bioinformatics highlighted ER protein processing, especially ERAD as a key pathway for heat stress resistance (HSR) in the adrenal gland, with HSPH1, DNAJA1, HSP90AA1, HSPA8 and HERPUD1 identified as regulating key molecules. Western blotting validated significantly higher (P < 0.01) protein levels in both HSS and HSD compared to the Con. Immunohistochemical staining showed increased cytoplasmic HSPH1-positive signal intensity under HS and enhanced HSP90AA1 nuclear signals, strongest in HSS. In summary, HS induces pathological damage in Wenchang chicken adrenal glands, affecting hormone secretion, and various heat shock proteins play crucial roles in cellular resistance. These results elucidate the biological basis of HSR in Wenchang chickens from the perspective of the adrenal gland and provide necessary research foundations for enhancing economic performance of various broilers in high-heat environments and screening drugs for HS treatment.
气温上升和集约化农业生产加剧了家禽养殖中的热应激（HS）相关挑战，尤其是导致鸡只热诱导猝死。文昌鸡因其耐热性而备受关注，已成为提高家禽养殖经济效益的潜在候选品种。肾上腺通过分泌激素在防止 HS 引起的心衰竭猝死中起着至关重要的作用。然而，对于文昌鸡在 HS 期间肾上腺的损伤和恢复能力知之甚少。在这项研究中，选择了 34 只体重相似的健康文昌鸡进行正式实验，其中 10 只为对照组（Con）。在 42 ± 1°C 和 65%相对湿度的单次急性 HS 暴露 5 小时后，15 只死亡个体形成 HS 死亡（HSD）组，9 只存活个体形成 HS 存活（HSS）组。ELISA 显示 HSS 和 HSD 中的 COR 和 NE 水平显著升高（P < 0.05），而 HSD 中的 CORT 和 EPI 水平最低。组织病理学分析表明 HSS 皮质和嗜铬细胞发生严重变性，HSD 中广泛发生细胞坏死（核固缩）。蛋白质组学分析发现 HSD 与 Con 相比有 572 个 DEPs，HSS 与 Con 相比有 191 个 DEPs。生物信息学突出了 ER 蛋白加工，特别是 ERAD，作为肾上腺热应激抵抗（HSR）的关键途径，其中 HSPH1、DNAJA1、HSP90AA1、HSPA8 和 HERPUD1 被鉴定为调节关键分子。Western blot 验证了 HSS 和 HSD 中蛋白质水平均显著高于 Con（P < 0.01）。免疫组织化学染色显示 HS 下细胞质 HSPH1 阳性信号强度增加，HSS 中 HSP90AA1 核信号增强，最强。综上所述，HS 会导致文昌鸡肾上腺发生病理损伤，影响激素分泌，各种热休克蛋白在细胞抵抗中发挥重要作用。这些结果从肾上腺的角度阐明了文昌鸡 HSR 的生物学基础，为提高各种肉鸡在高温环境下的经济性能和筛选 HS 治疗药物提供了必要的研究基础。
