Researcher(s)
- Zuri Hobson-Gladney, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Delaware State University
Faculty Mentor(s)
- Aditya Dutta, Animal and Food Sciences, University of Delaware
Abstract
Understanding mechanisms of reproduction is fundamental for the animal industry, especially for chicken broiler breeders that have significant inefficiencies in reproduction. Broiler breeders are a critical part of the chicken industry, as these are the source of chicken meat society consumes. Part of understanding the mechanism is understanding the significant genes involved in reproduction. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to understand the significant genes involved in both pre-ovulatory (PO) and pre-regulatory (R) ovarian follicles in broiler breeders. This analysis is done by collecting the samples from the chickens and isolating the RNA from the sample. The RNA is then sequenced, and the sequencing data is analyzed using the programming language “R”. Differential Gene Expression Analysis is used to identify which genes are significantly up or down regulated in each follicular type. These differentially expressed genes (DEGs) are analyzed further to look at gene ontology. Some significant genes found in the R follicle when compared against the PO follicle are SFRP4, SMOC1, and EPHA3. By understanding the significant genes of the follicles and why they are significant, it can be more easily understood why certain follicles mature to eggs, and what is important to make a healthy follicle. This information will help contribute to increased egg quality and quantity in the future.