Omics technologies in poultry health and productivity - part 1: current use in poultry research

• Published in: Avian pathology Vol. 51; no. 5; pp. 407 - 417
• Main Authors: Dehau, Tessa, Ducatelle, Richard, Van Immerseel, Filip, Goossens, Evy
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Taylor & Francis 03.09.2022; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: 16s rRNA gene sequencing, metagenomics; Biology; Biomarkers; chickens; Disease resistance; DNA; Economic importance; Fertility; Gene sequencing; genes; Genetic markers; Genomics; Identification; integrated multiomics; Intestinal flora; Intestinal microflora; intestinal microorganisms; Metabolites; Metabolomics; Metagenomics; Microbiomes; Microbiota; multiomics; multiple omics; Phenotypes; physiology; Poultry; poultry health; Poultry production; Productivity; Proteomics; RNA; rRNA 16S; Transcriptomics; microbiota; proteomics; metabolomics; Genomics; integrated multi-omics; metagenomics; host; transcriptomics; multiple omics
• ISSN: 0307-9457; 1465-3338; 1465-3338
• DOI: 10.1080/03079457.2022.2086447

In biology, molecular terms with the suffix "-omics" refer to disciplines aiming at the collective characterization of pools of molecules derived from different layers (DNA, RNA, proteins, metabolites) of living organisms using high-throughput technologies. Such omics analyses have been widely implemented in poultry research in recent years. This first part of a bipartite review on omics technologies in poultry health and productivity examines the use of multiple omics and multi-omics techniques in poultry research. More specific present and future applications of omics technologies, not only for the identification of specific diagnostic biomarkers, but also for potential future integration in the daily monitoring of poultry production, are discussed in part 2. Approaches based on omics technologies are particularly used in poultry research in the hunt for genetic markers of economically important phenotypical traits in the host, and in the identification of key bacterial species or functions in the intestinal microbiome. Integrative multi-omics analyses, however, are still scarce. Host physiology is investigated via genomics together with transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics techniques, to understand more accurately complex production traits such as disease resistance and fertility. The gut microbiota, as a key player in chicken productivity and health, is also a main subject of such studies, investigating the association between its composition (16S rRNA gene sequencing) or function (metagenomics, metatranscriptomics, metaproteomics, metabolomics) and host phenotypes. Applications of these technologies in the study of other host-associated microbiota and other host characteristics are still in their infancy.