Acute heat stress induces differential gene expressions in the testes of a broiler-type strain of Taiwan country chickens.
The expression of testicular genes following acute heat stress has been reported in layer-type roosters, but few similar studies have been conducted on broilers. This study investigated the effect of acute heat stress on the gene expression in the testes of a broiler-type strain of Taiwan country chickens. Roosters were subjected to acute heat stress (38°C) for 4 h, and then exposed to 25°C, with testes collected 0, 2, and 6 h after the cessation of heat stress, using non-heat-stressed roosters as controls (n = 3 roosters per group). The body temperature and respiratory rate increased significantly (p<0.05) during the heat stress. The numbers of apoptotic cells increased 2 h after the acute heat stress (79 ± 7 vs. 322 ± 192, control vs. heat stress; p<0.05), which was earlier than the time of increase in layer-type roosters. Based on a chicken 44 K oligo microarray, 163 genes were found to be expressed significantly different in the testes of the heat-stressed chickens from those of the controls, including genes involved in the response to stimulus, protein metabolism, signal transduction, cell adhesion, transcription, and apoptosis. The mRNA expressions of upregulated genes, including HSP25, HSP90AA1, HSPA2, and LPAR2, and of downregulated genes, including CDH5, CTNNA3, EHF, CIRBP, SLA, and NTF3, were confirmed through quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Moreover, numerous transcripts in the testes exhibited distinct expressions between the heat-stressed broiler-type and layer-type chickens. We concluded that the transcriptional responses of testes to acute heat stress may differ between the broiler-type and layer-type roosters. Whether the differential expression patterns associate with the heat-tolerance in the strains require a further exploration.
Department of Animal Science, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, 40227, Taiwan.
Shih-Han
SH
Wang
Department of Animal Science, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, 40227, Taiwan.
Chuen-Yu
CY
Cheng
Department of Animal Science, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, 40227, Taiwan; Agricultural Biotechnology Center, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, 40227, Taiwan; Center for the Integrative and Evolutionary Galliformes Genomics, iEGG Center, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, 40227, Taiwan.
Pin-Chi
PC
Tang
Department of Animal Science, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, 40227, Taiwan; Agricultural Biotechnology Center, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, 40227, Taiwan; Center for the Integrative and Evolutionary Galliformes Genomics, iEGG Center, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, 40227, Taiwan.
Chih-Feng
CF
Chen
Department of Veterinary Medicine, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, 40227, Taiwan.
Hsin-Hsin
HH
Chen
Department of Animal Science, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, 40227, Taiwan.
Yen-Pai
YP
Lee
Department of Animal Science, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, 40227, Taiwan; Agricultural Biotechnology Center, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, 40227, Taiwan; Center for the Integrative and Evolutionary Galliformes Genomics, iEGG Center, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, 40227, Taiwan; Center of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, 40227, Taiwan.
San-Yuan
SY
Huang
D000818:Animals; D002645:Chickens / Q000235:genetics*; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D018869:Heat-Shock Response / Q000235:genetics*; D006358:Hot Temperature; D008297:Male; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000235:genetics*; D013737:Testis / Q000378:metabolism*