Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41723957›Full record

ArticlePoultry science2026

Nanopore long-read RNA sequencing reveals key genes regulating pre-hierarchical follicle development in the chicken ovary.

Xiaoyun Cao, Wenting Xu, Hongrui Zhang, Jiale Zhang, Yunliang Jiang, Xianyao Li, Li Kang

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Poultry science, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Xiaoyun CaoCollege of Animal Science and Technology, Shandong Agricultural University, 7 Panhe Street, Taian 271017, China.
Wenting XuCollege of Animal Science and Technology, Shandong Agricultural University, 7 Panhe Street, Taian 271017, China.
Hongrui ZhangCollege of Animal Science and Technology, Shandong Agricultural University, 7 Panhe Street, Taian 271017, China.
Jiale ZhangCollege of Animal Science and Technology, Shandong Agricultural University, 7 Panhe Street, Taian 271017, China.
Yunliang JiangCollege of Animal Science and Technology, Shandong Agricultural University, 7 Panhe Street, Taian 271017, China; Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory for Livestock Germplasm Innovation & Utilization, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian 271017, China.
Xianyao LiCollege of Animal Science and Technology, Shandong Agricultural University, 7 Panhe Street, Taian 271017, China; Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory for Livestock Germplasm Innovation & Utilization, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian 271017, China.
Li KangCollege of Animal Science and Technology, Shandong Agricultural University, 7 Panhe Street, Taian 271017, China; Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory for Livestock Germplasm Innovation & Utilization, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian 271017, China. Electronic address: kang916@sdau.edu.cn.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

During the egg laying period of a hen, one pre-hierarchical follicle, approximately 6-8 mm in size, is selected into the preovulatory hierarchy for ovulatory stage development. These follicles develop from white follicles that are 2-5 mm in size. Although numerous studies have investigated follicle selection, the molecular mechanisms underlying pre-hierarchical follicle development and recruitment remain unclear. In this study, we explored the genes regulating chicken ovarian pre-hierarchical follicular development by sequencing RNA from ≤ 2 mm follicles in ovarian stroma (OS), 3-4 mm small white follicles (SWFs), and 6-8 mm small yellow follicles (SYFs) using Oxford Nanopore long-read transcriptome sequencing technology. Herein, we obtained 2,164 differentially expressed transcripts (DETs) from the three phases. The steroidogenesis and angiogenesis signaling pathways were enriched in SWFs compared with in OS. In contrast, the endocytosis, p53, FoxO, and oocyte meiotic signaling pathways were significantly enriched during SYF development compared with during SWF development. The focal adhesion, apelin, and TGF-β signaling pathways were significantly enriched in all three phases. The time-course analysis of DETs and cluster Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment revealed dynamic changes in gene expression during pre-hierarchical follicle development. Key examples include the genes associated with follicle initial recruitment and development (AMH, GDF9, INHBB, BMPR1B, StAR, and FST), angiogenesis-related genes (ANGPT2, VEGFA, VEGFC, VEGFD, and VEGFRs), extracellular matrix remodeling-related genes (MMP2 and MMP10), and Wnt signaling pathway genes (WNT4, WNT9A, CTNNB1, RSPO3, and WIF1). Moreover, RSPO3 upregulated the expression of FSHR and StAR in cultured chicken Pre-hierarchical follicle granulosa cells and activated the Wnt signaling pathway. The results obtained in this study demonstrate the transcriptional dynamics during small folliculogenesis; the identified signaling pathways and DETs can be used as candidate targets for investigating pre-hierarchical follicle development in chickens.

Indexed as

ChickensOvarian FollicleTranscriptomeAnimalsFemaleGene Expression ProfilingSequence Analysis, RNAChickenDifferentially expressed transcriptsInitial recruitmentOvaryPre-hierarchical follicle

Identifiers

PMID41723957
PMCPMC12945630

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.