ACTA VETERINARIA ET ZOOTECHNICA SINICA ›› 2018, Vol. 49 ›› Issue (1): 36-45.doi: 10.11843/j.issn.0366-6964.2018.01.005

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Identification of Differentially Expressed Genes between Different Positions of Chicken Skin Based on Gene Expression Microarray

JI Gai-ge, SHU Jing-ting, SHAN Yan-ju, ZHANG Ming, TU Yun-jie, LIU Yi-fan, JU Xiao-jun, ZOU Jian-min*   

  1. Key Laboratory for Poultry Genetics and Breeding of Jiangsu Province, Jiangsu Institute of Poultry Science, Yangzhou 225125, China
  • Received:2017-06-27 Online:2018-01-23 Published:2018-01-23

Abstract:

The aims of this study were to screen differentially expressed genes of skin tissue at different positions(dorsal and leg) of chicken, and investigate the molecular mechanism of phenotypic differences. Commercial broiler chickens (63 days old) were selected as materials, Agilent cDNA microarray analyses were conducted to determine gene expression profiles of dorsal and leg skin tissues with significant differences in skin thickness, hair follicle density and diameter. A systematic identification of candidate genes and signaling pathways associated with skin follicle initiation and development were conducted, and qRT-PCR assays were used to validate the microarray hybridization results. A total of 676 genes were screened (|FC| ≥ 2,P<0.05), compared with the leg skin, among them, 223 were up-regulated expression genes and 453 were down-regulated expression genes in dorsal skin. Real-time PCR results were consistent with microarray results in the expression trend of partial differentially expressed genes (DEGs). GO analysis showed that the DEGs were involved in the regulation of cell proliferation and apoptosis, Wnt signaling pathway, neuronal differentiation, regulation of cell-cell adhesion, cell fate commitment and other biological processes. KEGG pathway analysis revealed that, in addition to partly known signaling pathways associated with skin follicle development(Wnt and Hedgehog signaling pathways), ECM-receptor interaction, Focal adhesion, Cell adhesion molecules (CAMs), Adherens junction signaling pathways were also enriched. Protein interaction network analysis showed that the DEGs genes interacted with each other to form a regulatory network that may affect the skin follicle traits by affecting the growth and development of the skin follicle and the periodic variation. ECM-receptor interaction, Focal adhesion, transporter pathways and DKK1, WNT3A, SHH, FGF1 and IGF1 genes may be important regulatory pathways and candidate genes involved in the differences of skin follicle traits in different positions of the chicken skin.

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