Abstract

Temperature stress impacts both welfare and productivity of livestock. Global warming is expected to increase the impact, especially in tropical areas. We investigated the biological mechanisms regulated by temperature stress due to the circadian temperature cycle in temperature adapted and non-adapted chicken under tropical conditions. We studied transcriptome profiles of heart, breast muscle, and spleen tissues of Ethiopian lowland chicken adapted to high circadian temperatures and non-adapted Ethiopian highland chicken under lowland conditions at three points during the day: morning, noon, and evening. Functional annotations and network analyses of genes differentially expressed among the time points of the day indicate major differences in the reactions of the tissues to increasing and decreasing temperatures, and also the two chickens lines differ. However, epigenetic changes of chromatin methylation and histone (de)acetylation seemed to be central regulatory mechanisms in all tissues in both chicken lines. Finally, all tissues showed differentially expressed genes between morning and evening times indicating biological mechanisms that need to change during the night to reach morning levels again the next day.

Highlights

  • Environmental changes, especially temperature changes, influence animal health, welfare, and livestock productivity

  • Lowland chickens showed the largest number of differentially expressed genes in heart tissue while highland chicken

  • We investigated the differential expression of the heat shock proteins (HSPs) because these are especially related to the physiological reaction to these specific environmental conditions

Read more

Summary

Introduction

Environmental changes, especially temperature changes, influence animal health, welfare, and livestock productivity. The daily temperature rise may induce heath stress to chicken. Local environmental conditions, such as altitude and natural conditions, e.g., forests, affect the level and the impact of the temperature rise during the day. Global warming may increase the local temperatures further increasing heat stress effects. This may especially affect future livestock productivity in sub-Saharan countries (Thornton et al 2009)

Methods
Results
Conclusion

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 call

Disclaimer: 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.