College of Basic Medical Science, Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou , Liaoning, 121001, China.
Key Laboratory of Molecular Cell Biology and New Drug Development of the Education, Department of Liaoning Province, Jinzhou, Liaoning, 121001, China.
BMC Genomics. 2024 Oct 26;25(1):1002. doi: 10.1186/s12864-024-10927-6.
With the improvement of living standards, the quality of chicken has become a significant concern. Chinese Dagu Chicken (dual-purpose type) and Arbor Acres plus broiler (AA broiler) (meat-type) were selected as the research subjects in this study, the meat quality of the breast and leg muscles were measured. However, the molecular mechanism(s) underlying regulation of muscle development are not yet fully elucidated. Therefore, finding molecular markers or major genes that regulate muscle quality has become a crucial breakthrough in chicken breeding. Unraveling the molecular mechanism behind meat traits in chicken and other domestic fowl is facilitated by identifying the key genes associated with these developmental events. Here, a comparative transcriptomic analysis of chicken meat was conducted on breast muscles (BM) and leg muscles (LM) in AA broilers (AA) and Dagu chicken (DG) to explore the differences in their meat traits employing RNA-seq.
Twelve cDNA libraries of BM and LM from AA and DG were constructed from four experimental groups, yielding 14,464 genes. Among them, Dagu chicken breast muscles (DGB) vs AA broilers breast muscles (AAB) showed 415 upregulated genes and 449 downregulated genes, Dagu chicken leg muscles (DGL) vs AA broilers leg muscles (AAL) exhibited 237 upregulated genes and 278 downregulated genes, DGL vs DGB demonstrated 391 upregulated genes and 594 downregulated genes, and AAL vs AAB displayed 122 upregulated genes and 154 downregulated genes. 13 genes, including nine upregulated genes (COX5A, COX7C, NDUFV1, UQCRFS1, UQCR11, BRT-1, FGF14, TMOD1, MYOZ2) and four downregulated genes (MYBPC3, MYO7B, MTMR7, and TNNC1), were found to be associated with the oxidative phosphorylation signaling pathway. Further analysis revealed that the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) from muscle were enriched in various pathways, such as metabolic pathways, oxidative phosphorylation, carbon metabolism, glycolysis, extracellular matrix-receptor interaction, biosynthesis of amino acids, focal adhesion, vascular smooth muscle contraction, and cardiac muscle contraction, all of which are involved in muscle development and metabolism. This study also measured the meat quality of the breast and leg muscles from the two breeds, which demonstrated superior overall meat quality in Chinese Dagu Chicken compared to the AA broiler.
Our findings show that the meat quality of dual-purpose breeds (Chinese Dagu chicken) is higher than meat-type (AA broiler), which may be related to the DEGs regulating muscle development and metabolism. Our findings also provide transcriptomic insights for a comparative analysis of molecular mechanisms underlying muscle development between the two breeds, and have practical implications for the improvement of chicken breeding practices.
随着生活水平的提高，鸡肉的质量已成为人们关注的焦点。本研究选择中国大型鸡（兼用型）和阿伯丁安格斯 Plus 肉鸡（AA 肉鸡）（肉用型）作为研究对象，对其胸肌和腿肌的肉质进行了测量。然而，肌肉发育的调控机制尚不完全清楚。因此，寻找调控肌肉品质的分子标记或主要基因已成为鸡种改良的关键突破点。通过鉴定与这些发育事件相关的关键基因，揭示鸡和其他家禽肉品质的分子机制。在这里，我们对 AA 肉鸡（AA）和中国大型鸡（DG）的胸肌（BM）和腿肌（LM）进行了鸡肉的比较转录组分析，采用 RNA-seq 技术探讨其肉质差异。
从四个实验组构建了 12 个来自 AA 和 DG 的 BM 和 LM 的 cDNA 文库，共获得 14464 个基因。其中，Dagu 鸡胸肌（DGB）与 AA 肉鸡胸肌（AAB）相比，有 415 个上调基因和 449 个下调基因，Dagu 鸡腿肌（DGL）与 AA 肉鸡腿肌（AAL）相比，有 237 个上调基因和 278 个下调基因，DGL 与 DGB 相比，有 391 个上调基因和 594 个下调基因，AAL 与 AAB 相比，有 122 个上调基因和 154 个下调基因。共发现 13 个基因，包括 9 个上调基因（COX5A、COX7C、NDUFV1、UQCRFS1、UQCR11、BRT-1、FGF14、TMOD1、MYOZ2）和 4 个下调基因（MYBPC3、MYO7B、MTMR7 和 TNNC1），与氧化磷酸化信号通路有关。进一步分析表明，肌肉差异表达基因（DEGs）在代谢途径、氧化磷酸化、碳代谢、糖酵解、细胞外基质-受体相互作用、氨基酸合成、黏着斑、血管平滑肌收缩和心肌收缩等途径中富集，这些途径均参与肌肉发育和代谢。本研究还测量了两种品种的胸肌和腿肌的肉质，结果表明中国大型鸡的整体肉质优于 AA 肉鸡。
本研究表明，兼用型品种（中国大型鸡）的肉质优于肉用型品种（AA 肉鸡），这可能与调控肌肉发育和代谢的 DEGs 有关。本研究还为两种品种的肌肉发育分子机制的比较分析提供了转录组学见解，对鸡种改良实践具有实际意义。
