Abstract
Pectoral muscle (PM) comprises an important component of overall meat mass in ducks. However, PM has shown arrested or even reduced growth during late embryonic development, and the molecular mechanisms underlying PM growth during the late embryonic to neonatal period in ducks have not been addressed. In this study, we characterized potential candidate genes and signaling pathways related to PM development using RNA sequencing of PM samples selected at embryonic days (E) 21 and 27 and 5 days post-hatch (dph) in two duck breeds (Gaoyou and Jinding ducks). A total of 393 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, which showed higher or lower expression levels at E27 compared with E21 and 5 dph, reflecting the pattern of PM growth rates. Among these, 43 DEGs were common to all three time points in both duck breeds. These DEGs may thus be involved in regulating this developmental process. Specifically, KEGG pathway analysis of the 393 DEGs showed that genes involved with different metabolism pathways were highly expressed, while genes involved with cell cycle pathways showed lower expression levels at E27. These DEGs may thus be involved in the mechanisms responsible for the phenomenon of static or decreased breast muscle growth in duck breeds during the late embryonic period. These results increase the available genetic information for ducks and provide valuable resources for analyzing the mechanisms underlying the process of PM development.
Highlights
The advent of modern agriculture in the early 20th century led to intensive genetic selection for meat- and egg-production traits in domesticated ducks
To identify potential candidate genes affecting early Pectoral muscle (PM) development in ducks, we examined gene expression profiles in PM samples from Gaoyou and Jinding ducks during late-term embryonic to neonatal development using RNA-Seq
We previously found that PM mass stopped increasing from E21 to E25, and decreased before hatching, increasing from hatching to 7 dph in both Gaoyou and Jinding duck breeds
Summary
The advent of modern agriculture in the early 20th century led to intensive genetic selection for meat- and egg-production traits in domesticated ducks. Meat-type and egg-type duck breeds have undergone different genetic selection processes, and display significant genetic differences in terms of muscle growth rates and egg production, whilst maintaining consistent developmental processes, e.g. in muscle development pattern. Gaoyou and Jinding ducks comprise important indigenous Chinese meat-type and egg-type duck breeds RNA sequencing of PM during late-term embryonic to neonatal development in duck
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