Chen Zhi, Wen Di
College of Biological Science and Agriculture, Qiannan Normal University for Nationalities, Duyun 558000, China.
Genes (Basel). 2025 Mar 29;16(4):394. doi: 10.3390/genes16040394.
The Changshun green-shell laying hen with a strong broodiness is a Chinese indigenous chicken breed. Little is known about the mechanisms responsible for the ovary development of Changshun green-shell laying hens from the egg-laying period (LP) to the incubation period (BP). A total of six hens were selected from LP ( = three) and BP ( = three) at 28 weeks old. The RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) of ovaries from hens in LP and BP groups was performed to identify candidate genes and pathways associated with broodiness. We identified 1650 differently expressed genes (DEGs), including 429 up-regulated and 1221 down-regulated DEGs, in chicken ovaries between LP and BP groups. Gene ontology term (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis revealed that these DEGs were mainly involved in the pathways related to follicle development in chicken ovaries, including focal adhesion, the MAPK signaling pathway, and the FoxO signaling pathway, and vascular smooth muscle contraction, ECM-receptor interaction, and the GnRH signaling pathway were down-regulated in incubating ovaries. Eight candidate genes (, , , , , , and ) related to angiogenesis, folliculogenesis, steroidogenesis and oogenesis in ovaries were suggested to play important roles in the ovarian development of Changshun hens during the transition from LP to BP. This study identified a range of genes and several pathways that may be involved in regulating the broodiness of Changshun green-shell laying hens. These data are helpful to further enrich our understanding of the mechanism of incubation behaviour in chickens.
长顺绿壳蛋鸡抱窝性强，是中国地方鸡种。关于长顺绿壳蛋鸡从产蛋期（LP）到抱窝期（BP）卵巢发育的机制，人们了解甚少。在28周龄时，从LP组（n = 3）和BP组（n = 3）中总共挑选了6只母鸡。对LP组和BP组母鸡的卵巢进行RNA测序（RNA-seq），以鉴定与抱窝性相关的候选基因和通路。我们在LP组和BP组鸡的卵巢中鉴定出1650个差异表达基因（DEG），其中包括429个上调的DEG和1221个下调的DEG。基因本体论术语（GO）和京都基因与基因组百科全书（KEGG）分析表明，这些DEG主要参与鸡卵巢中与卵泡发育相关的通路，包括粘着斑、MAPK信号通路和FoxO信号通路，而在抱窝期卵巢中，血管平滑肌收缩、ECM-受体相互作用和GnRH信号通路被下调。8个与卵巢血管生成、卵泡发生、类固醇生成和卵子发生相关的候选基因（、、、、、、和）被认为在长顺母鸡从LP向BP转变过程中的卵巢发育中起重要作用。本研究鉴定出一系列可能参与调节长顺绿壳蛋鸡抱窝性的基因和若干通路。这些数据有助于进一步丰富我们对鸡抱窝行为机制的理解。
