Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41833118›Full record

ArticlePoultry science2026

Integrative genomic analysis and gene expression patterns reveal a cardio-neuroendocrine signaling network for heat adaptation in geographically diverse chickens.

Ali Hassan Nawaz, Qiqian Cui, Jiqiang Ding, Shaokat Ali, Dong Leng, Nasir Mukhtar, Phatthawin Setthaya, Niraporn Chaiwang, Zheya Sheng, Diyan Li and 3 more

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Article in Poultry science, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing 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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Ali Hassan NawazCollege of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China.
Qiqian CuiState Key Laboratory of Animal Biotech Breeding, National Research Facility for Phenotypic and Genotypic Analysis of Model Animals (Beijing), College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
Jiqiang DingCollege of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China.
Shaokat AliCollege of Animal Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Hubei, Wuhan 430070, China.
Dong LengCollege of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China.
Nasir MukhtarDepartment of Livestock Production and Management, Faculty of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, PMAS- Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
Phatthawin SetthayaMultidisciplinary Research Institute, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand.
Niraporn ChaiwangDivision of Animal Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Chiang Mai Rajabhat University, Chiang Mai 50300, Thailand.
Zheya ShengCollege of Animal Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Hubei, Wuhan 430070, China.
Diyan LiSchool of Pharmacy, Chengdu University, Chengdu 610106, China.
Thobela Louis TyasiDepartment of Agricultural Economics and Animal Production, University of Limpopo, Private Bag X1106, Sovenga 0727, Limpopo, South Africa.
Yiqiang ZhaoState Key Laboratory of Animal Biotech Breeding, National Research Facility for Phenotypic and Genotypic Analysis of Model Animals (Beijing), College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
Chungang FengCollege of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China. Electronic address: fengchungang@njau.edu.cn.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Indigenous chickens in tropical regions routinely survive high environmental temperatures (40-45 °C) that cause significant mortality and production loss in commercial breeds, yet the genetic mechanisms of thermotolerance remain poorly understood. This study integrated genome-wide selective scans across 14 geographically and climatically diverse chicken breeds with multi-tissue expression data, gene expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) analysis, transcriptome-wide association study (TWAS), and cross-species phenome-wide association study (PheWAS) to validate candidate genes. We identified 25 high-confidence genes under selection, with ATP1A1, PLCB4, RYR2 and AKT3 forming a regulatory hub coordinating cardiovascular, calcium and survival signaling. These genes converge on interconnected adrenergic, calcium, and GnRH signaling pathways, with coordinated expression across heart, hypothalamus, and liver forming an integrated thermoregulatory axis. The eQTL integration analysis using ChickenGTEx data identified 359 tissue-specific cis-eQTLs in selected regions. Additionally, TWAS analysis linked ATP1A1 to 145 gene-trait associations across 13 tissues and 14 trait categories (hepatic regulation, β = -2.13, p = 4.21 × 10⁻¹²), and cross-species PheWAS validated conserved roles in cardiovascular function (RYR2, resting heart rate p = 4.9 × 10⁻¹²), and ionic homeostasis (ATP1A1, chloride p = 1.18 × 10⁻³). In parallel, we also identified robust genomic signatures of domestication in classic candidate genes (TSHR, TBC1D1, BDNF), highlighting how initial separation from Red Jungle Fowl and subsequent adaptation to diverse climates have shaped the genetic and physiological diversity of the domesticated chicken. Collectively, our results reveal an integrated cardio-neuroendocrine calcium network driving heat adaptation, providing potential targets for breeding heat-tolerant chickens.

Indexed as

Avian ProteinsChickensSignal TransductionThermotoleranceTranscriptomeAnimalsGene Expression ProfilingGenome-Wide Association StudyGenomicsQuantitative Trait LociAvian ProteinsChickenChickenGTExHeat adaptationSelective sweepTWAS

Identifiers

PMID41833118
PMCPMC12999318

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.