Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Sep 22;11(10):2759.
doi: 10.3390/ani11102759.

Telomere Length and Regulatory Genes as Novel Stress Biomarkers and Their Diversities in Broiler Chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus) Subjected to Corticosterone Feeding

Kazeem Ajasa Badmus  1   2 , Zulkifli Idrus  1   2 , Goh Yong Meng  2   3 , Awis Qurni Sazili  1   2 , Kamalludin Mamat-Hamidi  1   2
Affiliations

Telomere Length and Regulatory Genes as Novel Stress Biomarkers and Their Diversities in Broiler Chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus) Subjected to Corticosterone Feeding

Kazeem Ajasa Badmus et al. Animals (Basel). .

Abstract

This study was designed to characterize telomere length and its regulatory genes and to evaluate their potential as well-being biomarkers. Chickens were fed a diet containing corticosterone (CORT) for 4 weeks and performances, organ weight, plasma CORT levels, telomere lengths and regulatory genes were measured and recorded. Body weights of CORT-fed chickens were significantly suppressed (p < 0.05), and organ weights and circulating CORT plasma levels (p < 0.05) were altered. Interaction effect of CORT and duration was significant (p < 0.05) on heart and liver telomere length. CORT significantly (p < 0.05) shortened the telomere length of the whole blood, muscle, liver and heart. The TRF1, chTERT, TELO2 and HSF1 were significantly (p < 0.05) upregulated in the liver and heart at week 4 although these genes and TERRA were downregulated in the muscles at weeks 2 and 4. Therefore, telomere lengths and their regulators are associated and diverse, so they can be used as novel biomarkers of stress in broiler chickens fed with CORT.

Keywords: broiler; corticosterone; performance; stress biomarkers; telomere regulators; telomeres.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Expression profile of telomeric repeat transcription factor 1 (TRF1) in the muscle, liver, and heart at week 4 and 6 of corticosterone-fed chickens compared to the control (in fold change). CORT wk4 = 4 weeks of age (2 weeks of CORT administration); CORT wk6 = 6 weeks of age (4 weeks of CORT administration); n = 20. Probability, * = p < 0.05; ** = p < 0.01.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Expression profile of chicken telomerase (chTERT) in the muscle, liver, and heart at week 4 and 6 of age in CORT-fed chickens compared to the control. CORT wk4 = 4 weeks of age (2 weeks of CORT administration); CORT wk6 = 6 weeks of age (4 weeks of CORT administration); n = 20. Probability, * = p < 0.05; ** = p < 0.01; *** = p < 0.001.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Expression profile of telomere maintenance gene 2 (TELO2) in the muscle, liver, and heart at week 4 and 6 of corticosterone-fed chickens compared to the control (in fold change). CORT wk4 = 4 weeks of age (2 weeks of CORT administration); CORT wk6 = 6 weeks of age (4 weeks of CORT administration); n = 20. Probability, * = p < 0.05; ** = p < 0.01; *** = p < 0.001.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Expression profile of telomeric repeat-containing RNA (TERRA) in the muscle, liver, and heart at week 4 and 6 of corticosterone-fed chickens compared to the control (fold change). CORT wk4 = 4 weeks of age (2 weeks of CORT administration); CORT wk6 = 6 weeks of age (4 weeks of CORT administration); n = 20. Probability, ** = p < 0.01; *** = p < 0.001.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Expression profile of heat shock transcriptional factor 1 (HSF1) in the muscle, liver, and heart at week 4 and 6 of corticosterone-fed chickens compared to the control (fold change). CORT wk4 = 4 weeks of age (2 weeks of CORT administration); CORT wk6 = 6 weeks of age (4 weeks of CORT administration); n = 20. Probability, * = p < 0.05; ** = p < 0.01; *** = p < 0.001.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Rushen J. Problems associated with the interpretation of physiological data in the assessment of animal welfare. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 1991;28:381–386. doi: 10.1016/0168-1591(91)90170-3. - DOI
    1. Fairhurst G.D., Marchant T.A., Soos C., Machin K.L., Clark R.G. Experimental relationships between levels of corticosterone in plasma and feathers in a free-living bird. J. Exp. Biol. 2013:4071–4081. doi: 10.1242/jeb.091280. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Dhabhar F.S., McEwen B.S. Acute stress enhances while chronic stress suppresses cell-mediated immunity in vivo: A potential role for leukocyte trafficking. Brain Behav. Immun. 1997;11:286–306. doi: 10.1006/brbi.1997.0508. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Dhabhar F.S. Acute stress enhances while chronic stress suppresses skin immunity. The role of stress hormones and leukocyte trafficking. Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 2000;917:876–893. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2000.tb05454.x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Romero L.M. Physiological stress in ecology: Lessons from biomedical research. Trends Ecol. Evol. 2004;19:249–255. doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2004.03.008. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources