Type-dependent differential expression of neuropeptide Y in chicken hypothalamus (Gallus domesticus).
Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is one of the most important orexigenic agents in central regulation of feeding behavior, body weight and energy homeostasis in domestic chickens. To examine differences in the hypothalamic NPY between layer-type and meat-type of chickens, which are two divergent kinds of the domestic chickens in feeding behavior and body weight, we detected mRNA levels of NPY in hypothalamic infundibular nucleus (IN), paraventricular nucleus (PVN) and lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) of these two types of chickens using one-step real time RT-PCR. The meat-type chicken had more food daily (about 1.7 folds) and greater body weights (about 1.5 folds) and brain weights than the layer-type chicken at the age of 14 d. In the meat-type of chicken, NPY mRNA levels of the IN and PVN were significantly greater than those of the LHA, and were not significantly different between the IN and PVN. However, in the layer-type of chicken, NPY mRNA levels were significantly greater in the IN than those in the LHA and PVN, and were not significantly different between the PVN and LHA. In all these hypothalamic regions, the layer-type of chicken had significantly higher NPY mRNA levels than the meat-type chicken did. These results suggest the expression of NPY in the hypothalamus has a type-dependent pattern in domestic chickens.
Chen
Gui-Qian
GQ
Institute of Bioengineering, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, China.
Hu
Xiu-Fang
XF
Sugahara
Kunio
K
Chen
Ji-Shuang
JS
Song
Xue-Mei
XM
Zheng
Hui-Chao
HC
Jiang
Yong-Qing
YQ
Huang
Xin
X
Jiang
Jun-Fang
JF
Zhou
Wei-Dong
WD
D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D002645:Chickens / Q000145:classification / Q000378:metabolism*; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008460:Meat; D009478:Neuropeptide Y / Q000235:genetics*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis
D009478:Neuropeptide Y; D012333:RNA, Messenger