Molecular Regulatory Mechanisms in Chicken Feather Follicle Morphogenesis

Abstract

In China, the sale of freshly slaughtered chickens is becoming increasingly popular in comparison with that of live chickens, and due to this emerging trend, the skin and feather follicle traits of yellow-feathered broilers have attracted a great deal of research attention. The feather follicle originates from the interaction between the epidermis and dermis in the early embryonic stage. Feather follicle morphogenesis is regulated by the Wnt, ectodysplasin (Eda), epidermal growth factor (EGF), fibroblast growth factor (FGF), bone morphogenetic protein (BMP), sonic hedgehog (Shh), Notch, and other signaling pathways that exist in epithelial and mesenchymal cells. The Wnt pathway is essential for feather follicle and feather morphogenesis. Eda interacts with Wnt to induce FGF expression, which attracts mesenchymal cell movement and aggregates to form feather follicle primordia. BMP acts as an inhibitor of the above signaling pathways to limit the size of the feather tract and distance between neighboring feather primordia in a dose-dependent manner. The Notch/Delta pathway can interact with the FGF pathway to promote feather bud formation. While not a part of the early morphogenesis of feather follicles, Shh and BMP signaling are involved in late feather branching. This review summarizes the roles of miRNAs/lncRNA in the regulation of feather follicle and feather growth and development and suggests topics that need to be solved in a future study. This review focuses on the regulatory mechanisms involved in feather follicle morphogenesis and analyzes the impact of SNP sites on feather follicle traits in poultry. This work may help us to understand the molecular regulatory networks influencing feather follicle growth and provide basic data for poultry carcass quality.

Dermal FOXO3 activity in response to Wnt/β-catenin signaling is required for feather follicle development of goose embryos (Anser cygnoides)

“…Feathers are complicated ectodermal organs that cover the most of body on poultries and are the most complex hard skin appendage to ensure probably essential functions such as thermoregulation, body protection, mate attraction, and flight ( Chuong et al, 2000 ; Dhouailly, 2009 ; Chen et al, 2015 ; Ji et al, 2023 ), which are of high economic and commercial value in the goose industry. In addition, feathers serve as excellent models for morphogenesis studies because of their easy accessibility, and their unique patterns for detecting the role of specific molecular pathways and complex interplay of different cell types.…”

Transcriptome and Weighted Gene Co-Expression Network Analysis for Feather Follicle Density in a Chinese Indigenous Breed

“…Generally, the development of feather follicles is characterized by two distinct phases: the growth phase and the resting phase. The quantity and placement of these follicles are determined during the embryonic stage, while their type or size may evolve throughout the developmental process [ 7 ]. In chickens, the feather follicles are arranged in clusters called bundles [ 8 ], and each bundle is a continuous set of feathers with regular spacing between initially adjacent feathers [ 9 ].…”

Identification of key modules and hub genes involved in regulating the feather follicle development of Wannan chickens using WGCNA

“…In the chicken, feather buds actively proliferate, migrate, and differentiate into complex feather follicles ( Yu et al, 2004 ). The arrangement of the feather ducts commences at embryonic d 6 (E6 ) , leaving bare spaces between the ducts of the chicken embryo ( Ji et al, 2023 ). Between embryonic d 7 to 9, the skin exhibits protrusions.…”

“…Between embryonic d 7 to 9, the skin exhibits protrusions. The dorsal skin shows distinct protrusions across the feather tract (short buds), which emerge at embryonic d 9 (E9) ( Yu et al, 2004 ; Ji et al, 2023 ). From embryonic d 10 to 13, the feather germ undergoes accelerated growth, the epidermis surrounding the base begins to penetrate the dermis, and the epidermis penetrates to form the primary feather follicles, the epidermis of the feather follicle and the feather bud base continues to penetrate the dermis.…”

“…From embryonic d 10 to 13, the feather germ undergoes accelerated growth, the epidermis surrounding the base begins to penetrate the dermis, and the epidermis penetrates to form the primary feather follicles, the epidermis of the feather follicle and the feather bud base continues to penetrate the dermis. At embryonic d 11 (E11), the epidermis surrounding the base begins to invaginate into the dermis, with further invagination leading to the formation of the feather follicle wall ( Yu, et al, 2004 ; Kondo, et al, 2018 ; Xie, et al, 2020 ; Ji et al, 2023 ). Between embryonic d 14 and 18, the epidermis underwent thickening and differentiation, resulting in the production of distinct cell types ( Yu, et al, 2004 ).…”