Sex-Specific Methylomic and Transcriptomic Responses of the Avian Pineal Gland to Unpredictable Illumination Patterns.

ABSTRACT: In the production environment of chickens, exposure to unpredictable light patterns is a common painless stressor, widely used to influence growth rate and egg production efficiency. The pineal gland, a key regulator of circadian rhythms through melatonin secretion, responds to environmental light cues, and its function is modulated by epigenetic mechanisms. In this study, we investigated how the pineal gland methylome and transcriptome (including micro-RNAs) interact to respond to a rearing exposure to unpredictable illumination patterns, with a particular focus on sex differences. We conducted an integrative multi-omic analysis-including methylomic (MeDIP-seq), transcriptomic (RNA-seq), and miRNA expression profiling-on the pineal gland of Hy-Line White chickens (n = 34, 18 females, 16 m

SUBMITTER: Pertille F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11911909 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature