Effects of Dietary Vitamin E on Intramuscular Fat Deposition and Transcriptome Profile of the Pectoral Muscle of Broilers

• Published in: The Journal of Poultry Science Vol. 60; no. 1; p. 2023006
• Main Authors: Zhang, Min, Lin, Weiming, Wu, Qiu, Li, Yan, Chen, Donghong, Liu, Lingyu, Sun, Yanfa
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Japan Japan Poultry Science Association 01.01.2023; Japan Science and Technology Agency
• Subjects: Acetic acid; Body weight; broiler; Categories; Chickens; Deposition; Diet; differentially expressed genes; Forkhead protein; Gene sequencing; Genes; intramuscular fat; Kinases; Lipid metabolism; Lipids; MAP kinase; Metabolism; Muscles; Poultry; Poultry production; Protein turnover; Signal transduction; Skeletal muscle; Tocopherol; transcriptome profile; Transcriptomes; Vitamin E; differentially expressed genes; intramuscular fat; transcriptome profile; broiler; vitamin E
• ISSN: 1346-7395; 1349-0486
• DOI: 10.2141/jpsa.2023006

Vitamin E is an essential micronutrient for animals. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of vitamin E on intramuscular fat (IMF) deposition and the transcriptome profile of the pectoral muscle in broiler chickens. Arbor Acres chickens were divided into five treatment groups fed a basal diet supplemented with 0, 20, 50, 75, and 100 IU/kg dietary DL-α-tocopheryl acetate (vitamin E), respectively. Body weight, carcass performance, and IMF content were recorded. Transcriptome profiles of the pectoral muscles of 35-day-old chickens in the control and treatment groups (100 IU/kg of vitamin E) were obtained by RNA sequencing. The results showed that diets supplemented with 100 IU/kg of vitamin E significantly increased IMF deposition in chickens on day 35. In total, 159 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), including 57 up-regulated and 102 down-regulated genes, were identified in the treatment (100 IU/kg vitamin E) group compared to the control group. These DEGs were significantly enriched in 13 Gene Ontology terms involved in muscle development and lipid metabolism; three signaling pathways, including the mitogen-activated protein kinase and FoxO signaling pathways, which play key roles in muscular and lipid metabolism; 28 biofunctional categories associated with skeletal and muscular system development; 17 lipid metabolism functional categories; and three lipid metabolism and muscle development-related networks. The DEGs, pathways, functional categories, and networks identified in this study provide new insights into the regulatory roles of vitamin E on IMF deposition in broilers. Therefore, diets supplemented with 100 IU/kg of vitamin E will be more beneficial to broiler production.