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Ji G, Zhang M, Tu Y, Liu Y, Shan Y, Ju X, Zou J, Shu J, Sheng Z, Li H. Molecular Regulatory Mechanisms in Chicken Feather Follicle Morphogenesis. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:1646. [PMID: 37628697 PMCID: PMC10454116 DOI: 10.3390/genes14081646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2023] [Revised: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
In China, the sale of freshly slaughtered chickens is becoming increasingly popular in comparison with that of live chickens, and due to this emerging trend, the skin and feather follicle traits of yellow-feathered broilers have attracted a great deal of research attention. The feather follicle originates from the interaction between the epidermis and dermis in the early embryonic stage. Feather follicle morphogenesis is regulated by the Wnt, ectodysplasin (Eda), epidermal growth factor (EGF), fibroblast growth factor (FGF), bone morphogenetic protein (BMP), sonic hedgehog (Shh), Notch, and other signaling pathways that exist in epithelial and mesenchymal cells. The Wnt pathway is essential for feather follicle and feather morphogenesis. Eda interacts with Wnt to induce FGF expression, which attracts mesenchymal cell movement and aggregates to form feather follicle primordia. BMP acts as an inhibitor of the above signaling pathways to limit the size of the feather tract and distance between neighboring feather primordia in a dose-dependent manner. The Notch/Delta pathway can interact with the FGF pathway to promote feather bud formation. While not a part of the early morphogenesis of feather follicles, Shh and BMP signaling are involved in late feather branching. This review summarizes the roles of miRNAs/lncRNA in the regulation of feather follicle and feather growth and development and suggests topics that need to be solved in a future study. This review focuses on the regulatory mechanisms involved in feather follicle morphogenesis and analyzes the impact of SNP sites on feather follicle traits in poultry. This work may help us to understand the molecular regulatory networks influencing feather follicle growth and provide basic data for poultry carcass quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaige Ji
- Key Laboratory for Poultry Genetics and Breeding of Jiangsu Province, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, Institute of Poultry Science, Yangzhou 225125, China
| | - Ming Zhang
- Key Laboratory for Poultry Genetics and Breeding of Jiangsu Province, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, Institute of Poultry Science, Yangzhou 225125, China
| | - Yunjie Tu
- Key Laboratory for Poultry Genetics and Breeding of Jiangsu Province, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, Institute of Poultry Science, Yangzhou 225125, China
| | - Yifan Liu
- Key Laboratory for Poultry Genetics and Breeding of Jiangsu Province, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, Institute of Poultry Science, Yangzhou 225125, China
| | - Yanju Shan
- Key Laboratory for Poultry Genetics and Breeding of Jiangsu Province, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, Institute of Poultry Science, Yangzhou 225125, China
| | - Xiaojun Ju
- Key Laboratory for Poultry Genetics and Breeding of Jiangsu Province, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, Institute of Poultry Science, Yangzhou 225125, China
| | - Jianmin Zou
- Key Laboratory for Poultry Genetics and Breeding of Jiangsu Province, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, Institute of Poultry Science, Yangzhou 225125, China
| | - Jingting Shu
- Key Laboratory for Poultry Genetics and Breeding of Jiangsu Province, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, Institute of Poultry Science, Yangzhou 225125, China
| | - Zhongwei Sheng
- Key Laboratory for Poultry Genetics and Breeding of Jiangsu Province, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, Institute of Poultry Science, Yangzhou 225125, China
| | - Hua Li
- School of Life Science and Engineering, Foshan University, Foshan 528231, China
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Abstract
The chicken model organism has advanced the areas of developmental biology, virology, immunology, oncology, epigenetic regulation of gene expression, conservation biology, and genomics of domestication. Further, the chicken model organism has aided in our understanding of human disease. Through the recent advances in high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatic tools, researchers have successfully identified sequences in the chicken genome that have human orthologs, improving mammalian genome annotation. In this review, we highlight the importance of chicken as an animal model in basic and pre-clinical research. We will present the importance of chicken in poultry epigenetics and in genomic studies that trace back to their ancestor, the last link between human and chicken in the tree of life. There are still many genes of unknown function in the chicken genome yet to be characterized. By taking advantage of recent sequencing technologies, it is possible to gain further insight into the chicken epigenome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tasnim H Beacon
- Research Institute in Oncology and Hematology, CancerCare Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0V9, Canada
| | - James R Davie
- Department of Biochemistry and Medical Genetics, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0J9, Canada
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Li D, Sun G, Zhang M, Cao Y, Zhang C, Fu Y, Li F, Li G, Jiang R, Han R, Li Z, Wang Y, Tian Y, Liu X, Li W, Kang X. Breeding history and candidate genes responsible for black skin of Xichuan black-bone chicken. BMC Genomics 2020; 21:511. [PMID: 32703156 PMCID: PMC7376702 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-020-06900-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2020] [Accepted: 07/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Domesticated chickens have a wide variety of phenotypes, in contrast with their wild progenitors. Unlike other chicken breeds, Xichuan black-bone chickens have blue-shelled eggs, and black meat, beaks, skin, bones, and legs. The breeding history and the economically important traits of this breed have not yet been explored at the genomic level. We therefore used whole genome resequencing to analyze the breeding history of the Xichuan black-bone chickens and to identify genes responsible for its unique phenotype. Results Principal component and population structure analysis showed that Xichuan black-bone chicken is in a distinct clade apart from eight other breeds. Linkage disequilibrium analysis showed that the selection intensity of Xichuan black-bone chickens is higher than for other chicken breeds. The estimated time of divergence between the Xichuan black-bone chickens and other breeds is 2.89 ka years ago. Fst analysis identified a selective sweep that contains genes related to melanogenesis. This region is probably associated with the black skin of the Xichuan black-bone chickens and may be the product of long-term artificial selection. A combined analysis of genomic and transcriptomic data suggests that the candidate gene related to the black-bone trait, EDN3, might interact with the upstream ncRNA LOC101747896 to generate black skin color during melanogenesis. Conclusions These findings help explain the unique genetic and phenotypic characteristics of Xichuan black-bone chickens, and provide basic research data for studying melanin deposition in animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donghua Li
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450046, China
| | - Guirong Sun
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450046, China.,Henan Innovative Engineering Research Center of Poultry Germplasm Resource, Zhengzhou, 450046, China
| | - Meng Zhang
- The First Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun, 130062, Jilin, China
| | - Yanfang Cao
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450046, China
| | - Chenxi Zhang
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450046, China
| | - Yawei Fu
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450046, China
| | - Fang Li
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450046, China
| | - Guoxi Li
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450046, China.,Henan Innovative Engineering Research Center of Poultry Germplasm Resource, Zhengzhou, 450046, China
| | - Ruirui Jiang
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450046, China.,Henan Innovative Engineering Research Center of Poultry Germplasm Resource, Zhengzhou, 450046, China
| | - Ruili Han
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450046, China.,Henan Innovative Engineering Research Center of Poultry Germplasm Resource, Zhengzhou, 450046, China
| | - Zhuanjian Li
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450046, China.,Henan Innovative Engineering Research Center of Poultry Germplasm Resource, Zhengzhou, 450046, China
| | - Yanbin Wang
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450046, China.,Henan Innovative Engineering Research Center of Poultry Germplasm Resource, Zhengzhou, 450046, China
| | - Yadong Tian
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450046, China.,Henan Innovative Engineering Research Center of Poultry Germplasm Resource, Zhengzhou, 450046, China
| | - Xiaojun Liu
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450046, China
| | - Wenting Li
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450046, China.
| | - Xiangtao Kang
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450046, China. .,Henan Innovative Engineering Research Center of Poultry Germplasm Resource, Zhengzhou, 450046, China.
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Abstract
Less than 2% of mammalian genomes code for proteins, but 'the majority of its bases can be found in primary transcripts' - a phenomenon termed the pervasive transcription, which was first reported in 2007. Even though most of the transcripts do not code for proteins, they play a variety of biological functions, with regulation of gene expression appearing as the most common one. Those transcripts are divided into two groups based on their length: small non-coding RNAs, which are maximally 200 bp long, and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), which are longer than 200 nucleotides. The advances in next-generation sequencing methods provided a new possibility of investigating the full set of RNA molecules in the cell. In this review, we summarized the current state of knowledge on lncRNAs in three major livestock species - Sus scrofa, Bos taurus and Gallus gallus, based on the literature and the content of biological databases. In the NONCODE database, the largest number of identified lncRNA transcripts is available for pigs, but cattle have the largest number of lncRNA genes. Poultry is represented by less than a half of records. Genomic annotation of lncRNAs showed that the majority of them are assigned to introns (pig, poultry) or intergenic (cattle). The comparison with well-annotated human and mouse genomes indicates that such annotation is a result of lack of proper lncRNA annotation data. Since lncRNAs play an important role in genomic studies, their characterization in farm animals' genomes is critical in bridging the gap between genotype and phenotype.
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Fan XC, Liu TL, Wang Y, Wu XM, Wang YX, Lai P, Song JK, Zhao GH. Genome-wide analysis of differentially expressed profiles of mRNAs, lncRNAs and circRNAs in chickens during Eimeria necatrix infection. Parasit Vectors 2020; 13:167. [PMID: 32245514 PMCID: PMC7118956 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-020-04047-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2020] [Accepted: 03/27/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Eimeria necatrix, the most highly pathogenic coccidian in chicken small intestines, can cause high morbidity and mortality in susceptible birds and devastating economic losses in poultry production, but the underlying molecular mechanisms in interaction between chicken and E. necatrix are not entirely revealed. Accumulating evidence shows that the long-non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and circular RNAs (circRNAs) are key regulators in various infectious diseases. However, the expression profiles and roles of these two non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) during E. necatrix infection are still unclear. METHODS The expression profiles of mRNAs, lncRNAs and circRNAs in mid-segments of chicken small intestines at 108 h post-infection (pi) with E. necatrix were analyzed by using the RNA-seq technique. RESULTS After strict filtering of raw data, we putatively identified 49,183 mRNAs, 818 lncRNAs and 4153 circRNAs. The obtained lncRNAs were classified into four types, including 228 (27.87%) intergenic, 67 (8.19%) intronic, 166 (20.29%) anti-sense and 357 (43.64%) sense-overlapping lncRNAs; of these, 571 were found to be novel. Five types were also predicted for putative circRNAs, including 180 exonic, 54 intronic, 113 antisense, 109 intergenic and 3697 sense-overlapping circRNAs. Eimeria necatrix infection significantly altered the expression of 1543 mRNAs (707 upregulated and 836 downregulated), 95 lncRNAs (49 upregulated and 46 downregulated) and 13 circRNAs (9 upregulated and 4 downregulated). Target predictions revealed that 38 aberrantly expressed lncRNAs would cis-regulate 73 mRNAs, and 1453 mRNAs could be trans-regulated by 87 differentially regulated lncRNAs. Additionally, 109 potential sponging miRNAs were also identified for 9 circRNAs. GO and KEGG enrichment analysis of target mRNAs for lncRNAs, and sponging miRNA targets and source genes for circRNAs identified associations of both lncRNAs and circRNAs with host immune defense and pathogenesis during E. necatrix infection. CONCLUSIONS To the best of our knowledge, the present study provides the first genome-wide analysis of mRNAs, lncRNAs and circRNAs in chicken small intestines infected with E. necatrix. The obtained data will offer novel clues for exploring the interaction mechanisms between chickens and Eimeria spp.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xian-Cheng Fan
- Department of Parasitology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China.,Center of Animal Disease Prevention and Control of Huyi District, Xi'an, 710300, China
| | - Ting-Li Liu
- Department of Parasitology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China.,State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Yi Wang
- Department of Parasitology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China
| | - Xue-Mei Wu
- Department of Parasitology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China
| | - Yu-Xin Wang
- Department of Parasitology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China
| | - Peng Lai
- Department of Parasitology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China
| | - Jun-Ke Song
- Department of Parasitology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China
| | - Guang-Hui Zhao
- Department of Parasitology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China.
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