Insulin inhibits the estrogen-dependent expression of the chicken very low density apolipoprotein II gene in Leghorn male hepatoma cells

Global investigation of estrogen-responsive genes regulating lipid metabolism in the liver of laying hens

BACKGROUND

Estrogen plays an essential role in female development and reproductive function. In chickens, estrogen is critical for lipid metabolism in the liver. The regulatory molecular network of estrogen in chicken liver is poorly understood. To identify estrogen-responsive genes and estrogen functional sites on a genome-wide scale, we determined expression profiles of mRNAs, lncRNAs, and miRNAs in estrogen-treated ((17β-estradiol)) and control chicken livers using RNA-Sequencing (RNA-Seq) and studied the estrogen receptor α binding sites by ChIP-Sequencing (ChIP-Seq).

RESULTS

We identified a total of 990 estrogen-responsive genes, including 962 protein-coding genes, 11 miRNAs, and 17 lncRNAs. Functional enrichment analyses showed that the estrogen-responsive genes were highly enriched in lipid metabolism and biological processes. Integrated analysis of the data of RNA-Seq and ChIP-Seq, identified 191 genes directly targeted by estrogen, including 185 protein-coding genes, 4 miRNAs, and 2 lncRNAs. In vivo and in vitro experiments showed that estrogen decreased the mRNA expression of PPARGC1B, which had been reported to be linked with lipid metabolism, by directly increasing the expression of miR-144-3p.

CONCLUSIONS

These results increase our understanding of the functional network of estrogen in chicken liver and also reveal aspects of the molecular mechanism of estrogen-related lipid metabolism.

Global Investigation of Cytochrome P450 Genes in the Chicken Genome

Cytochrome P450 (CYP) superfamily enzymes are broadly involved in a variety of physiological and toxicological processes. However, genome-wide analysis of this superfamily has never been investigated in the chicken genome. In this study, genome-wide analyses identified 45 chicken CYPs (cCYPs) from the chicken genome, and their classification and evolutionary relationships were investigated by phylogenetic, conserved protein motif, and gene structure analyses. The comprehensive evolutionary data revealed several remarkable characteristics of cCYPs, including the highly divergent and rapid evolution of the cCYPs, and the loss of cCYP2AF in the chicken genome. Furthermore, the cCYP expression profile was investigated by RNA-sequencing. The differential expression of cCYPs in developing embryos revealed the involvement of cCYPs in embryonic development. The significantly regulated cCYPs suggested its potential role in hepatic metabolism. Additionally, 11 cCYPs, including cCYP2AC1, cCYP2C23a, and cCYP2C23b, were identified as estrogen-responsive genes, which indicates that these cCYPs are involved in the estrogen-signaling pathway. Meanwhile, an expression profile analysis highlights the divergent role of different cCYPs. These data expand our view of the phylogeny and evolution of cCYPs, provide evolutionary insight, and can help elucidate the roles of cCYPs in physiological and toxicological processes in chicken.

Characterization of Growth, Fat Deposition, and Lipid Metabolism-Related Gene Expression in Lean and Obese Meat-Type Chickens

Excessive fat deposition adversely affects poultry production. In this study, we investigated growth, fat deposition, and hepatic mRNA expression of 13 lipid metabolism-related genes in three unique breeds of meat-type chickens with distinct breed origins and genetic relationships. One was Nagoya (NAG), a native Japanese breed, whereas the others were White Plymouth Rock (WPR) and White Cornish (WC), which have been used worldwide as the parental breeds of common broiler chickens. NAG chickens were phenotypically characterized by slow growth, lean body fat, and high gizzard and liver weights. In contrast, both WC and WPR chickens were characterized by rapid growth but high percentage of subcutaneous fat and abdominal fat weight, resulting from high feed intake. Among the three breeds, WC had the highest percentage of pectoral muscle weight, whereas WPR was the most obese. Among lipid metabolism-related genes, the expression of PPARA, PPARG, and CD36 was mostly associated with obesity. These results provide basic information for quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis related to growth and fat traits in an F₂ population of the lean NAG breed and the obese WPR breed of meat-type chickens in future.