Work

Transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis based on different aggressive pecking phenotype in duck

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: Aggressive pecking is an important welfare and production efficiency issue in poultry farming. The precise mechanisms underlying the occurrence of aggressive pecking remain poorly understood. In this study, we selected Sansui ducks that performed aggressive pecking and ducks that did not perform aggressive pecking from video recordings. Transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses of the whole brains of aggressive pecking ducks and normal ducks revealed 504 differentially expressed genes and 5 differentially altered metabolites (adenosine, guanidinopropionic acid, Met-Leu, Glu-Ile and 5,6,8-trihydroxy-2-methylbenzo[g]chromen-4-one). By jointly analysing the transcriptomics and metabolomics results, we discovered 8 candidate genes (ADCYAP1, GAL, EDN2, EDN1, MC5R, S1PR4, LOC113843450, and IAPP) and one candidate metabolite (adenosine) that regulates aggressive pecking behaviour in ducks. The candidate genes and metabolites may be involved in regulating aggressive pecking behaviour by inducing neurodegeneration and disrupting neural excitatory-inhibitory homeostasis, which in turn affects central nervous system function in aggressive pecking and normal ducks. Our findings provide a new reference for revealing the underlying mechanism of aggressive pecking behaviour in ducks.

Source: Scientific Reports

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-73726-9

Authors: Baoguo Zhu, Jinjin Zhu, Ai Liu, Bingnong Yao, Fuyou Liao, Shenglin Yang

Institution: Guizhou University

Language: English

Topic: Animal Behavior and Welfare Studies

Subfield: Small Animals

Field: Veterinary

Domain: Health Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,590

Funders: National Natural Science Foundation of China, Guizhou University