Short communication: Gender and heat stress effects on hypothalamic gene expression and feed intake in broilers
Abstract
Our study aims to evaluate gender and heat stress effects on animal performance and on the expression of five hypothalamic genes related to feed consumption: neuropeptide Y (NPY), ghrelin (GHRL), pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC), AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPKα-1), and liver kinase B1 (LKB1). To assay these effects, 42-day-old male and female broilers were maintained in thermal comfort or were subjected to heat stress (HS, 38°C for 24 hours). All animals were fed with diets formulated to meet their nutritional requirements. Broilers subjected to HS showed lower weight gain (p=0.0065) and tended to have lower feed intake (p=0.0687) than broilers kept in comfortable conditions. We observed gender and heat stress interaction effects on NPY (p=0.0225), AMPKα-1 (p=0.0398), and POMC expression (p=0.0072). The highest NPY gene expression was observed in male broilers from the thermal comfort group. Male broilers exposed to HS showed the highest AMPKα-1 gene expression levels. Comparing POMC expression between males and females at the comfortable temperature, we observed that females showed higher POMC expression levels than male broilers. A gender effect was also observed on LKB1 and AMPKα-1 gene expression (p=0.0256 and p=0.0001, respectively); increased expression was observed in male broilers. Our results indicate that the expression of some hypothalamic genes related to food consumption may contribute to the observed differences in voluntary feed intake between animals of different gender exposed to different environmental conditions.
Downloads
References
Bertechini AG, 2012. Nutrição de monogástrico. UFLA, Minas Gerais, BR. 373 pp.
Bicknell AB, 2008. The tissue-specific processing of pro-opiomelanocortin. J Neuroendocrinol 20: 692-699. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2826.2008.01709.x
Boudeau J, Baas AF, Deak M, Morrice NA, Kieloch A, Schutkowski M, Prescott AR, Clevers HC, Alessi DR, 2003. MO25α/β interact with STRADα/β enhancing their ability to bind, activate and localize LKB1 in the cytoplasm. EMBO J 22: 5102-5114. https://doi.org/10.1093/emboj/cdg490
Eva C, Serra M, Mele P, Panzica G, Oberto A, 2006. Physiology and gene regulation of the brain NPY Y1 receptor. Front Neuroendocrinol 27: 308-339. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yfrne.2006.07.002
Ferket PR, Gernat AG, 2006. Factors that affect feed intake of meat birds: a review. Int J Poult Sci 5: 905-911. https://doi.org/10.3923/ijps.2006.905.911
Merckaert J, Vandesande F, 1996. Autoradiographic localization of receptors for neuropeptide Y (NPY) in the brain of broiler and leghorn chickens (Gallus domesticus). J Chem Neuroanat 12: 123-134. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0891-0618(96)00194-9
Minor RK, Chang JW, Cabo R, 2009. Hungry for life: how the arcuate nucleus and neuropeptide y may play a critical role in mediating the benefits of calorie restriction. Mol Cell Endocrinol 299: 79-88. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mce.2008.10.044
Mujahid A, Akiba Y, Toyomizu M, 2007. Acute heat stress induces oxidative stress and decreases adaptation in young white leghorn cockerels by downregulation of avian uncoupling protein. Poult Sci 86: 364-371. https://doi.org/10.1093/ps/86.2.364
Proszkowiec-Weglarz M, Richards MP, Ramachandran R, McMurtry JP, 2006. Characterization of the AMP-activated protein kinase pathway in chickens. Comp Biochem Physiol B, Biochem Mol Biol 143: 92-106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpb.2005.10.009
Richards MP, Rosebrough, RW, Coon CN, McMurtry JP, 2010. Feed intake regulation for the female broiler breeder: In theory and in practice. J Appl Poult Res 19: 182-193. https://doi.org/10.3382/japr.2010-00167
Rondelli SI, Martinez OI, García PT, 2003. Sex effect on productive parameters, carcass and body fat composition of two commercial broilers lines. Rev Bras Cienc Aví 5: 169-173. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1516-635X2003000300002
Rostagno HS, Albino LFT, Donzele JL, Gomes PC, Oliveira RF, Lopes DC, Ferreira AS, Barreto SLT, Euclides RF, 2011. Brazilian tables for birds and pigs: composition of foods and nutritional requirements. UFV, Viçosa, MG, BR. 251 pp.
Saito ES, Kaiya H, Tachibana T, Tomonaga S, Denbow D, Kangawa K, Furuse M, 2005. Inhibitory effect of ghrelin on food intake is mediated by the corticotropin-releasing factor system in neonatal chicks. Regul Pept 125: 201-208. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.regpep.2004.09.003
Song Z, Liu L, Sheikhahmadi A, Jiao H, Lin H, 2012. Effect of heat exposure on gene expression of feed intake regulatory peptides in laying hens. J Biomed Biotechnol 2012: 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/484869
Towler MC, Hardie DG, 2007. AMP-activated protein kinase in metabolic control and insulin signaling. Circ Res 100: 328-341. https://doi.org/10.1161/01.RES.0000256090.42690.05
Yunianto VD, Hayashi K, KanedaS, Ohtsuka A, Tomita Y, 1997. Effect of environmental temperature on muscle protein turnover and heat production in tube-fed broiler chicken. Br J Nutr 77: 897-909. https://doi.org/10.1079/BJN19970088
Xue B, Kahn BB, 2006. AMPK integrates nutrient and hormonal signals to regulate food intake and energy balance through effects in the hypothalamus and peripheral tissues. J Physiol 574: 73-83. https://doi.org/10.1113/jphysiol.2006.113217
© CSIC. Manuscripts published in both the print and online versions of this journal are the property of the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, and quoting this source is a requirement for any partial or full reproduction.
All contents of this electronic edition, except where otherwise noted, are distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence. You may read the basic information and the legal text of the licence. The indication of the CC BY 4.0 licence must be expressly stated in this way when necessary.
Self-archiving in repositories, personal webpages or similar, of any version other than the final version of the work produced by the publisher, is not allowed.
