Domestic Fowl Breed Variation in Egg White Protein Expression: Application of Proteomics and Transcriptomics

Authors:
Publisher website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Avian egg white is essential for protecting and nourishing bird embryos during their development. Being produced in the female magnum, variability in hen oviduct gene expression may affect egg white composition in domestic chickens. Since traditional poultry breeds may represent a source of variation, in the present study we describe the egg white proteome (mass spectrometry) and corresponding magnum transcriptome (high-throughput sequencing) for twenty hens from five domestic fowl breeds (large breeds: Araucana, Czech golden pencilled, Minorca and small breeds: Booted bantam, Rosecomb bantam). In total, we identified 189 egg white proteins and 16391 magnum-expressed genes. The majority of egg white protein content comprised proteins with an antimicrobial function. Despite general similarity, Between-class Principal Component Analysis revealed significant breed-specific variability in protein abundances, differentiating especially small and large breeds. Though we found strong association between magnum mRNA expression and egg white protein abundance across genes, co-inertia analysis revealed no transcriptome/proteome co-structure at the individual level. Our study is the first to show variation in protein abundances in egg white across chicken breeds with potential effects on egg quality, biosafety and chick development. The observed inter-individual variation probably results from post-transcriptional regulation creating a discrepancy between proteomic and transcriptomic data.
Funding Information
  • Ministerstvo ?kolstv?, Ml?de?e a Telov?chovy (CZ.1.05/1.1.00/02.0109, INTER-COST LTC18060, LQ1604, S, SVV 260 434 / 2018)
  • Univerzita Karlova v Praze (204069)
  • Grantov? Agentura, Univerzita Karlova (275715)

This publication has 46 references indexed in Scilit: