Han Gi Ppeum, Lim Byeonghwi, Kim Jun-Mo, Kim Deok Yun, Kim Hyun Woo, Kil Dong Yong
Department of Animal Science and Technology, Chung-Ang University, Anseong-si, Gyeonggi-do 17546, Republic of Korea.
Department of Animal Science and Technology, Chung-Ang University, Anseong-si, Gyeonggi-do 17546, Republic of Korea.
Poult Sci. 2025 May 22;104(8):105329. doi: 10.1016/j.psj.2025.105329.
Egg production in laying hens is related to very complex and elaborate processes involving the cooperation of various tissues. Laying hens undergo this complicated production process in different production stages during overall laying periods. However, many previous studies have focused on a single tissue or specific production stage. Thus, we compared multi-tissue transcriptome profiles across different production stages using RNA-seq to understand which overall metabolic changes occur in laying hens as the stage progresses. Laying hens at three distinct production stages of early-phase (EP, 30 wk of age), mid-phase (MP, 46 wk of age), and late-phase (LP, 60 wk of age) were used to analyze transcriptomic changes for the liver, jejunum, and uterus tissues. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis was adopted to detect core modules and central genes, and finally identified 11 co-expression modules. In the liver and jejunum, the expression of genes (e.g., FABP2, FABP7, PPARG) related to fatty acid synthesis was increased with production stages. However, the expression of genes (e.g., GSTA2, BLB1 and BLB2) related to immune responses, including xenobiotic metabolism pathway and the herpes simplex virus 1 infection pathway, was increased in EP compared with other stages. Moreover, the expression of genes related to calcium signaling pathways (e.g., CACNA2D1) and muscle contraction metabolism (e.g., ACTG2 and RYR2) in the uterus was decreased as laying hens were aged. The current findings pave the way for future investigations into the physiological changes in laying hens across different production stages. This research also provides a foundation for elucidating the multi-tissue transcriptome in laying hens and identifying potential genes regulating various biological processes during overall laying periods.
蛋鸡的产蛋与涉及多种组织协作的非常复杂且精细的过程相关。在整个产蛋期，蛋鸡在不同的生产阶段经历这一复杂的生产过程。然而，许多先前的研究都集中在单一组织或特定生产阶段。因此，我们使用RNA测序比较了不同生产阶段的多组织转录组图谱，以了解随着产蛋阶段的推进，蛋鸡会发生哪些整体代谢变化。我们使用处于早期（EP，30周龄）、中期（MP，46周龄）和晚期（LP，60周龄）这三个不同生产阶段的蛋鸡来分析肝脏、空肠和子宫组织的转录组变化。采用加权基因共表达网络分析来检测核心模块和中心基因，最终确定了11个共表达模块。在肝脏和空肠中，与脂肪酸合成相关的基因（如FABP2、FABP7、PPARG）的表达随着生产阶段的推进而增加。然而，与免疫反应相关的基因（如GSTA2、BLB1和BLB2），包括外源性代谢途径和单纯疱疹病毒1感染途径，在早期阶段的表达相较于其他阶段有所增加。此外，随着蛋鸡年龄增长，子宫中与钙信号通路（如CACNA2D1）和肌肉收缩代谢（如ACTG2和RYR2）相关的基因表达下降。目前的研究结果为未来研究蛋鸡在不同生产阶段的生理变化铺平了道路。这项研究还为阐明蛋鸡的多组织转录组以及识别在整个产蛋期调节各种生物学过程的潜在基因提供了基础。
