ArticleJournal of animal science2025
Chronic cyclic mild heat stress downregulates genes encoding muscle structural components, contributing to reduced breast muscle mass in broiler chickens with minimal impact on meat quality.
Article in Journal of animal science, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Sex-dependent responses to posthatch protein-reduced feeding in broilers derived from low-protein-fed hens.Poultry science · 2026Article
- Transcript isoform switching during embryonic and post-hatch development of broiler breast muscle.Poultry science · 2026Article
- The potential of in-ovo probiotics to replace antibiotic growth promoters in broiler diets: Effect on performance, meat quality, cecal fermentation and oxidative stress indicators.Poultry science · 2026Article
- Yeast β-glucan selenium nanoparticles enhance meat quality in heat-stressed broilers via SelO-mediated mitochondrial biogenesis and oxidative myofiber remodeling.Journal of animal science and biotechnology · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Heat stress (HS), whether constant or cyclic, poses a significant challenge to the poultry industry, leading to reduced performance, compromised animal welfare, and health issues. Despite its well-known effects, the specific impact of HS on muscle growth and development remains incompletely understood. This study investigated the effects of chronic cyclic mild HS on body weight (BW), breast muscle yield (BMY), meat quality, glycolytic metabolites, and gene expression in the breast muscles of finishing broilers. A total of 900 Ross 308 chicks (450 males and 450 females) were reared under thermoneutral (TN, n = 10 pens, 5 pens/sex, 45 birds/pen, 450 birds in total) or HS (n = 10 pens, 5 pens/sex, 45 birds/pen, 450 birds in total) conditions (30 °C, 45% RH for 10 h/d from days 28 to 34). On day 35, 2 birds per pen were sampled for meat quality and RNA-Seq analysis. HS reduced BW (P = 0.002) and Pectoralis major muscle yield (P = 0.02) and tended to decrease BMY (P = 0.06). Meat quality traits, glycolytic metabolites, and muscle protein functional properties were not affected (P > 0.05), likely due to compensatory feed intake before and after HS exposure. Transcriptomic analysis revealed 301 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), including 138 downregulated and 163 upregulated genes under HS (|Log2FC| > 1.0, P < 0.05). Several downregulated DEGs showed significant positive correlations with BW and muscle mass. Functional enrichment indicated these genes were involved in structural pathways, including extracellular matrix-receptor interaction, cytoskeleton organization in muscle cells, and regulation of the actin cytoskeleton. These pathways are essential for muscle integrity, growth, and repair. Our findings suggest a previously underexplored mechanism by which HS impairs broiler performance through disruption of structural gene networks critical for muscle development.
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