Project description:Asymmetrical gonadal development is an intriguing phenomenon observed in the majority of female birds. In chickens, the left gonad of female embryos develops into a functional ovary, while the right gonad undergoes degeneration during embryogenesis. This sexually dimorphic trait is primarily induced by the spatial differential expression of the PITX2 gene. However, a comprehensive understanding of the transcriptional profile of the developing gonads during asymmetric development is still lacking. To elucidate the molecular mechanism of asymmetric gonadal development in chickens, we compared the transcriptomes between left and right gonads of female chickens using bulk- and single cell (sc) -RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) approaches. Our bulk RNA-seq analysis of the female chicken gonads at E5 (HH26), E6.5 (HH30), E8 (HH34), and E9.5 (HH36) revealed significant differential gene expression between the left and right female chicken gonads, particularly in signaling pathways, cell cycle, and metabolic processes. Moreover, scRNA-seq analysis revealed that coelomic epithelial, interstitial, and pre-granulosa cells of the left gonads share a highly proliferative status, contributing to the asymmetric gonadal cell proliferation, which may be regulated by the TGFβ signaling pathway. Our findings demonstrate that dynamic cell-type-specific transcriptional profiles during embryogenesis play a vital role in the asymmetric gonadal development of female chickens.
Project description:Asymmetrical gonadal development is an intriguing phenomenon observed in the majority of female birds. In chickens, the left gonad of female embryos develops into a functional ovary, while the right gonad undergoes degeneration during embryogenesis. This sexually dimorphic trait is primarily induced by the spatial differential expression of the PITX2 gene. However, a comprehensive understanding of the transcriptional profile of the developing gonads during asymmetric development is still lacking. To elucidate the molecular mechanism of asymmetric gonadal development in chickens, we compared the transcriptomes between left and right gonads of female chickens using bulk- and single cell (sc) -RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) approaches. Our bulk RNA-seq analysis of the female chicken gonads at E5 (HH26), E6.5 (HH30), E8 (HH34), and E9.5 (HH36) revealed significant differential gene expression between the left and right female chicken gonads, particularly in signaling pathways, cell cycle, and metabolic processes. Moreover, scRNA-seq analysis revealed that coelomic epithelial, interstitial, and pre-granulosa cells of the left gonads share a highly proliferative status, contributing to the asymmetric gonadal cell proliferation, which may be regulated by the TGFβ signaling pathway. Our findings demonstrate that dynamic cell-type-specific transcriptional profiles during embryogenesis play a vital role in the asymmetric gonadal development of female chickens.
Project description:This work was to study the transcriptome profiles in the skin of chickens with black versus white skin using high-throughput RNA deep-sequencing technology, to investigate the different expression profiles of the genes involved in skin pigmentation, then look for the main differences between black and white skin colors in Lueyang chickens. 16-week-old white and black female Lueyang chickens (5 birds per color) were selected for the sample collection. A piece of skin (8 mm in diameter) from the left back was collected . Total RNA was extracted from the sample using Trizol reagent . Three RNA samples from either the black or white skin samples were pooled following mRNA isolation. The sequencing of the library was performed using an Illumina HiSeq 2000 (LianChuan Sciences, Hangzhou, China). According the result of sequencing, some colored gene expressions were validated using Real time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR).