Acta Veterinaria et Zootechnica Sinica ›› 2023, Vol. 54 ›› Issue (9): 3613-3622.doi: 10.11843/j.issn.0366-6964.2023.09.003

• REVIEW • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Research Progress on Follicles Development of Hens and Its Epigenetic Regulatory Mechanism

RU Meng, ZENG Wenhui, PENG Jianling, ZENG Qingjie, YIN Chao, CUI Yong, WEI Qing, LIANG Haiping, XIE Xianhua*, HUANG Jianzhen*   

  1. College of Animal Science and Technology, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China
  • Received:2023-03-15 Published:2023-09-22

Abstract: The reproductive performance and egg production performance of poultry is closely related to follicles development and ovulation. In poultry ovaries, less than 5% of follicles can develop from primordial follicle to mature follicle and ovulate, and most follicles become atresia during development. The development of follicles is influenced by intrinsic factors and extrinsic factors. Recently, many studies have found that epigenetic mechanism also plays an important role in the regulation of follicle development. Epigenetics is heritable changes in gene expression and phenotype without changing in the DNA sequence. Therefore, the review described the process of follicle development and the main influencing factors in follicle development in laying hens. Moreover, in this review, the possible epigenetics regulatory mechanisms including DNA methylation, histone modification, non-coding RNA regulation and RNA modification in follicle development were summarized. In conclusion, the review provides a theoretical basis for improving poultry production performance.

Key words: laying hens, follicle development, influence factors, epigenetics

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