Transcriptome analysis reveals the regulatory mechanism of myofiber development in male and female black Muscovy duck at different ages.

INTRODUCTION

Sexual dimorphism in Muscovy ducks results in substantial differences in muscle development potential between males and females, leading to significant variations in growth rates and body weights throughout their development.

METHODS

This study aimed to investigate the regulatory mechanisms underlying the differences in muscle development between genders in black Muscovy ducks, we analyzed the phenotypic characteristics and transcriptome profiles of breast muscles in male and female black Muscovy ducks at different developmental stages (postnatal days 28, 42, and 70).

RESULTS

In the analysis of tissue physical morphology, the results showed that females exhibit larger myofiber diameters and lower myofiber densities compared to males at postnatal day 42 ( < 0.05). The difference becomes more pronounced by day 70, however, no significant difference was observed at postnatal day 28. Transcriptome analysis identified a total of 1,118 unique differentially expressed genes (DEGs) across the various comparison groups. In different growth and development stages of black Muscovy ducks, the DEGs like , , , were significantly associated with myofiber hypertrophy, and key pathways such as AMPK signaling pathway, focal adhesion, and ECM-receptor interactions have been found to be closely associated with muscle size and hypertrophy. In the breast muscles of different sexes black Muscovy ducks, the DEGs such as , , , , and may be the reason for the difference in breast muscle size between male and female ducks. Furthermore, key pathways, including the cGMP-PKG signaling pathway, calcium signaling pathway, and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy are also involved in regulating the developmental potential differences in muscle between male and female ducks.

DISCUSSION

This study reveals the molecular mechanism regulating the muscle development in male and female black Muscovy ducks at different growth stages, and provides valuable insights into the specific genes responsible for muscle development, laying a theoretical foundation for enhancing the genetic quality of duck meat.