Abstract
In China, the production for duck meat is second only to that of chicken, and the demand for duck meat is also increasing. However, there is still unclear on the internal mechanism of regulating skeletal muscle growth and development in duck. This study aimed to identity candidate genes related to growth of duck skeletal muscle and explore the potential regulatory mechanism. RNA-seq technology was used to compare the transcriptome of skeletal muscles in black Muscovy ducks at different developmental stages (day 17, 21, 27, 31, and 34 of embryos and postnatal 6-month-olds). The SNPs and InDels of black Muscovy ducks at different growth stages were mainly in “INTRON”, “SYNONYMOUS_CODING”, “UTR_3_PRIME”, and “DOWNSTREAM”. The average number of AS in each sample was 37,267, mainly concentrated in TSS and TTS. Besides, a total of 19 to 5377 DEGs were detected in each pairwise comparison. Functional analysis showed that the DEGs were mainly involved in the processes of cell growth, muscle development, and cellular activities (junction, migration, assembly, differentiation, and proliferation). Many of DEGs were well known to be related to growth of skeletal muscle in black Muscovy duck, such as MyoG, FBXO1, MEF2A, and FoxN2. KEGG pathway analysis identified that the DEGs were significantly enriched in the pathways related to the focal adhesion, MAPK signaling pathway and regulation of the actin cytoskeleton. Some DEGs assigned to these pathways were potential candidate genes inducing the difference in muscle growth among the developmental stages, such as FAF1, RGS8, GRB10, SMYD3, and TNNI2. Our study identified several genes and pathways that may participate in the regulation of skeletal muscle growth in black Muscovy duck. These results should serve as an important resource revealing the molecular basis of muscle growth and development in duck.
Highlights
Skeletal muscle is the largest and most important tissue in animals, accounting for about 50%of body weight [1,2]
Xu et al (2017) analyzed the gene expression profiles of Pekin ducks during incubation period, and the results showed that the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) related to cell division (M phase of mitotic cell cycle, cell division, mitosis, and mitotic prometaphase), and the pathways, including DNA replication, Cell cycle, Gap junction, were significantly enriched at hatched day 19 [15]
According to the sequence of chromatin helix DNA binding protein 1 (CHD1) gene on sex chromosomes of duck, sex identification primers were used [17] and female embryos were selected as the research objects (Table 1), because the female Muscovy duck accounted for the majority of duck farms due to the reason of laying eggs, and the same gender can avoid the error of sequencing data
Summary
Skeletal muscle is the largest and most important tissue in animals, accounting for about 50%. Of body weight [1,2] It participates in body movement, protection, and metabolic regulation [3]. Because meat yield directly determines the level of economic benefits, the study of skeletal muscle development is important in animal husbandry production. The growth and development of duck skeletal muscle is an essential economic trait, which is determined by genetic, and influenced by nutritional and environmental factors. The development of embryonic skeletal muscle is a tightly regulated process that is critically modulated by genes and related signaling pathways [4,5].
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
