Abstract
Exposure to high ambient temperature has detrimental effects on poultry welfare and production. Although changes in gene expression due to heat exposure have been well described for broiler chickens, knowledge of the effects of heat on laying hens is still relatively limited. In this study, we profiled the transcriptome for pectoralis major muscle (n = 24) and liver (n = 24), during a 4-week cyclic heating experiment performed on layers in the early phase of egg production. Both heat-control and time-based contrasts were analyzed to determine differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Heat exposure induced different changes in gene expression for the two tissues, and we also observed changes in gene expression over time in the control animals suggesting that metabolic changes occurred during the transition from onset of lay to peak egg production. A total of 73 DEGs in liver were shared between the 3 h heat-control contrast, and the 4-week versus 3 h time contrast in the control group, suggesting a core set of genes that is responsible for maintenance of metabolic homeostasis regardless of the physiologic stressor (heat or commencing egg production). The identified DEGs improve our understanding of the layer’s response to stressors and may serve as targets for genetic selection in the future to improve resilience.
Highlights
Heat stress has negative impacts on agricultural animal production as it reduces the animal’s ability to dissipate body heat and deteriorates efficiency of energy utilization by animals [1]
Prior to performing the differential gene expression analysis, principal component analysis (PCA) plots were generated for each of the seven contrasts for both tissues to ensure the contrasted factors can be separated by principal components (Supplemental Figure S1)
We took multiple approaches to analyze RNA-Seq data generated from 24 muscle tissues and 24 liver tissues collected during a 4-week heat stress experiment
Summary
Heat stress has negative impacts on agricultural animal production as it reduces the animal’s ability to dissipate body heat and deteriorates efficiency of energy utilization by animals [1]. Due to their rapid body growth and greater metabolic activity, commercial poultry have become sensitive to temperature-associated environmental challenges [2,3,4]. The detrimental effects of heat stress on broilers and laying hens ranges from reduced growth and egg production to decreased meat and egg quality and food safety [4].
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