Follicle-stimulating hormone increases the intramuscular fat content and expression of lipid biosynthesis genes in chicken breast muscle

Abstract

Intramuscular fat (IMF) is a crucial factor in the quality of chicken meat. The genetic basis underlying it is complex. Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), well-known as an effector in reproductive tissues, was recently discovered to stimulate abdominal fat accumulation in chicken. The effect of FSH on IMF accumulation and the underlying molecular regulatory mechanisms controlling both IMF and abdominal fat deposition in vivo are largely unknown. In this study, two groups of chickens were treated with chicken FSH or a placebo. The lipid content of breast muscle, abdominal fat volume, and serum concentrations of FSH were examined. Related genes implicated in breast muscle and abdominal fat accumulation were also investigated. Compared to the control group, the triglyceride (TG) content of breast muscle and the percentage of abdominal fat in FSH-treated chickens were significantly increased by 64.9% and 56.5% (P<0.01), respectively. The FSH content in the serum of FSH-treated chickens was 2.1 times than that of control chickens (P<0.01). Results from quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assays showed that relative expression levels of fatty acid synthase (FAS), lipoprotein lipase (LPL), diacylglycerol acyltransferase 2 (DGAT2), adipocyte fatty acid binding protein (A-FABP), and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) were significantly upregulated in breast muscle following FSH treatment (P<0.01). Treatment with FSH also significantly increased relative expression levels of FAS, LPL, DGAT2, A-FABP, and PPARγ in abdominal fat tissue (P<0.05). The results of principal component analysis (PCA) for gene expression (breast muscle and abdominal fat) showed that the control and FSH treatment groups were well separated, which indicated the reliability of the data. This study demonstrates that FSH plays an important role in IMF accumulation in female chickens, which likely involves the regulation of biosynthesis genes related to lipid metabolism.

Dietary fiber modulates abdominal fat deposition associated with cecal microbiota and metabolites in yellow chickens

“…(2014) reported that FAS is a mediator of adiporegulatory genes regulating lipogenesis and its expression was decreased here in birds fed CCM. The results are consistent with the capacity to synthesize lipids partially determining lipid deposition in abdominal fat ( Chartrin et al., 2006 ; Cui et al., 2016 ). Additional studies are needed to demonstrate that ESR1, altered by dietary fiber, can affect lipid metabolism.…”

“…In poultry, reverse changes in expression of these genes are associated with increased abdominal fat deposition. For example, Cui et al. (2016) demonstrated that follicle-stimulating hormone increased abdominal fat deposition of chickens and also increased FABP4, FAS , and PPARγ expression in abdominal fat.…”

“…The specific primers of examined genes (Table S1) were designed using Primer Premier 6.0 software. RNA isolation and real-time PCR procedures were completed as previously described ( Cui et al., 2016 ).…”

A selected population study reveals the biochemical mechanism of intramuscular fat deposition in chicken meat

“…A useful experimental model for elucidating the biochemical mechanism of IMF formation in chickens is advantageous [ 14 , 15 ]. Our research group had artificially bred a selected population of Jingxing yellow-feather chickens (JXY, which is a synthetic line derived from a local Chinese chicken) with the IMF content in breast tissue as the main selection trait [ 15 ].…”

A Selected Population Study Reveals the Biochemical Mechanism of Intramuscular Fat Deposition in Chicken Meat

“…A useful experimental model for elucidating the biochemical mechanism of IMF formation in chickens is advantageous [14,15]. Our research group had arti cially bred a selected population of Jingxing yellow-feather chickens (JXY, which is a synthetic line derived from a local Chinese chicken) with the IMF content in breast tissue as the main selection trait [15].…”