Work

Identification of key genes associated with residual feed intake in small-sized meat ducks through integrated analysis of mRNA and miRNA transcriptomes

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: As a major producer and consumer of duck meat, China faces industry challenges due to low feed conversion efficiency. Residual feed intake ( RFI) , a key metric for poultry feed utilization, remains poorly characterized in small-sized meat ducks. We raised 1,000 ducklings with similar initial body weight (BW ) under controlled conditions until 63 days of age. RFI was calculated using average daily gain ( ADG ), average daily feed intake ( ADFI ), and metabolic body weight ( MBW 0.75 ). Thirty high-RFI ( HRFI ) and thirty low-RFI ( LRFI ) ducks were selected to evaluate growth performance. Hypothalamic samples from 6 HRFI and 6 LRFI ducks underwent transcriptomic analysis, including differential gene expression, gene ontology, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis, weighted gene co-expression network analysis, and miRNA target prediction. Results showed that the LRFI group had significantly lower feed intake ( FI ) and ADFI than the HRFI group ( P < 0.05). Compared to low RFI controls, HRFI meat ducks exhibited 45 differentially expressed ( DE ) miRNAs (6 upregulated and 39 downregulated) and 323 DE mRNAs (133 upregulated and 190 downregulated), enriched in substance and energy metabolism pathways. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis identified ten hub DE miRNAs, including miR-1-3p, miR-10-5p/3p, miR-182-5p/3p, miR-183-5p, miR-263-5p, miR-96-5p, miR-7, and novel-m0108-5p. miRNA–mRNA network analysis revealed 43 DE regulatory pairs, including 15 with negative feedback. Notably, miR-182 targeted and regulated the highest number of DE mRNAs, showing negative feedback interactions with DDC, UPP2, PRSS35 , and SLCO1C1 . Dual-luciferase reporter assays confirmed the binding of partial genes. Given DDC ’s role in dopamine and serotonin synthesis, we further validated the miR-182-5p/ DDC regulatory relationship through overexpression, interference, and Western blot experiments. This study provides novel insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying feed efficiency in ducks.

Source: Poultry Science

DOI: 10.1016/j.psj.2025.105058