Transcriptome Analysis of Ovarian Follicles Reveals Potential Pivotal Genes Associated With Increased and Decreased Rates of Chicken Egg Production

Xiaoxia Chen; Xue Sun; Ignatius Musenge Chimbaka; Ning Qin; Xiaoxing Xu; Simushi Liswaniso; Rifu Xu; John Michael Gonzalez

doi:10.3389/fgene.2021.622751

Transcriptome Analysis of Ovarian Follicles Reveals Potential Pivotal Genes Associated With Increased and Decreased Rates of Chicken Egg Production

Front Genet. 2021 Mar 10:12:622751. doi: 10.3389/fgene.2021.622751. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Xiaoxia Chen¹, Xue Sun^{1

2}, Ignatius Musenge Chimbaka^{1

2}, Ning Qin^{1

2}, Xiaoxing Xu³, Simushi Liswaniso^{1

2}, Rifu Xu^{1

2}, John Michael Gonzalez³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, College of Animal Science and Technology, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, China.
² Joint Laboratory of Modern Agricultural Technology International Cooperation, Ministry of Education, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, China.
³ College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States.

Abstract

Egg production is an important economic trait in the commercial poultry industry. Ovarian follicle development plays a pivotal role in regulation of laying hen performance and reproductive physiology. However, the key genes and signaling pathways involved in the various-stages of laying hen follicular development remain poorly understood. In this study, transcriptomes of ovarian follicles at three developmental stages, the large white follicle (LWF), small yellow follicle (SYF), and large yellow follicle (LYF), were comparatively analyzed in hens with high (HR) and low (LR) egg-laying rates by RNA-sequencing. Eighteen cDNA libraries were constructed and a total of 236, 544, and 386 unigenes were significantly differentially expressed in the LWF, SYF, and LYF follicles of HR and LR hens, respectively. Among them, 47 co-transcribed differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in LWF and SYF, 68 co-expressed DEGs in SYF and LYF, and 54 co-expressed DEGs in LWF and LYF were mined. Thirteen co-expressed DEGs were found in LWF, SYF, and LYF follicles. Eighteen candidate genes, including P2RX1, CAB39L, BLK, CSMD3, GPR65, ADRB2, CSMD1, PLPP4, ATF3, PRLL, STMN3, RORB, PIK3R1, PERP1, ACSBG1, MRTO4, CDKN1A, and EDA2R were identified to be potentially related to egg production. Furthermore, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis indicated neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction, cell adhesion molecules, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor pathway, and cAMP signaling pathway might elicit an important role in formation of egg-laying traits by influencing ovarian follicle development. This study represents the first transcriptome analysis of various-sized follicles between HR and LR hens. These results provide useful molecular evidence for elucidating the genetic mechanism underlying ovarian follicle development associated with egg production in chicken.

Keywords: chicken; differentially expressed gene; egg production; ovarian follicle; transcriptome.