Expression profile of six stress-related genes and productive performances of fast and slow growing broiler strains reared under heat stress conditions

Publication date: December 2015 Source:Meta Gene, Volume 6 Author(s): Simona Rimoldi, Emiliano Lasagna, Francesca Maria Sarti, Stefano Paolo Marelli, Maria Cristina Cozzi, Giovanni Bernardini, Genciana Terova High temperature is one of the prominent environmental factors causing economic losses to the poultry industry as it negatively affects growth and production performance in broiler chickens. We used One Step TaqMan real time RT-PCR (reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) technology to study the effects of chronic heat stress on the expression of genes codifying for the antioxidative enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT), as well as for heat shock protein (HSP) 70, HSP90, glucocorticoid receptor (NR3C1), and caspase 6 (CASP6) in the liver of two different broiler genetic strains: Red JA Cou Nu Hubbard (CN) and Ross 508 Aviagen (RO). CN is a naked neck slow growing broiler intended for the free range and/or organic markets, whereas RO is selected for fast growing. We also analysed the effect of chronic heat stress on productive performances, and plasma corticosterone levels as well as the association between transcriptomic response and specific SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) in each genetic strain of broiler chickens. RO and CN broilers, 4weeks of age, were maintained for 4weeks at either 34°C or 22°C. The results demonstrated that there was a genotype and a temperature main effect on the broilers' growth from the 4th ...
Source: Meta Gene - Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Source Type: research