Poultry
Manoochehr Allymehr; Kamyar Yousefi; Alireza Talebi; Amir Tukmechi
Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 20 February 2024
Abstract
The aims of current investigation were to study the growth performance, carcass traits, meat quality and expression profile of Myostatin (MSTN), Insulin-like growth hormone type I (IGF-I), Myogenin (MyoG) and Myogenic regulatory factor 4 (MRF4) genes in three commercial broiler strains including Ross ...
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The aims of current investigation were to study the growth performance, carcass traits, meat quality and expression profile of Myostatin (MSTN), Insulin-like growth hormone type I (IGF-I), Myogenin (MyoG) and Myogenic regulatory factor 4 (MRF4) genes in three commercial broiler strains including Ross 308 (Ross), Cobb 500 (Cobb), and Arian (Arian) in 2023. A total of 240 one-day-old chicks were reared under an equalized standard management condition for six weeks. Performance, organ weights, meat quality, and the expression level of the myogenic genes in the pectoral muscle were investigated. The lowest body weight, feed intake, weight gain and highest feed conversion ratio (FCR) was observed for Arian at the end of the study (p<0.05). The meat quality was similar between strains (p>0.05). The IGF-I expression level was significantly higher at 42 days of age in Cobb compared to Ross and Arian (p<0.001). The MRF4 expression level was significantly higher at 28 days of age in Cobb compared to Ross (p<0.001). The MyoG expression level was significantly lower in Arian compared to Cobb at 42 days of age (p<0.05). Furthermore, the MSTN expression level was significantly lower in Cobb compared to Ross and Arian at 42 days of age (p<0.05). The remarkable differences in gene expression levels at the end of the rearing period was supported by higher growth performance and body weight of Cobb compared to RossandArian strains. In conclusion, the finding of current study will conveniently help to assess the performance of these broiler strains under similar rearing condition.
