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. 2025 Aug 8:62:2025022.
doi: 10.2141/jpsa.2025022. eCollection 2025.

Fasting Induces Gene Expression of Insulin-like Growth Factor-binding Proteins in Skeletal Muscles of Chicks

Asmaa S El-Far  1   2 , Haruki Osada  1 , Yumi Sakanashi  1 , Takaoki Saneyasu  1 , Kazuhisa Honda  1
Affiliations

Fasting Induces Gene Expression of Insulin-like Growth Factor-binding Proteins in Skeletal Muscles of Chicks

Asmaa S El-Far et al. J Poult Sci. .

Abstract

In mammals, evidence suggests that insulin-like growth factor-binding proteins (IGFBPs) affect skeletal muscle growth in an autocrine and paracrine manner. In the present study, fasting induced significant transcriptional changes in IGFBP genes in the skeletal muscles of layer and broiler chickens. Twelve hours of fasting significantly increased mRNA levels of IGFBP-1 in the biceps femoris (BF; largest skeletal muscle in the thigh) of both chicken types. mRNA levels of IGFBP-2 in both the pectoralis major (PM; breast muscle) and the BF significantly increased in layer chicks and tended to increase in broiler chicks. Fasting significantly decreased mRNA levels of IGFBP-3 in the BF and PM of both chicken type. mRNA levels of IGFBP-4 and -5 differed responses in the PM and BF of layer and broiler chicks. mRNA levels of most IGFBP genes were not affected by insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) in chicken embryonic myotubes, suggesting that skeletal muscle IGFBPs were transcriptionally regulated in an IGF-1-independent manner. Overall, these findings suggested that IGFBP-1, -2, and -3, which were expressed in skeletal muscles, played conserved roles in layer and broiler chicks.

Keywords: chick; chicken; feeding; starvation.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interests.

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Effects of fasting on mRNA levels of insulin-like growth factor-related genes in the pectoralis major and biceps femoris in layer chicks. Data are represented as means ± standard error of the mean (S.E.M.) of eight chicks in each group and are expressed as a percentage of the mean in the feeding group. * and ** indicate statistical differences (P < 0.05, and P < 0.01, respectively) between the feeding and fasting group in each muscle.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Effects of fasting on mRNA levels of insulin-like growth factor-related genes in the pectoralis major and biceps femoris in broiler chicks. Data are represented as means ± standard error of the mean (S.E.M.) of eight chicks in each group and are expressed as a percentage of the mean in the feeding group. †, *, and ** indicate statistical differences (P < 0.10, P < 0.05, and P < 0.01, respectively) between the feeding and fasting group in each muscle.
Fig. 3.
Fig. 3.
Effects of insulin-like growth factor-1 on mRNA levels of insulin-like growth factor-related genes in chicken embryonic myotubes derived from pectoralis major and biceps femoris of layer embryos. Data are represented as means ± standard error of the mean (S.E.M.) of five–six wells in each group and are expressed as a percentage of the mean in the control group. †, *, and ** indicate statistical differences (P < 0.10, P < 0.05, and P < 0.01, respectively) between the control and treatment groups.
Fig. 4.
Fig. 4.
Effects of insulin-like growth factor-1 on the mRNA levels of insulin-like growth factor-related genes in chicken embryonic myotubes derived from pectoralis major and biceps femoris of broiler embryos. Data are represented as means ± standard error of the mean (S.E.M.) of six wells in each group and are expressed as a percentage of the mean in the control group. * and ** indicate statistical differences (P < 0.05, and P < 0.01, respectively) between the control and treatment groups.
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