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
. 2024 Aug 10;14(16):2320.
doi: 10.3390/ani14162320.

Histological Characteristics of Follicles, Reproductive Hormones and Transcriptomic Analysis of White King Pigeon Illuminated with Red Light

Ying Wang  1 , Kui Zuo  1 , Chi Zhang  1 , Dongzhi Miao  1 , Jing Chen  1 , Haiming Yang  1 , Zhiyue Wang  1
Affiliations

Histological Characteristics of Follicles, Reproductive Hormones and Transcriptomic Analysis of White King Pigeon Illuminated with Red Light

Ying Wang et al. Animals (Basel). .

Abstract

Red light (RL) has been observed to enhance egg production in pigeons, yet the underlying histological characteristics and molecular mechanisms remain less understood. This study included fifty-four pigeons to assess follicular histology, reproductive hormones, and ovarian transcriptomics on the third day of the laying interval under RL and white light (WL). The results showed that the granulosa cell layer was significantly thicker under RL (p < 0.05), whereas the theca cell and connective tissue layers showed no significant differences (p > 0.05). Higher plasma estradiol (E2) levels were recorded in the RL group (p < 0.05), as well as follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), although progesterone (P4) levels were higher under WL (p < 0.05). Moreover, P4 concentrations in follicle yolk significantly decreased under RL (p < 0.01), with higher FSH and E2 levels in F1 yolk and similar increases in SF1 yolk (p < 0.01). Transcriptomic analysis revealed 4991 differentially expressed genes in the pigeon ovary. The protein-protein interaction network highlighted genes like HSD11B1, VEGFD, WNT6, SMAD6, and LGR5 as potential contributors to hierarchical follicle selection under RL. This research provides new insights into the molecular basis by which RL may promote hierarchical follicle selection and improve egg production in pigeons.

Keywords: follicle selection; follicular histomorphology; pigeon; reproductive hormone; transcriptome.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Histological characteristics of pigeon follicles under red light. (A) F1 follicle under RL. (B) F1 follicle under WL. (C) F2 follicle under RL. (D) SF1 follicle under RL. (E) SF1 under WL.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The concentration of estradiol (E2, df = 16, A), progesterone (P4, df = 16, B) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH, df = 9, C) in pigeon plasma under red light. Values marked with different capital letters on the bars are extremely significantly different (p < 0.01).
Figure 3
Figure 3
The concentration of estradiol (E2, df = 4, A), progesterone (P4, df = 4, B) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH, df = 4, C) in pigeon follicle yolk under red light. Values marked with different capital letters on the bars are extremely significantly different (p < 0.01).
Figure 4
Figure 4
The volcano plot of differentially expressed genes.
Figure 5
Figure 5
GO enrichment analysis of differentially expressed genes.
Figure 6
Figure 6
KEGG enrichment analysis of differentially expressed genes.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Protein–protein interaction (PPI) network of differentially expressed genes.
Figure 8
Figure 8
The validation of RNA-Seq using RT-qPCR.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Kokoszyński D., Stęczny K., Żochowska-Kujawska J., Sobczak M., Kotowicz M., Saleh M., Fik M., Arpášová H., Hrnčár C., Włodarczyk K. Carcass Characteristics, Physicochemical Properties, and Texture and Microstructure of the Meat and Internal Organs of Carrier and King Pigeons. Animals. 2020;10:1315. doi: 10.3390/ani10081315. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Jin C., He Y., Jiang S., Wang X., Yan H., Tan H., Gao C. Chemical composition of pigeon crop milk and factors affecting its production: A review. Poult. Sci. 2023;102:102681. doi: 10.1016/j.psj.2023.102681. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Wang Y., Miao D.Z., Zhang C., Chen J., Yang H.M., Wang Z.Y. CircRNAs involved in the red light of effect on follicle selection in pigeons. Poult. Sci. 2024;103:104010. doi: 10.1016/j.psj.2024.104010. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lewis P.D., Morris T.R. Poultry and coloured light. World Poult. Sci J. 2000;56:189–207. doi: 10.1079/WPS20000015. - DOI
    1. Tsutsui K., Bentley G.E., Bédécarrats G., Osugi T., Ubuka T., Kriegsfeld L.J. Gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone (GnIH) and its control of central and peripheral reproductive function. Front. Neuroendocrinol. 2010;31:284–295. doi: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2010.03.001. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources