Transcriptomics and Metabolomics Analysis of the Ovaries of High and Low Egg Production Chickens

Abstract

Egg production is a pivotal indicator for evaluating the fertility of poultry, and the ovary is an essential organ for egg production and plays an indispensable role in poultry production and reproduction. In order to investigate different aspects of egg production mechanisms in different poultry, in this study we performed a metabolomic analysis of the transcriptomic combination of the ovaries of two chicken breeds, the high-production Ninghai indigenous chickens and the low-production Wuliangshan black-boned chickens, to analyze the biosynthesis and potential key genes and metabolic pathways in the ovaries during egg production. We predicted four genes in the transcriptomic that are associated with egg production, namely P2RX1, INHBB, VIPR2, and FABP3, and identified three important pathways during egg production, “Calcium signaling pathway”, “Neuroactive ligand–receptor interaction” and “Cytokine–cytokine receptor interaction”, respectively. In the metabolomic 149 significantly differential metabolites were identified, 99 in the negative model and 50 in the positive model, of which 17α-hydroxyprogesterone, iloprost, spermidine, and adenosine are important metabolites involved in reproduction. By integrating transcriptomics and metabolomics, the correlation between specific differential genes and differential metabolites identified important gene-metabolite pairs “VIPR2-Spermidine” and “P2RX1-Spermidine” in egg production. In conclusion, these data provide a better understanding of the molecular differences between the ovaries of low- and high-production hens and provide a theoretical basis for further studies on the mechanics of poultry egg production.

Molecular mechanisms of hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian/thyroid axis regulating age at first egg in geese

“…Similar patterns emerged in the pituitary, thyroid, and ovarian stroma, where DEGs were predominantly enriched in the extracellular space. Among these, several DEGs, including SCG2, PRL ( Shiue et al, 2006 ), SHH ( Ye et al, 2019 ), FABP3, INHBB ( Huang et al, 2022 ), CCK ( Mu et al, 2021 ), etc., have been reported to be associated with laying performance. Furthermore, previous research on bulls has indicated that sperm from highly fertile bulls have high levels of extracellular space transcripts, which might be related to the bull's fertility ( Feugang et al, 2010 ).…”

Genome-wide scan for selection signatures in wild African harlequin quail (Coturnix delegorguei delegorguei) reveals candidate genes associated with immune response, morphological and production traits

“…The positively selected DYNLL2 gene, apart from its role in immune response, was also found to be a regulator of chicken myogenesis, providing insights into breast muscle development in chickens and other birds (Li et al, 2022). VIPR2, one of the positively selected cAMP signaling pathway genes identified in domestic Japanese quails, has been implicated in the regulation of egg production as it has been associated with brooding behavior in chicken and geese (Luan et al, 2014;Huang et al, 2022).…”

The Omics Revolution in Understanding Chicken Reproduction: A Comprehensive Review

“…Metabolomic analysis is concerned with investigating the entire range of small molecules (metabolites) found in biological samples and revealing metabolic pathways crucial for fertility, embryonic development, and reproductive health in chickens by characterizing the metabolites linked with reproductive activities. Metabolomics has revealed information on nutrient use, energy metabolism, and biomarkers in poultry reproduction [ 13 , 14 ].…”

“…Transcriptomic investigations can assist veterinarians and breeders in early diagnosis and the implementation of focused treatment methods by identifying the biomarkers linked to reproductive diseases or inadequate fertility [ 72 ]. Transcriptomic research, by deciphering the complex gene expression profiles associated with critical reproductive processes, provides the path for the identification of genetic markers, breeding program optimization, and improved reproductive outcomes in poultry production [ 13 , 73 ].…”