In order to explore the influence of egg-laying regulatory genes on egg production in ducks at different laying stages, Pekin duck and Black Muscovy duck were used in this study, including early laying stage (20-30 weeks old), peak laying period (31-48 weeks old) and late laying stage (49-66 weeks old). Relative quantitative RT-PCR was used to detect the mRNA transcription level of selected egg-laying regulatory genes in the ovary tissues of ducks at different laying stages. Study shows: during the laying period of Pekin duck, ESR1, LRP1, IGF-1 and LHR were involved in the regulation of egg-laying, and the high expression of LRP1 in the late stage could inhibit egg production. Still, the expression products of the other three genes showed promoting effect. During the laying period of Black Muscovy duck, FSH, VLDLR, IGF-1, PRLR, LHR and LRP1 participated in the regulation of egg-laying, in which the expression products of the first five genes could promote egg production, while LRP1 showed inhibitory effect. Through our experiments, these data will provide strong theoretical support for the breeding of Pekin duck and Black Muscovy duck.
Keywords: Duck; Egg production; Genes; Laying stage; QRT-PCR.
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