Embryonic Leucine Promotes Early Postnatal Growth via mTOR Signalling in Japanese Quails
Sawadi F. Ndunguru,
Gebrehaweria K. Reda,
Brigitta Csernus,
Renáta Knop,
James K. Lugata,
Csaba Szabó,
Ádám Z. Lendvai,
Levente Czeglédi
Affiliations
Sawadi F. Ndunguru
Department of Animal Science, Institute of Animal Science, Biotechnology and Nature Conservation, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental Management, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary
Gebrehaweria K. Reda
Department of Animal Science, Institute of Animal Science, Biotechnology and Nature Conservation, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental Management, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary
Brigitta Csernus
Department of Evolutionary Zoology and Human Biology, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary
Renáta Knop
Department of Animal Science, Institute of Animal Science, Biotechnology and Nature Conservation, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental Management, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary
James K. Lugata
Doctoral School of Animal Science, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary
Csaba Szabó
Department of Animal Nutrition and Physiology, Institute of Animal Science, Biotechnology and Nature Conservation, Faculty of Agriculture and Food Sciences and Environmental Management, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary
Ádám Z. Lendvai
Department of Evolutionary Zoology and Human Biology, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary
Levente Czeglédi
Department of Animal Science, Institute of Animal Science, Biotechnology and Nature Conservation, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental Management, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary
Nutritional cues during embryonic development can alter developmental trajectories and affect postnatal growth. However, the specific mechanisms by which nutrients influence avian growth remain largely unknown. Amino acids can directly interact with the nutrient-sensing pathways, such as the insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1)/mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathways, which are known to regulate growth. We examined the effects of embryonic leucine on gene expression and phenotypic growth in Japanese quails by injecting 2.5 mg leucine or saline (control) into Japanese quail eggs on the tenth day of incubation and incubating them under standard conditions. The treatment groups had similar hatching success and size at hatching. However, between 3 and 7 days post-hatching, quails treated with embryonic leucine showed increased growth in body mass and wing, tarsus, head, and intestinal lengths, lasting up to 21 days. The hepatic expression of IGF1, IGF1R, mTOR, and RPS6K1 was upregulated in leucine-treated quails, while the expression of FOXO1 remained unaffected. In conclusion, a subtle increase in embryonic leucine may induce developmental programming effects in Japanese quail by interacting with the IGF-1/mTOR nutrient-sensing pathway to promote growth. This study highlights the role of embryonic amino acids as crucial nutrients for enhancing growth. It provides valuable insight into nutrient intervention strategies during embryonic development to potentially improve poultry growth performance.
