Molecular mechanisms of hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian/thyroid axis regulating age at first egg in geese

Zhiyu He; Qingyuan Ouyang; Qingliang Chen; Yang Song; Jiwei Hu; Shenqiang Hu; Hua He; Liang Li; Hehe Liu; Jiwen Wang

Poultry Science (Mar 2024)

Molecular mechanisms of hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian/thyroid axis regulating age at first egg in geese

Zhiyu He,
Qingyuan Ouyang,
Qingliang Chen,
Yang Song,
Jiwei Hu,
Shenqiang Hu,
Hua He,
Liang Li,
Hehe Liu,
Jiwen Wang

Affiliations

Zhiyu He: Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 611130, PR China; State Key Laboratory of Swine and Poultry Breeding Industry, College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 611130, PR China; These authors have contributed equally to this work.
Qingyuan Ouyang: Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 611130, PR China; State Key Laboratory of Swine and Poultry Breeding Industry, College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 611130, PR China; These authors have contributed equally to this work.
Qingliang Chen: Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 611130, PR China; State Key Laboratory of Swine and Poultry Breeding Industry, College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 611130, PR China
Yang Song: Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 611130, PR China; State Key Laboratory of Swine and Poultry Breeding Industry, College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 611130, PR China
Jiwei Hu: Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 611130, PR China; State Key Laboratory of Swine and Poultry Breeding Industry, College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 611130, PR China
Shenqiang Hu: Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 611130, PR China; State Key Laboratory of Swine and Poultry Breeding Industry, College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 611130, PR China
Hua He: Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 611130, PR China; State Key Laboratory of Swine and Poultry Breeding Industry, College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 611130, PR China
Liang Li: Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 611130, PR China; State Key Laboratory of Swine and Poultry Breeding Industry, College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 611130, PR China
Hehe Liu: Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 611130, PR China; State Key Laboratory of Swine and Poultry Breeding Industry, College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 611130, PR China
Jiwen Wang: Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 611130, PR China; State Key Laboratory of Swine and Poultry Breeding Industry, College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 611130, PR China; Corresponding author

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 103, no. 3
p. 103478

Abstract

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ABSTRACT: Age at first egg (AFE) has consistently garnered interest as a crucial reproductive indicator within poultry production. Previous studies have elucidated the involvement of the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian (HPO) and hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axes in regulating poultry sexual maturity. Concurrently, there was evidence suggesting a potential co-regulatory relationship between these 2 axes. However, as of now, no comprehensive exploration of the key pathways and genes responsible for the crosstalk between the HPO and HPT axes in the regulation of AFE has been reported. In this study, we conducted a comparative analysis of morphological differences and performed transcriptomic analysis on the hypothalamus, pituitary, thyroid, and ovarian stroma between normal laying group (NG) and abnormal laying group (AG). Morphological results showed that the thyroid index difference (D-) value (thyroid index D-value=right thyroid index-left thyroid index) was significantly (P < 0.05) lower in the NG than in the AG, while the ovarian index was significantly (P < 0.01) higher in the NG than in the AG. Furthermore, between NG and AG, we identified 99, 415, 167, and 1182 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the hypothalamus, pituitary, thyroid, and ovarian stroma, respectively. Gene ontology (GO) analysis highlighted that DEGs from 4 tissues were predominantly enriched in the “biological processes” category. Additionally, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis revealed that 16, 14, 3, and 26 KEGG pathways were significantly enriched (P < 0.05) in the hypothalamus, pituitary, thyroid, and ovarian stroma. The MAPK signaling pathway emerged as the sole enriched pathway across all 4 tissues. Employing an integrated analysis of the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and correlation analysis, we found GREB1 emerged as a pivotal component within the HPO axis to regulate estrogen-related signaling in the HPT axis, meanwhile, the HPT axis influenced ovarian development by regulating thyroid hormone-related signaling mainly through OPN5. Then, 10 potential candidate genes were identified, namely IGF1, JUN, ERBB4, KDR, PGF, FGFR1, GREB1, OPN5, DIO3, and THRB. These findings establish a foundation for elucidating the physiological and genetic mechanisms by which the HPO and HPT axes co-regulate goose AFE.

Published in Poultry Science

ISSN: 0032-5791 (Print); 1525-3171 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United States
LCC subjects: Agriculture: Animal culture
Website: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/poultry-science

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