Modelling effects of phytobiotic administration on coherent responses to Salmonella infection in laying hens

Practice of layer poultry farming and commercial egg production relies on the optimal use and improvement of the welfare and genetically determined functional abilities of laying hens, their efficient intake of feed and its components, adaptation to housing conditions and resistance to infectious diseases including salmonellosis. Previous studies were focussed on relationships of chicken performance and resistance with the expression profiles of individual genes involved in metabolic processes and immune system, or with genetic markers that can be closely associated with these processes in chickens. In this study, mathematical models of coherent changes in laying hens were developed for the expression of eight genes involved in immunity and metabolism, on the one hand, and biochemical and immunological blood parameters, on the other hand, in response to Salmonella infection and administration of a phytobiotic Intebio. The proposed modelling approach can be a further basis for an in-depth research of the relationship between the gene expression, functional state and welfare of poultry, impact of pathogenic microorganisms and use of immunomodulatory drugs

Features of fractal conformity and bioconsolidation in the early myogenesis gene expression and their relationship to the genetic diversity of chicken breeds

Simple Summary In the bodies of animals, including birds, gene expression leads to the synthesis of many proteins. To provide optimal cellular and organismal properties and functions, many genes should work in concert, reaching certain balanced relationships (or networks) between them and the intensities of their expression. Here, we studied the expression of several genes responsible for muscle formation and growth in chick embryos of diverse breeds belonging to various utility types. Using two mathematical (fractal) models and the respective indices, we showed that there are specific coordinated patterns of gene expression in the embryonic breast and thigh muscles. These patterns correlated with growth rate of chicks after hatching and depended on a utility type of the breeds studied. Overall, the proposed models contributed to an expanded understanding of the coordinated gene expression in early development and growth, providing additional characteristics of genetic diversity in chickens. Abstract Elements of fractal analysis are widely used in scientific research, including several biological disciplines. In this study, we hypothesized that chicken breed biodiversity manifests not only at the phenotypic level, but also at the genetic-system level in terms of different profiles of fractal conformity and bioconsolidation in the early myogenesis gene expression. To demonstrate this effect, we developed two mathematical models that describe the fractal nature of the expression of seven key genes in the embryonic breast and thigh muscles in eight breeds of meat, dual purpose, egg and game types. In the first model, we produced breed-specific coefficients of gene expression conformity in each muscle type using the slopes of regression dependencies, as well as an integral myogenesis gene expression index (MGEI). Additionally, breed fractal dimensions and integral myogenesis gene expression fractal dimension index (MGEFDI) were determined. The second gene expression model was based on plotting fractal portraits and calculating indices of fractal bioconsolidation. The bioconsolidation index of myogenesis gene expression correlated with the chick growth rate and nitric oxide (NO) oxidation rate. The proposed fractal models were instrumental in interpreting the genetic diversity of chickens at the level of gene expression for early myogenesis, NO metabolism and the postnatal growth of chicks

Examination of the expression of immunity genes and bacterial profiles in the caecum of growing chickens infected with Salmonella Enteritidis and fed a phytobiotic

This study was performed to investigate the differential expression of eight immunity genes and the bacterial profiles in the caecum of growing chickens challenged with Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis (SE) at 1 and 23 days post inoculation (dpi) in response to SE infection at 19 days of age and administration of the phytobiotic Intebio. Following infection, the genes CASP6 and IRF7 were upregulated by greater than twofold. Chicks fed Intebio showed at 1 dpi upregulation of AvBD10, IL6, IL8L2, CASP6 and IRF7. At 23 dpi, expression of AvBD11, IL6, IL8L2, CASP6 and IRF7 lowered in the experiment subgroups as compared with the control. Examination of the caecal contents at 1 dpi demonstrated a significant decrease in the microbial biodiversity in the infected subgroup fed normal diet. Bacterial content of Lactobacillus and Bacillus declined, while that of Enterobacteriaceae rose. In the infected subgroup fed Intebio, a pronounced change in composition of the microflora was not observed. In the early infection stages, the phytobiotic seemed to promote response to infection. Subsequently, an earlier suppression of the inflammatory reaction took place in chickens fed Intebio. Thus, use of Intebio as a drug with phytobiotic activity in chickens, including those infected with Salmonella, proved to be promising

[Mathematical assessment of BAC-based interspecies hybridization data in the process of genomic mapping in the white-throated sparrow as an avian behavioral model] Математическая оценка данных межвидовой БАК-гибридизации в процессе геномного картирования у белошейной зонотрихии как модели поведения птиц

The white-throated sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) known for its morphological, behavioral and chromosomal polymorphisms represents a quite new model system to study genomic mechanisms underlying variable behavioral repertoire interwoven with population biology, reproduction and adaptation in this species. It was previously shown that these polymorphisms could be due to chromosomal rearrangements (inversions) on sparrow chromosome 2 (ZAL2) that is characterized by a heterogeneity in two distinct morphs, tan (ZAL2/ZAL2) and white (ZAL2/ZAL2m). To construct a comparative genomic map of ZAL2 and other chromosomes, we used a sparrow genomic BAC library, CHORI-264. Following a cross-species overgo hybridization approach, we screened the library and developed a first-generation BAC-based comparative physical map using the chicken and zebra finch reference genomes. The map includes 640 BAC-gene assignments for 77 loci and serves for further refining the genomic regions and identifying candidate genes that are affected by rearrangements and contribute to the observed behavioral polymorphisms. Mathematical assessment of the BAC-based hybridization data was undertaken to show evolutionary relationships of avian genomes. В настоящей работе представлена математическая оценка межвидовой БАК-гибридизации в процессе геномного картирования у белошейной зонотрихии – вида воробьев, рассматриваемого в качестве удобной модели поведения птиц

Alfalfa and flax sprouts supplementation enriches the content of bioactive compounds and lowers the cholesterol in hen egg

Abstract The effect of dietary supplementation with flax and alfalfa sprouts (40 g/d) on bioactive compounds and cholesterol contents of hen's egg was examined. Thirty White Leghorn hens, 26 weeks of age, were fed, for 66 days, three diets that included control (standard diet – C), standard diet + alfalfa sprouts (A), and standard diet + flax sprouts (F). Productive performance of hens was recorded daily. The cholesterol content of plasma and yolk, and the presence of bioactive compounds in the egg, were also analysed. Supplementation of flax and alfalfa sprouts reduced plasma and egg cholesterol probably due to the synergy between different compounds of the sprouts (polyunsaturated fatty acids - PUFAs, lignans, isoflavones and sterols). Eggs from A and F groups also had higher contents of n-3 PUFA, vitamins (α-tocopherol, α-, γ-tocotrienol, retinol), carotenes (β-carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin) and phytoestrogens (daidzein, equol, isolariciresinol) than eggs from the C group