Research Note: Metabolomics revealed the causes of the formation of chicken structural blue earlobes

Shiru Li; Zhijun Wang; Shicheng Li; Xiangying Ding; Qiaoyu Fang; Xinjie Pan; Guangtang Gao; Xue Du; Ayong Zhao

Poultry Science (Nov 2024)

Research Note: Metabolomics revealed the causes of the formation of chicken structural blue earlobes

Shiru Li,
Zhijun Wang,
Shicheng Li,
Xiangying Ding,
Qiaoyu Fang,
Xinjie Pan,
Guangtang Gao,
Xue Du,
Ayong Zhao

Affiliations

Shiru Li: Key Laboratory of Applied Technology on Green-Eco-Healthy Animal Husbandry of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Provincial Engineering Laboratory for Animal Health Inspection & Internet Technology, Department of Animal Science and Technology, College of Animal Science and Technology & College of Veterinary Medicine of Zhejiang Agriculture and Forestry University, Hangzhou 311300, China
Zhijun Wang: Key Laboratory of Applied Technology on Green-Eco-Healthy Animal Husbandry of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Provincial Engineering Laboratory for Animal Health Inspection & Internet Technology, Department of Animal Science and Technology, College of Animal Science and Technology & College of Veterinary Medicine of Zhejiang Agriculture and Forestry University, Hangzhou 311300, China
Shicheng Li: Key Laboratory of Applied Technology on Green-Eco-Healthy Animal Husbandry of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Provincial Engineering Laboratory for Animal Health Inspection & Internet Technology, Department of Animal Science and Technology, College of Animal Science and Technology & College of Veterinary Medicine of Zhejiang Agriculture and Forestry University, Hangzhou 311300, China
Xiangying Ding: Department of Jiangshan Livestock Development Service Center, Jiangshan Agriculture and Rural Bureau, Zhejiang, Quzhou 324100, China
Qiaoyu Fang: Key Laboratory of Applied Technology on Green-Eco-Healthy Animal Husbandry of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Provincial Engineering Laboratory for Animal Health Inspection & Internet Technology, Department of Animal Science and Technology, College of Animal Science and Technology & College of Veterinary Medicine of Zhejiang Agriculture and Forestry University, Hangzhou 311300, China
Xinjie Pan: Key Laboratory of Applied Technology on Green-Eco-Healthy Animal Husbandry of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Provincial Engineering Laboratory for Animal Health Inspection & Internet Technology, Department of Animal Science and Technology, College of Animal Science and Technology & College of Veterinary Medicine of Zhejiang Agriculture and Forestry University, Hangzhou 311300, China
Guangtang Gao: Key Laboratory of Applied Technology on Green-Eco-Healthy Animal Husbandry of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Provincial Engineering Laboratory for Animal Health Inspection & Internet Technology, Department of Animal Science and Technology, College of Animal Science and Technology & College of Veterinary Medicine of Zhejiang Agriculture and Forestry University, Hangzhou 311300, China
Xue Du: Key Laboratory of Applied Technology on Green-Eco-Healthy Animal Husbandry of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Provincial Engineering Laboratory for Animal Health Inspection & Internet Technology, Department of Animal Science and Technology, College of Animal Science and Technology & College of Veterinary Medicine of Zhejiang Agriculture and Forestry University, Hangzhou 311300, China
Ayong Zhao: Key Laboratory of Applied Technology on Green-Eco-Healthy Animal Husbandry of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Provincial Engineering Laboratory for Animal Health Inspection & Internet Technology, Department of Animal Science and Technology, College of Animal Science and Technology & College of Veterinary Medicine of Zhejiang Agriculture and Forestry University, Hangzhou 311300, China; Corresponding author:

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 103, no. 11
p. 104208

Abstract

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ABSTRACT: The earlobes of chickens exhibit a range of colors, but there has been relatively little research on the formation of structural blue earlobes. Previous results showed that the structural color earlobes were related to the interplay between melanin and collagen in light reflection. To investigate the metabolic differences in these earlobe colors, we conducted nontargeted liquid chromatograph mass spectrometer (LC-MS) for metabolomic sequencing on structural blue (Green and Blue groups) and nonstructural color (Black group) earlobes tissue of Jiangshan black-bone chickens. The content detection in earlobe tissues of different groups shows that there were significant differences in melanin and collagen content between the Black and Green group. The metabolome identified a total of 6,102 mass spectroscopic peaks and ultimately identified 919 annotated metabolites. Variable importance in the projection (VIP) analysis identified the common differential expressed metabolites (DMs) “Tyr Thr Ala Glu” among the 3 groups. By combining those DMs with differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in our previous transcriptome data from the same sample, and associated with KEGG pathway analysis, multiple pathways related to melanogenesis and collagen metabolism were enriched across the 3 groups. By analyzing the metabolites and genes in these pathways, as well as the interaction network diagram of DEGs, we identified some key genes, Wnt Family Member 6 (WNT6), Transcription Factor 7 (TCF7), Proopiomelanocortin (POMC) and Calcium/Calmodulin Dependent Protein Kinase II Alpha (CAMK2A), and some key DMs like DG (11M3/9M5/0:0) and gentisic acid. The differential gene expression and metabolic levels affect the production of melanin and collagen, leading to differences in the content in melanin and the thickness of the collagen layer between earlobe colors, while the thickness of the collagen layer could affect light scattering, ultimately resulting in different colored earlobes in Jiangshan black-bone chickens.

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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