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Bernardi O, Reverchon M, Estienne A, Baumard Y, Ramé C, Brossaud A, Combarnous Y, Froment P, Dupont J. Chicken white egg chemerin as a tool for genetic selection for egg weight and hen fertility. Front Physiol 2022; 13:1012212. [PMID: 36176771 PMCID: PMC9513417 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2022.1012212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2022] [Accepted: 08/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Embryo mortality rate, which can reach up to 40% in avian species, is a major issue for breeding. It is therefore important to identify new embryo development biomarkers for genetic selection to improve reproductive performances. We have recently shown that chemerin is expressed in the oviductal hen magnum, accumulates in egg white, is correlated with embryo survival and could thus be used as a molecular marker of embryo development. Eggs from seven hen breeds (n = 70) were collected during five successive days at the end of the laying period. After weighing eggs, yolk and albumen, an egg white sample from each egg was collected and a blood sample was taken from each hen. Chemerin concentrations in albumen and blood samples were measured by a specific home made ELISA assay. Hen's plasma and egg's albumen chemerin levels were found to be correlated with reproductive parameters such as fecundity, fertility, embryo mortality, hatchability and laying rates. The inter-hen chemerin level variability in albumen was higher than intra-hen except for one breed (R+). We observed significantly different levels of chemerin in egg white between breeds. However, chemerin concentrations in egg white were not significantly associated to variations of hen plasma chemerin levels. Interestingly, we observed negative correlations between albumen chemerin concentrations and egg weight (r = -0.43, p = 0.001), between albumen weight (r = -0.40, p = 0.002), and between yolk weight (r = -0.28, p = 0.03). We also showed negative correlations between egg white chemerin concentrations and fecundity (r = -0.32, p = 0.011) and fertility (r = -0.27, p = 0.04) whereas no significant correlation was observed with the laying rate. Taken together, these results suggest that egg white chemerin concentration might be a good biomarker for genetic selection for egg weight and fertility in hens, provided these data are confirmed on a larger scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ophélie Bernardi
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut Français du Cheval et de l’Equitation, Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), Université de Tours, Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, UMR85, Paris, France
- SYSAAF-Syndicat des Sélectionneurs Avicoles et Aquacoles Français, Centre INRA Val de Loire, France
| | - Maxime Reverchon
- SYSAAF-Syndicat des Sélectionneurs Avicoles et Aquacoles Français, Centre INRA Val de Loire, France
| | - Anthony Estienne
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut Français du Cheval et de l’Equitation, Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), Université de Tours, Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, UMR85, Paris, France
| | - Yannick Baumard
- INRAE—Unité Expérimentale Pôle D’expérimentation Avicole de Tours, France
| | - Christelle Ramé
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut Français du Cheval et de l’Equitation, Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), Université de Tours, Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, UMR85, Paris, France
| | - Adeline Brossaud
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut Français du Cheval et de l’Equitation, Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), Université de Tours, Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, UMR85, Paris, France
| | - Yves Combarnous
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut Français du Cheval et de l’Equitation, Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), Université de Tours, Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, UMR85, Paris, France
| | - Pascal Froment
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut Français du Cheval et de l’Equitation, Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), Université de Tours, Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, UMR85, Paris, France
| | - Joëlle Dupont
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut Français du Cheval et de l’Equitation, Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), Université de Tours, Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, UMR85, Paris, France
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Nowaczewski S, Babuszkiewicz M, Szablewski T, Stuper-Szablewska K, Cegielska-Radziejewska R, Tomczyk Ł, Kaczmarek S, Sechman A, Lis MW, Kwaśniewska M, Racewicz P, Jarosz Ł, Ciszewski A, Nowak T, Hejdysz M. Effect of weight and storage time of broiler breeders' eggs on morphology and biochemical features of eggs, embryogenesis, hatchability, and chick quality. Animal 2022; 16:100564. [PMID: 35738085 DOI: 10.1016/j.animal.2022.100564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2022] [Revised: 05/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/01/2022] Open
Abstract
The transfer of hatchability results obtained under experimental conditions to the commercial ground with a positive financial effect proves the value and usefulness of these data. On the other hand, finding results on commercial processes of broiler breeders' egg incubation in the literature is challenging. The presented study aimed to determine the effects of egg weight and storage time on the physical, biochemical characteristics of hatching eggs, embryogenesis and hatchability in Ross 308 broiler breeders. On the laying day, the eggs were divided into four weight groups: S - small eggs (57-61 g), M - medium eggs (62-66 g), L - large eggs (67-71 g), and XL - extra-large eggs (72-76 g). The eggs were then stored for 3, 7, 14, and 21 days under controlled conditions. As the egg storage time increased, a decrease in the yolk quality (lower index) was observed. The highest Haugh units were found in eggs from the S and M groups. The cholesterol content of the M, L, and XL groups was lower on days 7, 14, and 21 as compared to that of eggs only stored for 3 days. Egg weight loss during incubation decreased with an increase in the egg weight. An extension of the egg storage time caused an increase in the loss of egg weight. On the 14th and 18th days of hatching, an increase in the eggshell temperature was noted with an increase in the weight of the egg. The eggs stored for 7 days were characterised by the highest shell temperature on each day. The highest hatchability percentage was recorded for the M group. The hatchability rate decreased with the prolongation of the storage time, while the number of crippled chicks after hatching increased. The results confirmed that the increased weight of the eggs and prolonged storage time (14 and 21 days) increased the weight and decreased the length of the newly hatched chicks, respectively. Chicks from the heaviest eggs and those stored for 14 and 21 days showed poor results on the Pasgar score® test. The observations indicate the need to adopt various (of those available) methods to assess the quality of newly hatched chicks in hatcheries in order to produce high-quality broiler chickens. The results also indicate that prolonged egg storing beyond 14 days may affect the thyroid hormone economy during the hatching of chicks, especially in the XL group.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Nowaczewski
- Department of Animal Breeding and Product Quality Assessment, Poznan University of Life Sciences, 60-637 Poznań, Poland
| | - M Babuszkiewicz
- DanHatch Poland S.A., Stary Widzim 254, 64-200 Wolsztyn, Poland
| | - T Szablewski
- Department of Food Quality and Safety Management, Poznan University of Life Sciences, 60-637 Poznań, Poland
| | - K Stuper-Szablewska
- Department of Chemistry, Poznan University of Life Sciences, 60-637 Poznań, Poland
| | - R Cegielska-Radziejewska
- Department of Food Quality and Safety Management, Poznan University of Life Sciences, 60-637 Poznań, Poland
| | - Ł Tomczyk
- Department of Food Quality and Safety Management, Poznan University of Life Sciences, 60-637 Poznań, Poland
| | - S Kaczmarek
- Department of Animal Nutrition, Poznan University of Life Sciences, 60-637 Poznań, Poland
| | - A Sechman
- Department of Animal Physiology and Endocrinology, University of Agriculture in Krakow, 30-059 Kraków, Poland
| | - M W Lis
- Department of Zoology and Animal Welfare, University of Agriculture in Krakow, 30-059 Kraków, Poland
| | - M Kwaśniewska
- Department of Animal Physiology and Endocrinology, University of Agriculture in Krakow, 30-059 Kraków, Poland
| | - P Racewicz
- Department of Animal Breeding and Product Quality Assessment, Poznan University of Life Sciences, 60-637 Poznań, Poland
| | - Ł Jarosz
- Department of Epizootiology and Clinic of Infectious Diseases, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, 20-612 Lublin, Poland
| | - A Ciszewski
- Department of Epizootiology and Clinic of Infectious Diseases, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, 20-612 Lublin, Poland
| | - T Nowak
- Department of Genetics and Animal Breeding, Poznan University of Life Sciences, 60-637 Poznań, Poland
| | - M Hejdysz
- Department of Animal Breeding and Product Quality Assessment, Poznan University of Life Sciences, 60-637 Poznań, Poland.
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Holleley CE, Grieve AC, Grealy A, Medina I, Langmore NE. Thicker eggshells are not predicted by host egg ejection behaviour in four species of Australian cuckoo. Sci Rep 2022; 12:6320. [PMID: 35428801 PMCID: PMC9012832 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-09872-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 03/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Defences of hosts against brood parasitic cuckoos include detection and ejection of cuckoo eggs from the nest. Ejection behaviour often involves puncturing the cuckoo egg, which is predicted to drive the evolution of thicker eggshells in cuckoos that parasitise such hosts. Here we test this prediction in four Australian cuckoo species and their hosts, using Hall-effect magnetic-inference to directly estimate eggshell thickness in parasitised clutches. In Australia, hosts that build cup-shaped nests are generally adept at ejecting cuckoo eggs, whereas hosts that build dome-shaped nests mostly accept foreign eggs. We analysed two datasets: a small sample of hosts with known egg ejection rates and a broader sample of hosts where egg ejection behaviour was inferred based on nest type (dome or cup). Contrary to predictions, cuckoos that exploit dome-nesting hosts (acceptor hosts) had significantly thicker eggshells relative to their hosts than cuckoos that exploit cup-nesting hosts (ejector hosts). No difference in eggshell thicknesses was observed in the smaller sample of hosts with known egg ejection rates, probably due to lack of power. Overall cuckoo eggshell thickness did not deviate from the expected avian relationship between eggshell thickness and egg length estimated from 74 bird species. Our results do not support the hypothesis that thicker eggshells have evolved in response to host ejection behaviour in Australian cuckoos, but are consistent with the hypothesis that thicker eggshells have evolved to reduce the risk of breakage when eggs are dropped into dome nests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clare E Holleley
- Australian National Wildlife Collection, National Research Collections Australia, CSIRO, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia.
| | - Alice C Grieve
- Australian National Wildlife Collection, National Research Collections Australia, CSIRO, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Alicia Grealy
- Australian National Wildlife Collection, National Research Collections Australia, CSIRO, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia.,Langmore Group, Research School of Biology, Building 46, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 0200, Australia
| | - Iliana Medina
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Royal Parade, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Naomi E Langmore
- Langmore Group, Research School of Biology, Building 46, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 0200, Australia.
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