Bošković Cabrol Marija, Pauletto Marianna, Giantin Mery, Dacasto Mauro, Xiccato Gerolamo, Trocino Angela
Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment (DAFNAE), University of Padova, Legnaro, Padova, 35020, Italy.
Department of Food Hygiene and Technology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, 11000, Serbia.
BMC Genomics. 2025 Aug 21;26(1):768. doi: 10.1186/s12864-025-11963-6.
Growth-related myopathies, including white striping (WS), wooden breast (WB), and spaghetti meat (SM), compromise broiler meat quality, causing significant economic losses. Although these myopathies share some histological features, their molecular mechanisms remain incompletely understood, particularly regarding sex-specific differences. This study aimed to compare transcriptomic profiles of normal and defective pectoralis major muscles to identify biological pathways underlying male and female myopathies. Transcriptomic analysis was performed on RNA-seq data from pectoralis major muscles of male and female Ross 308 broilers. Then, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and enriched pathways were identified using edgeR and functional annotation tools.
SM samples exhibited the most extensive transcriptional alterations, particularly in males, with significant disruption of pathways related to hypoxia, energy metabolism, calcium signaling, and extracellular matrix remodeling. Compared to normal meat, WB meat demonstrated moderate molecular changes, while WS meat showed minimal transcriptomic impact. Males displayed pronounced metabolic dysregulation and increased activation of pathways associated with inflammation, fibrosis, and vascular remodeling compared to females, where transcriptional changes were generally less pronounced across all myopathies. Shared pathways among myopathies included oxidative phosphorylation, cytoskeletal organization, and inflammatory responses, though their expression patterns varied between sexes and conditions.
This study highlights marked sex-specific differences in molecular responses to WS, WB, and SM, with males exhibiting more pronounced transcriptomic alterations. These findings underscore the importance of sex-specific approaches to mitigate the economic and welfare impacts of these myopathies in broiler production.
与生长相关的肌病，包括白纹（WS）、木胸（WB）和肉面条状（SM），会损害肉鸡的肉质，造成重大经济损失。尽管这些肌病具有一些组织学特征，但其分子机制仍未完全了解，尤其是关于性别特异性差异。本研究旨在比较正常和有缺陷的胸大肌的转录组谱，以确定雄性和雌性肌病潜在的生物学途径。对雄性和雌性罗斯308肉鸡胸大肌的RNA测序数据进行了转录组分析。然后，使用edgeR和功能注释工具鉴定差异表达基因（DEG）和富集途径。
SM样本表现出最广泛的转录改变，尤其是在雄性中，与缺氧、能量代谢、钙信号传导和细胞外基质重塑相关的途径受到显著破坏。与正常肉相比，WB肉表现出中等程度的分子变化，而WS肉的转录组影响最小。与雌性相比，雄性表现出明显的代谢失调，与炎症、纤维化和血管重塑相关的途径激活增加，而在所有肌病中，雌性的转录变化通常不太明显。肌病之间的共同途径包括氧化磷酸化、细胞骨架组织和炎症反应，尽管它们的表达模式在性别和条件之间有所不同。
本研究突出了对WS、WB和SM的分子反应中显著的性别特异性差异，雄性表现出更明显的转录组改变。这些发现强调了采用性别特异性方法来减轻这些肌病对肉鸡生产的经济和福利影响的重要性。
