title: Early posthatch starvation induces myonuclear apoptosis in chickens.
abstract: The effect of early posthatch starvation on myonuclear apoptosis was examined in chickens. Male broiler chickens were or were not provided feed for the first 3-d posthatch. Subsequently, all chickens were provided feed for an additional 4-d posthatch. Chickens were killed at 3- and 7-d posthatch, and the pectoralis thoracicus was harvested, fixed and embedded in paraffin. Muscle sections were labeled with the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase histochemical staining technique to identify apoptotic nuclei. At 3- and 7-d posthatch, there was a significantly (P < 0.05) smaller myofiber cross-sectional area for the starved compared with the fed chickens. A larger proportion (P < 0.05) of apoptotic nuclei relative to total nuclei was observed in the starved compared to the fed chickens killed at 3-d posthatch, but the proportion of apoptotic nuclei relative to total nuclei did not differ (P > 0.05) between the starved and fed chickens killed at 7-d posthatch. It appears that apoptosis is a mechanism contributing to the smaller myofiber size observed when feed is not provided early posthatch.
authors: Department of Poultry Science, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA. pemozdzi@unity.ncsu.edu
authors: Paul E
authors: PE
authors: Mozdziak
authors: Juanita J
authors: JJ
authors: Evans
authors: Darell W
authors: DW
authors: McCoy
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology*; D002645:Chickens; D005508:Food Deprivation; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D008297:Male; D024510:Muscle Development; D018485:Muscle Fibers, Skeletal / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000254:growth & development / Q000473:pathology; D010369:Pectoralis Muscles / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000473:pathology*; D013217:Starvation / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*