Peking Duck Research Articles

Recombinant Duck Interferon Gamma Inhibits H5N1 Influenza Virus Replication In Vitro and In Vivo.

The highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus (AIV) is widespread in waterfowl, causing enormous economic losses and posing a significant threat to public health. An increasing number of reagents have been identified to prevent the spread of influenza; however, there have been no reports on the anti-H5N1 effects of duck interferons, which exhibit antiviral activity against other viruses. Our aim was to investigate the antiviral effects of purified duck interferons. In this study, we successfully cloned and expressed duck interferon gamma (IFN-γ) in Escherichia coli. The antiviral effects of this recombinant duck IFN-γ (rDuIFN-γ) was assessed in vitro and in vivo. rDuIFN-γ displayed antiviral activity against vesicular stomatitis virus and AIV in duck embryo fibroblasts. Pretreating ducks with 3.4 × 104 U rDuIFN-γ also partially decreased mortality from 70% to 30% and delayed onset in 2-day-old Peking ducks. Virus titers in tissues and viral shedding decreased, and the expression of interferon-stimulated genes increased in brain and spleen in rDuIFN-γ-treated ducks. These results indicate that duck IFN-γ has the potential to inhibit viral replication in ducks.

Draft Genome Sequence of Riemerella anatipestifer Isolate 17CS0503.

ABSTRACTRiemerella anatipestifer is a Gram-negative bacterium belonging to the family Flavobacteriaceae. It is primarily associated with acute septicemia in younger birds. The R. anatipestifer isolate 17CS0503 described here was isolated from a Peking duck (Anas platyrhynchos domesticus) in Hannover, Germany, in 1999.

The T/Daos shall meet: The failure and success of English transliterations of Mandarin Chinese

When a Canadian exchange student returns home from a semester abroad in the capital city of China, she might tell her friends that she had Peking duck every day, but she would never, as a 21st-century liberal arts student, say that she stayed in Peking for a semester. Rather, she would say Beijing, as would most English speakers in the present day. But such discrepancies between English transliterations of Chinese words are far from uncommon. Is it the Nanking Massacre or the Nanjing Massacre? Who is the author ofTao Te Ching: Lao-Tzu or Laozi? What, then, is theDaodejing? This paper will focus on the English representation of Mandarin Chinese phonology, particularly the consonant sounds. The inconsistency of English transliteration of Mandarin is caused by historical exchanges and encounters between the British and the Chinese and a lack of a monolithic standardization of Mandarin. Paradoxically, while these transliterations attempt to unify and standardize themselves and the representation of Mandarin sounds, they simultaneously represent the concept of a diverse Mandarin.

Can we spice up our Christmas dinner? : Busting the myth of the 'Chinese restaurant syndrome'.

BackgroundMonosodium glutamate (MSG), also referred to as Vetsin or E621, is a flavour enhancer frequently used in Asian cuisine and abundantly present in the famous Chinese dish Peking duck. MSG is notorious for triggering the onset of the so-called ‘Chinese restaurant syndrome’ (CRS), a complex of unpleasant symptoms, which might include flushing, sweating and the onset of atrial fibrillation (AF). This study aims to determine the effects of MSG on the occurrence of AF.MethodsWe conducted a placebo self-controlled single-arm study in the Academic Medical Centre in Amsterdam. We included paroxysmal AF patients who reported a consistent onset of AF upon MSG intake. During three admissions, participants were subsequently administered: placebo, 1.5 g and 3 g MSG. If AF was recorded after the dose of 1.5 g MSG, patients were given another placebo instead of 3 g MSG. The primary outcome was the onset of AF registered by 24-hour Holter monitoring. The secondary outcomes were any other arrhythmia and the onset of CRS defined as two or more symptoms of CRS after MSG intake.ResultsSix men participated in the study. Both 1.5 g and 3 g MSG were unrelated to CRS, arrhythmias or AF occurrence.Conclusion Peking duck can be put on the Christmas menu without risking guests to be admitted to the emergency department with new episodes of AF.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s12471-017-1053-5) contains study inlcusion and exclusion criteria and recipe of Peking duck, which is available to authorized users.

Pengaruh penggunaan limbah cair pemindangan ikan dalam ransum terhadap kadar lemak daging dan persentase lemak abdominal itik persilangan Mojosari

This research’s intention was to examined the effect of liquid waste boiled salt fish in the ration on fat and cholesterol meat and abdominal fat percentage of Mojosari Peking crossing duck. The research materials used were 120 of 3 weeks old males Mojosari Peking duck crossing with average initial body weight of 520.30 ± 57.82 g. This experimental design was used completely randomized design (CRD) with 4 treatments and 5 replications with total 20 units experimental each unit consisted of 6 ducks. The treatment used of liquid waste boiled salt fish in rations with level: T0 = 0%, T2 = 2.5%, T3 = 5% dan T4 = 7.5%. The results showed that the the used of liquid waste boiled salt fish have no significant effect (P>0,05) on fat meat, abdominal fat percentage and cholesterol meat. The used of of liquid waste boiled salt fish can be used in the ration up to the level 7.5%.

Analysis of the influence of rosemary and grape seed extracts on oxidation the lipids of peking duck meat

The most common way of solving the problem of oxidative damage to meat products is the use of a variety of antioxidant food additives that allow the purposeful regulation of the processes of oxidation of the lipid fraction of meat systems. The study explores the effect of an antioxidant composition of rosemary and grape seed extracts on the course of oxidative processes in minced Peking duck meat. It has been determined that its introduction in an amount of 0.12–0.36 % helps slow down the hydrolytic oxidation of the minced meat lipids by 10.5–32.5 %. When the composition is introduced, the stabilization of peroxide oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids occurs. The biggest effect was obtained when adding 0.36 % of the additive, which reduced the PV by more than twice. The amount of secondary oxidation products was the smallest at the end of the storage period of minced meat in a sample with a composition concentration of 0.36 %, when the TBA value was 2.8±0.11 mg MA/kg, which is more than twice as low as the control. The obtained results prove the possibility of adding the composition of the plant extracts (up to 0.36 %) to improve the stability of meat products to the oxidation damage and to prevent the decline in the product quality.

Identification of polymorphisms in MITF and DCT genes and their associations with plumage colors in Asian duck breeds.

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to investigate the effect of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the melanogenesis associated transcription factor (MITF) and dopachrome tautomerase (DCT) genes on plumage coloration in Asian native duck breeds. MITF encodes a protein for microphthalmia-associated transcription factor, which regulates the development and function of melanocytes for pigmentation of skin, hair, and eyes. Among the tyrosinase-related family genes, DCT is a pigment cell-specific gene that plays important roles in the melanin synthesis pathway and the expression of skin, feather, and retina color.MethodsFive Asian duck varieties (black Korean native, white Korean native, commercial Peking, Nageswari, and Bangladeshi Deshi white ducks) were investigated to examine the polymorphisms associated with plumage colors. Among previously identified SNPs, three synonymous SNPs and one indel of MITF and nine SNPs in exon regions of DCT were genotyped. The allele frequencies for SNPs of the black and white plumage color populations were estimated and Fisher’s exact test was conducted to assess the association between the allele frequencies of these two populations.ResultsTwo synonymous SNPs (c.114T>G and c.147T>C) and a 14-bp indel (GCTGCAAAC AGATG) in intron 7 of MITF were significantly associated with the black- and white-colored breeds (p<0.001). One non-synonymous SNP [c.938A>G (p.His313Arg)] in DCT, was highly significantly associated (p<0.001) and a synonymous SNP (c.753A>G) was significantly associated (p<0.05) with black and white color plumage in the studied duck populations.ConclusionThe results of this study provide a basis for further investigations of the associations between polymorphisms and plumage color phenotypes in Asian duck breeds.

STUDY OF OXIDATION PROCESSES IN DUCK MEAT WITH APPLICATION OF ROSEMARY AND GRAPE SEED EXTRACTS

The substantiation of the expedience of using antioxidants of a natural origin to decelerate oxidation processes in different meat products is an urgent direction of these studies. The prospective way of a solution of the problem of meat products oxidation spoilage is the use of vegetable extracts. The experimental studies of the effective use of the composition of rosemary and grape seed extracts in Peking duck forcemeat at the long storage were realized. Their influence on the dynamics of hydrolytic and peroxide oxidation of forcemeat lipids was studied. The analysis of oxidation secondary products accumulation was realized at the same time. The positive effect of the combined use of rosemary and grape seeds extracts on frozen Peking duck forcemeat was established, the optimal concentration of offered preparations was determined.

The effects of Bacillus coagulans-fermented and non-fermented Ginkgo biloba on abdominal fat deposition and meat quality of Peking duck

In order to evaluate the effects of Bacillus coagulans-fermented Ginkgo biloba (FG) and non-fermented G. biloba (NFG) on abdominal fat deposition and meat quality, 270 female Peking ducks were randomly assigned to the following experimental groups: a control group (fed a basal diet), an NFG group (fed a basal diet + 0.3% NFG), and an FG group (fed a basal diet + 0.3% FG). Body weight and feed intake were recorded weekly, and feed conversion ratio was calculated to assess growth performance. After 6 wk, 18 ducks from each group were killed. Abdominal fat ratio and pH (at 45 min and 24 h postmortem), color parameters (lightness, redness, and yellowness), water-holding capacity, cooking loss, shear force, and intramuscular fat and fatty acid contents were measured. Six more ducks were killed to isolate RNA from their abdominal fat tissue for measurements of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ), obese (leptin), and adiponectin (ADP) expression using real-time polymerase chain reaction. The results revealed that body weight gain was higher in the FG group than in the control and NFG groups, whereas feed conversion ratio was lower (P < 0.05). The abdominal fat contents were lower in the NFG and FG groups than in the control group (P < 0.05). The NFG and FG groups had lower levels of saturated fatty acids (mainly palmitic acid) and higher levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids (mainly linoleic acid and arachidonic acid) than the control group. The mRNA expressions of PPARγ, leptin, and ADP in abdominal fat tissue were significantly increased in the NFG and FG groups, and the mRNA expression of PPARγ was higher in the FG group than in the NFG group (P < 0.05). These results suggest that fermenting G. biloba reduces the deposition of abdominal fat and improves the fatty acid profile of Peking duck meat.

Transbody against virus core protein potently inhibits hepadnavirus replication in vivo: evidence from a duck model of hepatitis B virus.

The therapeutic management of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections remains challenging, and novel antiviral strategies are urgently required. The HBV transbody, a monoclonal antibody (MAb) against human HBcAg coupled with the trans-activator of transcription protein transduction domain (TAT PTD), was previously shown to possess cell-penetrating ability and potent antiviral activity in vitro. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the antiviral activity of the HBcMAb-TAT PTD conjugate in vivo in a duck model of HBV. Female Peking ducks were injected i.p. with 0.03-0.3 mg·kg-1 ·day-1 of the DHBV transbody (DHBcMAb-TAT PTD conjugate) for 30 days. Serum DHBV DNA levels and liver DHBV DNA and covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) loads were determined at scheduled time points. Immunohistological examination of DHBcAg in the duck liver was also performed. The DHBV transbody significantly reduced the serum and liver DHBV DNA levels at doses of 0.1 and 0.3 mg·kg-1 ·day-1 and liver cccDNA levels at a dose of 0.3 mg·kg-1 ·day-1 after 30 days of treatment. The suppressive effects of the DHBV transbody at 0.3 mg·kg-1 ·day-1 on the serum and liver DHBV DNA and liver cccDNA levels remained significant, even at 15 days after treatment cessation. Similarly, immunohistochemistry of liver sections revealed decreased DHBcAg levels within hepatocytes 15 days after treatment termination. The DHBV transbody inhibits DHBV replication and possesses potent anti-DHBV activities in vivo. The cell-permeable antibody against the virus core antigen may be developed as a novel treatment for patients with hepadnavirus infections.

Екстракт журавлини в технології варених ковбас з м’ясом водоплавної птиці

Стаття присвячена дослідженню ефективності використання екстракту журавлини в технології м’ясомістких варених ковбас із м’ясом качки Пекінської та м’ясом індика механічного обвалювання. На сьогоднішньому етапі розвитку м’ясопереробної промисловості актуальним є питання пошуку альтернативних синтетичним, ефективних препаратів природного походження, що здатні уповільнювати окисні процеси і мають високу антиоксидантну активність. М’ясо водоплавної птиці є перспективною сировиною для м’ясної промисловості, але воно вирізняється високим вмістом ліпідів за рахунок фракції моно- та поліненасичених жирних кислот, які чутливі до окиснення під впливом кисню повітря. Відомо, що таку властивість мають біофлавоноїди багатьох рослин, а також їх екстракти. У статті наведені результати дослідження впливу екстракту журавлини на перебіг окислювальних процесів у м’ясомісткій вареній ковбасі із м’ясом качки Пекінської та м’ясом птиці механічного обвалювання індичим з вмістом жиру понад 20%. Екстракт журавлини додавали до фаршу в кількості 0,01%, 0,02%, 0,03% до маси фаршу. Встановлено, що використання екстракту журавлини в технології м’ясомісткої вареної ковбаси дозволяє уповільнити перебіг окислювальних процесів. Найбільш ефективною концентрацією препарату виявився екстракт журавлини у кількості 0,02%. Сенсорна оцінка показала, що внесення до складу рецептур екстракту журавлини не погіршило органолептичні показники продукту. Найбільш оптимальною за органолептичними показниками була м’ясомістка ковбаса варена Качина із додаванням 0,02% екстракту журавлини.

A comprehensive analysis of the germline and expressed TCR repertoire in White Peking duck

Recently, many immune-related genes have been extensively studied in ducks, but relatively little is known about their TCR genes. Here, we determined the germline and expressed repertoire of TCR genes in White Peking duck. The genomic organization of the duck TCRα/δ, TCRγ and unconventional TCRδ2 loci are highly conserved with their counterparts in mammals or chickens. By contrast, the duck TCRβ locus is organized in an unusual pattern, (Vβ)n-Dβ-(Jβ)2-Cβ1-(Jβ)4-Cβ2, which differs from the tandem-aligned clusters in mammals or the translocon organization in some teleosts. Excluding the first exon encoding the immunoglobulin domain, the subsequent exons of the two Cβ show significant diversity in nucleotide sequence and exon structure. Based on the nucleotide sequence identity, 49 Vα, 30 Vδ, 13 Vβ and 15 Vγ unique gene segments are classified into 3 Vα, 5 Vδ, 4 Vβ and 6 Vγ subgroups, respectively. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that most duck V subgroups, excluding Vβ1, Vγ5 and Vγ6, have closely related orthologues in chicken. The coding joints of all cDNA clones demonstrate conserved mechanisms that are used to increase junctional diversity. Collectively, these data provide insight into the evolution of TCRs in vertebrates and improve our understanding of the avian immune system.

Ducks as a potential reservoir for Pasteurella multocida infection detected using a new rOmpH-based ELISA.

Pasteurella multocida is an important pathogen of numerous domestic poultry and wild animals and is associated with a variety of diseases including fowl cholera. The aim of this study was to develop an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) based on recombinant outer-membrane protein H (rOmpH) for detection of anti-P. multocida antibodies in serum to determine their prevalence in Chinese ducks. The P. multocida ompH gene was cloned into pET32a, and rOmpH was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3). Western blotting revealed that purified rOmpH was recognized by duck antisera against P. multocida, and an indirect ELISA was established. During analysis of serum samples (n=115) from ducks, the rOmpH ELISA showed 95.0% specificity, 100% sensitivity and a 92.0% κ coefficient (95% confidence interval 0.844–0.997) as compared with a microtiter agglutination test. Among 165 randomly selected serum samples, which were collected in 2015 and originated from six duck farms across Fujian Province, China, anti-P. multocida antibodies were detected in 22.42% of apparently healthy ducks, including 25 of 90 sheldrakes (27.8%), eight of 50 Peking ducks (16.0%) and four of 25 Muscovy ducks (16%). Overall, the data suggest that rOmpH is a suitable candidate antigen for the development of an indirect ELISA for detection of P. multocida in ducks; moreover, our results showed that ducks could serve as a potential reservoir for P. multocida infection.

Spatial requirements of poultry assessed by using a colour-contrast method (KobaPlan)

Sufficient floor space is a fundamental precondition for poultry to perform normal behavioural patterns. To calculate and determine stocking densities, it is essential to know the absolute minimum surface area required by any given animal (body space). Additional space is required for characteristic behaviours (behavioural space) and for adequate inter-individual distances, group sizes and room to perform social interactions have to be taken into account.To calculate body space, planimetric measurements were carried out by the colour contrast method “KobaPlan” in various poultry species in standing and sitting positions and at a number of different ages. They included laying hens (Lohmann brown (LB), Lohmann selected Leghorn (LSL)), broiler breeders (Ross, both genders), broiler chickens (Ross 308, both genders), turkeys (BUT 6, males), Peking ducks (Cherry Valley, both genders) and Muscovy ducks (Canedins R51, males).Depending on live weight, age, plumage condition and body position, LB hens occupied an average area between 401 cm2 and 542 cm2, LSL hens between 353 cm2 and 445 cm2, broiler breeder females between 440 cm2 and 537 cm2, broiler breeder males 623 cm2 up to 945 cm2, broiler chickens up to 434 cm2, male fattening turkeys up to 1808 cm2, Muscovy drakes up to 873 cm2 and Peking ducks up to 627 cm2.The values can be regarded as necessary minimum spatial requirements for the measured poultry species and genotype.The current method offers the potential to record the area occupied by animals exhibiting species-specific behavioural patterns.

GAMBARAN PROFIL DARAH ITIK PEKING (ANAS PLATYRHYNCHOS) SETELAH DIBERIKAN EKSTRAK AKUADES DAUN KEDONDONG PAGAR (LANNEA COROMANDELICA)

ABSTRACT This study was designed to determine the effect aqueous extract of Lannea coromandelica leaf at concentrations of erythrocytes and leukocytes in peking duck (Anas platyrhynchos). Experimental design used was Completely Randomized Design (CRD) consisted of 3 experimental treatments, each consisted of 8 ducks i.e., P0 (control), P1 (given aqueous extract of Lannea coromandelica leaf as much as 780 mg / mL / day / kg body weight), P2 (given aqueous extract of Lannea coromandelica leaf as much as 1560 mg / mL / day / kg body weight). Data were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA). The results showed that the aqueous extract of Lannea coromandelica significant effect (p 0.01) in concentrations of the leukocytes. Average erythrocytes in all treatments, 2081667-2300000 per mm 3 . The average number of leukocytes in all treatments, 23175-23500 per mm 3 . It was concluded that the aqueous extract of Lannea coromandelica leaf have effect on the increase concentrations of erythrocytes peking duck (Anas platyrhynchos).

Comparative analysis of the complete mitochondrial genomes of two types of ducks, peking duck (Anas platyrhychos) and muscovy duck (Cairina moschata)

Peking duck (Anas platyrhychos) and Muscovy duck (Cairina moschata) are two types of domestic ducks and the most popular meat breeds on the world. In this study, we sequenced and compared complete mitochondrial genomes of both breeds. In order to investigate the phylogeny of both breeds within Anseriformes, the sequences of concatenated 12 protein-coding genes were used for phylogenetic analysis. The result was consistent with most of the previous morphological and molecular studies. Our complete mitochondrial genome sequences of both breeds will be useful information in phylogenetics, and be available as basic data for the breeding and genetics.

Tepung temu hitam (Curcuma aeruginosa Roxb) dalam ransum memperbaiki produktifitas dan High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) serum itik pedaging Peking

The purpose of this research was todetermine the effect of Curcuma Aeruginosa Roxb.(C. Aeruginosa) powder addition on serum lipid (total cholesterol, LDL, HDL and triglycerides) and productivity of Peking duck. The material of the study were one hundred and twenty peking ducks aged 2 days old with initial body weight ± 65 g. The experiment applied a completely randomized design with 5 treatments and 4 replications. Each replication consisted of 6 ducks. The treatment consisted of T0 = 0% C. Aeruginosa powder, T1 = 0.75% C. aeruginosa powder, T2 = 1% C. aeruginosa powder , T3= 1.25% C. aeruginosa powder and T4 = 1.5% C. aeruginosa powder. Comercial diet with 23% protein was given from day 2 to day 14 while day 15 ducks were given diet with 17.5% protein and 3029.7 kcal/kg metabolic energy. Curcuma aeruginosa powder was given on day 25 to day 57. Daily consumption was recorded and body weight was recorded once a week. Both samples were taken on day 57. The data were processed by ANOVA at P= 0.05. The results showed that addition of 1.25% C.Aeruginosa powder (T3) had the lowest consumption, higher body weight and body weight gain (BWG) with lowest feed conversion. Curcuma aeruginosa powder only affected significantly the HDL. All groups with C. aeruginosa addition showed higher HDL than control group. It can be concluded that addition of 1,25% (T3) C. Aeruginosa powder will produced the highest serum HDL, and provide better productivity. Keywords: C. aureginosa , Peking duck and serum lipid

Transcriptional Profiling Identifies Location-Specific and Breed-Specific Differentially Expressed Genes in Embryonic Myogenesis in Anas Platyrhynchos.

Skeletal muscle growth and development are highly orchestrated processes involving significant changes in gene expressions. Differences in the location-specific and breed-specific genes and pathways involved have important implications for meat productions and meat quality. Here, RNA-Seq was performed to identify differences in the muscle deposition between two muscle locations and two duck breeds for functional genomics studies. To achieve those goals, skeletal muscle samples were collected from the leg muscle (LM) and the pectoral muscle (PM) of two genetically different duck breeds, Heiwu duck (H) and Peking duck (P), at embryonic 15 days. Functional genomics studies were performed in two experiments: Experiment 1 directly compared the location-specific genes between PM and LM, and Experiment 2 compared the two breeds (H and P) at the same developmental stage (embryonic 15 days). Almost 13 million clean reads were generated using Illumina technology (Novogene, Beijing, China) on each library, and more than 70% of the reads mapped to the Peking duck (Anas platyrhynchos) genome. A total of 168 genes were differentially expressed between the two locations analyzed in Experiment 1, whereas only 8 genes were differentially expressed when comparing the same location between two breeds in Experiment 2. Gene Ontology (GO) and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways (KEGG) were used to functionally annotate DEGs (differentially expression genes). The DEGs identified in Experiment 1 were mainly involved in focal adhesion, the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway and ECM-receptor interaction pathways (corrected P-value<0.05). In Experiment 2, the DEGs were associated with only the ribosome signaling pathway (corrected P-value<0.05). In addition, quantitative real-time PCR was used to confirm 15 of the differentially expressed genes originally detected by RNA-Seq. A comparative transcript analysis of the leg and pectoral muscles of two duck breeds not only improves our understanding of the location-specific and breed-specific genes and pathways but also provides some candidate molecular targets for increasing muscle products and meat quality by genetic control.

Molecular cloning of Peking duck Toll-like receptor 3 (duTLR3) gene and its responses to reovirus infection.

BackgroundToll-like receptors (TLRs) play an important role in detecting pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs). Among the TLRs, TLR3 is involved in the recognition of double-stranded RNA. This study was designed to explore the relationship between duTLR3 and duck reovirus (DRV) infection.MethodsIn this study, we cloned and performed a molecular characterization of the complete sequence of Peking duck TLR3 (duTLR3). The expression level of duTLR3 was also determined, along with the relative levels of Mx and IFN-α mRNA after DRV infection.ResultsThe duTLR3 gene is 2776-bp long and encodes an 895-amino-acid-long protein. Sequence analysis of the product revealed the complete transcript of Peking duck TLR3, including the 88-bp 5′UTR, the 2688-bp coding sequence (ORF), and the 76-bp 3′UTR and poly(A) tail. DuTLR3 was found to share a high amino acid sequence similarity with TLR3 from Jing ding duck (99.6 %), Muscovy duck (97.1 %) and chicken (86.3 %). Additionally, the tissue distribution of duTLR3 suggested that it was abundantly expressed in various tissues, especially in the trachea, esophagus and pancreatic gland. Duck reovirus (DRV) infection resulted in high mRNA expression levels of duTLR3 in the spleen, liver, lung and brain.ConclusionThese results suggest that duTLR3 may play an important role in anti-viral defense mechanisms.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12985-015-0434-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Impact of thermal stress during incubation on gene expression in embryonic muscle of Peking ducks (Anasplatyrhynchos domestica)

Changes in temperature will influence poultry embryonic muscle development. However, little is known about the changes in molecular processes impacted by incubation temperature in avians. In this study, we investigated the effects of increasing the incubation temperature by 1°C from day 11–20 on the embryonic and posthatch skeletal muscle development of the Peking duck, and identified the differentially expressed genes using RNA-seq of leg muscle tissues. The results showed that altering the incubation temperature had immediate and long-lasting effects on phenotypic changes in the embryonic and post-hatching muscle development. It was shown that expression levels of total 1370 genes were altered in muscle tissues by the thermal treatments. The gene ontology (GO) analyses indicated that cellular processes including metabolism, cell cycle, catalytic activity, and enzyme regulatory activity may have involved in the muscle mass impacted by thermal manipulation. TGF-beta and insulin pathways as two classical muscle development related pathways may also involve in regulating muscle mass. These data may be helpful for understanding the physiological and biochemical processes of muscle development under environmental treatments in embryonic avians.