title: The effect of early posthatch starvation on calpain mRNA levels.
abstract: The calpain system is a family of calcium activated proteases that degrade myofibrillar protein. Male broiler chickens (Ross) were provided a standard starter diet top-dressed with Oasis((R)) nutritional supplement (fed; Novus International, St. Louis, MO, USA), or they were not provided any feed (starved) for the first 3 days posthatch. Subsequently, the standard starter diet was provided to all chickens between 3 and 7 days posthatch. RNA was extracted from the Pectoralis thoracicus, and skeletal muscle-specific n-calpain-1 (p94) calpain, mu-calpain, and m-calpain expression was evaluated using quantitative Northern analysis. Early posthatch starvation did not (P>0.05) affect calpain mRNA levels on each day examined. Similarly, there were no (P>0.05) changes in mu-calpain or m-calpain mRNA levels between 0 and 7 days posthatch in fed birds. However, p94 calpain mRNA levels were significantly (P<0.05) lower at 7 days posthatch compared to 0 or 2 days posthatch. Therefore, in the early posthatch chicken, it appears that the calpain system may not be affected by the presence of oral nutrition, and that there is an age-related downregulation of p94 calpain mRNA expression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Poultry Science, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA. pemozdzi@unity.ncsu.edu
authors.forename: P E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Mozdziak
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Dibner
authors.forename: D W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: McCoy
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D002154:Calpain / Q000235:genetics*; D002645:Chickens; D015536:Down-Regulation; D005508:Food Deprivation; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis*; D013217:Starvation / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D002154:Calpain; C078134:calpain p94