Poultry Science最新文献

{"title":"Corrigendum to “Research note: Genetic basis of the naked-neck trait in ake chickens revealed by whole-genome sequencing” [Poultry Science, Volume 104, Issue 4, April 2025, 104934]","authors":"Ronglang Cai , Zhongtao Yin , Shuang Gu , Xuemei Deng , Hesham Y.A. Darwish , Congjiao Sun , Ning Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.psj.2025.105166","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psj.2025.105166","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":20459,"journal":{"name":"Poultry Science","volume":"104 7","pages":"Article 105166"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143877430","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ecological prevalence and genomic characterization of Salmonella isolated from selected poultry farms in Jiangxi province, China","authors":"Xiaowu Jiang ,&nbsp;Abubakar Siddique ,&nbsp;Lexin Zhu ,&nbsp;Lin Teng ,&nbsp;Sajid Umar ,&nbsp;Yan Li ,&nbsp;Min Yue","doi":"10.1016/j.psj.2025.105197","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psj.2025.105197","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Non-typhoidal <em>Salmonella</em> (NTS), particularly antimicrobial-resistant serovars, remains the major source of foodborne bacterial illnesses. Raw chicken is the leading cause of human salmonellosis. In this study, we evaluated the prevalence, antimicrobial resistance profiles, and genomic features of 143/1,800 (7.94%) <em>Salmonella</em> strains isolated from poultry farms in five major regions of Jiangxi province, China, between 2022 and 2023 using Whole genome sequencing (WGS). Among <em>Salmonella</em> isolates, the most common serovars were Infantis (ST32) and Enteritidis (ST11). Resistance to amoxicillin and tetracycline was the most prevalent, with 60.84% of <em>Salmonella</em> isolates exhibiting a multi-drug resistance (MDR) pattern. The detection of antimicrobial-resistant genes (ARGs) examined was aligned with the resistant phenotypes found. A total of 61 ARGs were identified, with <em>aph(</em>3<em>′)-Ia, qnrS1, aph(</em>3<em>′')-Ib</em>, and <em>tetA</em> being the prominent ARGs. Furthermore, 24 beta-lactam genes were also identified, including <em>bla</em>_TEM<em>, bla</em>_SHV<em>, and bla</em>_CTX-M. The number of ARGs and the distribution of serovars varied according to the year, farms, and cities. <em>Salmonella</em> isolates carried 13 heavy metal resistance genes (HMRGs) and two biocide resistance genes, with <em>pcoS</em> being the most prevalent. A total of 145 virulence genes and 19 plasmids were found, with serovars Infantis and Enteritidis having the most virulence genes. The high occurrence of MDR <em>Salmonella</em> in this study, particularly carrying numerous mobile genetic elements (MGEs), posed a serious threat to food safety and public health, emphasizing the need to improve poultry farm hygiene to decrease contamination and transmission.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20459,"journal":{"name":"Poultry Science","volume":"104 7","pages":"Article 105197"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143868241","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Dietary resistant starch protects against post-antibiotic intestinal damage by restoring microbial homeostasis and preserving intestinal barrier function in meat duck","authors":"Simeng Qin ,&nbsp;Yifeng Zhu ,&nbsp;Gang Tian ,&nbsp;Martin Blomberg Jensen ,&nbsp;Keying Zhang ,&nbsp;Xuemei Ding ,&nbsp;Shiping Bai ,&nbsp;Jianping Wang ,&nbsp;Yue Xuan ,&nbsp;Qiufeng Zeng","doi":"10.1016/j.psj.2025.105213","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psj.2025.105213","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Resistant starch (<strong>RS</strong>) is recognized as a nutritional strategy that supports gut and overall host health by modulating gut microbiota. To directly assess the effects of RS on gut microbiota and its role in improving intestinal barrier function in meat ducks, this study first established an antibiotic-induced microbial dysbiosis model, which was characterized by reduced gut microbial diversity, intestinal dysfunction, and an inflammatory outburst following antibiotic exposure. Whereafter, in addition to the control group, ducks treated with antibiotics for 7 consecutive days were further allocated to two groups and fed the basal diet and RS diet that derived from 12 % raw potato starch until 21 d. The results demonstrated that dietary RS supplementation reversed the antibiotic-induced reduction in microbial diversity and restored the Firmicutes-to-Bacteroidetes ratio. Additionally, RS inclusion enriched beneficial bacterial genera, including <em>Coprobacter, Odoribacter</em>, and <em>Faecalibacterium</em> (LDA score &gt; 3). Post-antibiotic intervention led to a reduction in villus density and muscular thickness, accompanied by a significant downregulation (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05) of <em>zonula occludens-1</em> and <em>mucin-2</em> expression, along with increased serum pro-inflammatory cytokine levels (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05). Notably, dietary RS supplementation significantly enhanced (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05) the expression of <em>glucagon-like peptide receptor</em> and the anti-apoptotic factor <em>Bcl-2</em>, while suppressing caspase transcription. This resulted in increased villus height and muscular thickness in the ileum (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05). Furthermore, RS intervention remarkably reduced (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05) pro-inflammatory cytokine levels, particularly interleukin-1β and tumor necrosis factor-α, in both the ileum and serum. These effects were likely linked to alterations in cecal microbiota, including increased abundances of <em>Barnesiella, Ruminiclostridium 9, Megamonas, Faecalitalea, Adlercreutzia, Coprobacter</em> and <em>Collinsella</em>. In conclusion, dietary RS supplementation mitigated antibiotic-induced cecal microbial dysbiosis and restored intestinal structure by promoting enterocyte proliferation and reducing apoptosis. Consequently, RS supplementation helped alleviate systemic inflammation in meat ducks following antibiotic treatment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20459,"journal":{"name":"Poultry Science","volume":"104 7","pages":"Article 105213"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143877427","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Integrated 16S rRNA and metagenomic sequencing reveals the distribution of key antibiotic resistance genes in duck gut microbiota","authors":"Hongbo Zeng ,&nbsp;Hua Yang ,&nbsp;Zixian Fu ,&nbsp;Lingyan Ma ,&nbsp;Lizhi Lu ,&nbsp;Tao Zeng ,&nbsp;Yingping Xiao ,&nbsp;Wentao Lyu","doi":"10.1016/j.psj.2025.105206","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psj.2025.105206","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The duck gut microbiota is essential for host health and is considered a potential reservoir for antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). However, research on ARGs in the duck gut microbiota is limited. This study collected 120 intestinal content samples from five segments (duodenum, jejunum, ileum, cecum, and colorectum) of ducks raised under two rearing conditions (with or without an open-air swimming pool). We compiled a comprehensive inventory of microbial genes in the duck gut and conducted an analysis of microbial composition and function across all intestinal segments using 16S rRNA gene sequencing combined with metagenomics. The findings revealed that Firmicutes were the most prevalent microbes in all intestinal segments. In the foregut (duodenum, jejunum, and ileum), microbial functions were mainly related to genetic information processing such as transcription, translation, replication, and glycosynthesis/gluconeogenesis. Conversely, in the hindgut (cecum and colorectum), microbial functions were primarily associated with the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites and various metabolic pathways. The analysis of ARGs indicated a higher relative abundance of ARGs in the cecum and colorectum (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05) of ducks in the presence of an open-air swimming pool compared to the absence of one. Furthermore, through co-occurrence network analysis, we identified <em>Bacteroides, Roseburia, Ruminococcus</em>, and <em>Blautia</em> as potential hosts of ARGs such as <em>tetQ, tet32, tet37, vanR, vanG</em>, and <em>acrB</em> in the hindgut. This study provides new insights into the complex relationship between ARGs and the microbial community in duck intestines, laying a theoretical groundwork for understanding the transmission dynamics of ARGs in these ecosystems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20459,"journal":{"name":"Poultry Science","volume":"104 7","pages":"Article 105206"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143877428","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Synergistic transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses in Zi geese ovaries with different clutch lengths","authors":"Shengjun Liu ,&nbsp;Jiaxin Yin ,&nbsp;Kexin Cong ,&nbsp;Shan Yue ,&nbsp;Yuanliang Zhang ,&nbsp;Jinyan Sun ,&nbsp;Xiaofang Ren ,&nbsp;Ke Jiang ,&nbsp;Yunuo Liu ,&nbsp;Xiuhua Zhao","doi":"10.1016/j.psj.2025.105210","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psj.2025.105210","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The clutch is defined as consecutive days of oviposition. Clutch length is an index that reflects ovulation persistence, and is highly correlated with egg production in birds. To identify the genetic markers associated with clutch length in geese, two consecutive experiments were conducted. In the first experiment, 200 Zi geese were selected, all 230 days old, were selected from the same batch and raised individually in the same environment. Data of egg-laying and clutch traits were recorded. After the laying period, three geese with the longest clutch lengths were selected to form the length clutch group (<strong>LCG</strong>) and three geese with the shortest clutch lengths were formed the short clutch group (<strong>SCG</strong>). In the second experiment, the ovaries of six geese were collected for transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses. The results showed that large clutch length (<strong>LCL</strong>) and average clutch length (<strong>ACL</strong>) were positively correlated with egg number (<strong>EN</strong>) (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.01; <em>r</em> = 0.63 and 0.60, respectively). Large clutch number (<strong>LCN</strong>) was significantly correlated with the peak egg number (<strong>PEN</strong>) (<em>r</em> = 0.58, <em>P</em> &lt; 0.01) and EN (<em>r</em> = 0.60, <em>P</em> &lt; 0.01). EN, LCN, LCL, and ACL showed significant differences (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.01) between the two clutch length groups. Transcriptomic analysis identified 424 differentially expressed genes (<strong>DEGs</strong>). Functional enrichment analysis revealed that these DEGs were mainly involved in neuroactive ligand-receptor interactions, ovarian steroidogenesis, and calcium signaling pathways. Further, <em>AVPR1A, FGF14</em>, and <em>LHCGR</em> were predicted as the key genes regulating LCL. Metabolomic analysis identified 349 differential metabolites (<strong>DMs</strong>) in both the positive and negative ion modes. Pyruvate, isocitric acid, D/L‑serine, 3-phospho-<span>d</span>-glycerate, succinate, glycine, and glutamic acid were identified as the key metabolites mainly enriched in the signaling pathways of the TCA cycle. Integration of transcriptomic and metabolomic data revealed critical gene-metabolite pairs, including <em>ACSL4</em>–phosphoenolpyruvate, implicated in LCL regulation. In summary, this study provides new insights into the genes and molecular markers affecting LCL in Zi geese.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20459,"journal":{"name":"Poultry Science","volume":"104 7","pages":"Article 105210"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143877429","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Corrigendum to “Nutritional supplementation of breeding hens may promote embryonic development through the growth hormone-insulin like growth factor axis” [POULTRY SCIENCE 2024 Aug;103(8):103945./ 38905758]","authors":"Guoxia Wang,&nbsp;Haochu Deng,&nbsp;Taiping Wang,&nbsp;Xin Zheng","doi":"10.1016/j.psj.2025.105148","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psj.2025.105148","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":20459,"journal":{"name":"Poultry Science","volume":"104 7","pages":"Article 105148"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143859416","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Research note: Compound-specific isotopic analysis in 34S-labelled chicken tissues using high resolution gas chromatography/mass spectrometry","authors":"Julie Lalande ,&nbsp;Jean-Baptiste Domergue ,&nbsp;Yves Mercier ,&nbsp;Francis A. Eugenio ,&nbsp;Gonzalo Cantalapiedra-Hijar ,&nbsp;Sophie Tesseraud ,&nbsp;Guillaume Tcherkez","doi":"10.1016/j.psj.2025.105162","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psj.2025.105162","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Many food supplements include sulphur (S)-containing additives such as methionine or synthetic compounds like 2‑hydroxy-<em>S</em>-methyl-thiobutyric acid (HMTBA). However, monitoring the metabolic use efficiency of S-containing additive is challenging, and requires specific methods, based on isotopic labelling. The most direct route is the utilisation of ³⁴S-enriched material and subsequent measurement of ³⁴S-abundance in tissues. While this can be carried out routinely using elemental analysis coupled with isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) for bulk S from raw tissue material, there is currently no IRMS-based method adapted to compound-specific isotopic analysis for sulphur. Here, we present a method based on gas chromatography coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to measure ³⁴S-abundance in both free and protein-bound S containing amino acids. This method elaborates on metabolomics based on GC-MS analysis of trimethylsilylated extracts. Specific ion fragments comprising a sulphur atom could be identified and their isotopic pattern was used to compute % ³⁴S. The high resolution was useful to avoid the confounding effect of natural carbon (¹³C₂) or (¹⁸O) isotopologues but required a correction for silicium (Si) isotope because the mass excess of ³⁰Si (+ 1.9968 a.m.u.) was close to that of ³⁴S (+ 1.9957 a.m.u.) and therefore the ³⁰Si and ³⁴S isotopologues could not be separated. This technique was applied to broilers fed with ³⁴S-labelled methionine and showed that ³⁴S could be easily traced in different organs. ³⁴S-methionine redistributed mostly to homocysteine with little ³⁴S-enrichment in cysteine and taurine, due to the isotopic dilution by food cysteine supply. The results show that our method can be implemented to follow the metabolic incorporation of S-containing additives such as methionine in broilers.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20459,"journal":{"name":"Poultry Science","volume":"104 7","pages":"Article 105162"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143859420","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Music intervention mitigates LPS-induced gut barrier disruption and immune stress in broilers via TLR4/NF-κB regulation","authors":"Shengzi Jin ,&nbsp;Haowen Wang ,&nbsp;Haiyue Gong ,&nbsp;Lu Guo ,&nbsp;Haoran Zhang ,&nbsp;Jiaqi Zhang ,&nbsp;Qingqing Chang ,&nbsp;Jianhong Li ,&nbsp;Runxiang Zhang ,&nbsp;Jun Bao","doi":"10.1016/j.psj.2025.105189","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psj.2025.105189","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Immune stress induced by harsh environment in intensive farming can impair broiler intestinal health. Although music as an environmental intervention can alleviate short-term stress injury, its long-term regulatory mechanism on intestinal inflammation has not been clarified. In this study, we investigated the effects of a music-enriched environment on growth performance, intestinal barrier function, and inflammatory responses in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced immunostressed broilers. AA broilers were randomly divided into four groups: control group (<strong>CON</strong>), music-enriched environment group (<strong>MUC</strong>), LPS-induced immune stress group (<strong>LPS</strong>) and music-enriched environment + LPS group (<strong>MUC+LPS</strong>). On the 14th, 16th and 18th days, the LPS and MUC+LPS groups were injected intraperitoneally with 500 μg of LPS to construct an immune stress model, and the CON and MUC groups were injected with an equal amount of saline. On day 28, the birds were sacrificed to detect the indicators associated with intestinal barrier and inflammation. The LPS group showed a significant decrease in performance from 14 to 28 days, with elevated serum levels of CORT, ACTH, DAO, and <span>d</span>-LA, and a decrease in the activity of intestinal mucosal SOD/GSH-Px, and impaired gut morphology. impaired; music remission significantly alleviated the decline in production performance, reduced the levels of stress hormones and markers of intestinal barrier damage, while elevating jejuno-ileal GSH-Px activity and improving intestinal morphology. Significant inflammatory gene expression characteristics were observed in jejunum and ileum tissues after LPS injection: upregulation of TLR4, NF-κB, TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6, and significant suppression of jejunal IL-10 expression. Notably, IL-10 and IFN-γ expression in the ileum did not show statistical differences. Inflammation-related gene expression showed an overall down-regulation trend after the music intervention, but was still significantly different from the control group. Music intervention on the regulation of jejunal MYD88 and ileal TNF-α - the LPS group did not show statistically significant differences in the expression of these two key inflammatory nodes with the LPS+MUS group. Mechanistic studies have shown that LPS triggers an oxidative stress cascade through activation of the TLR4/NF-κB signaling axis, leading to disruption of intestinal barrier integrity. In contrast, music exposure exerts a protective effect through a dual mechanism: on the one hand, it helps to enhance the expression of the tight junction protein ZO-1/Occludin to repair the physical barrier; on the other hand, it inhibits the activation of the TLR4/NF-κB pathway, which can effectively alleviate LPS-induced immunopathological damage.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20459,"journal":{"name":"Poultry Science","volume":"104 7","pages":"Article 105189"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143877541","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Synergistic effects of copper and bile acids on cholesterol reduction in eggs of laying hens","authors":"Han Chen,&nbsp;Yifan Li,&nbsp;Shoukang Cao,&nbsp;Mingyang Wang,&nbsp;Yuqing Mu,&nbsp;Xuezhuang Wu","doi":"10.1016/j.psj.2025.105202","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psj.2025.105202","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates the combined effects of copper (Cu) and bile acids (BA) on production performance, lipid metabolism, and antioxidant capacity in laying hens. During a 67-day trial, a total of 300 Jingfen 8 laying hens aged 160 days were randomly allocated into four treatment groups: Control (basal diet), Cu (25 mg/kg Cu), BA (500 mg/kg BA), and Mix (a combination of 25 mg/kg Cu and 500 mg/kg BA). The results indicated that the Mix group experienced a significant decrease in egg cholesterol levels, particularly in the yolk cholesterol content, along with an enhancement in the total antioxidant capacity. Additionally, the liver cholesterol metabolism was modulated by upregulation of CYP7A1 and ABCG5, alongside downregulation of SREBP-2 and HMGCR. While Cu and BA individually showed minimal effects on production, their combination yielded a synergistic impact on lipid metabolism and antioxidant defense. However, the Mix group showed reduced liver zinc content, suggesting a Antagonistic relationship between Cu and Zn. These findings suggest that Cu and BA supplementation may enhance egg quality and metabolic health in laying hens, highlighting the importance of maintaining balanced trace element ratios in poultry diets.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20459,"journal":{"name":"Poultry Science","volume":"104 7","pages":"Article 105202"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143868374","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis of goose epididymis reveals molecular markers associated with sperm mobility","authors":"Xiaofang Ren ,&nbsp;Ke Jiang ,&nbsp;Jiaxin Yin ,&nbsp;Zhigang Ma ,&nbsp;Zhifeng Chen ,&nbsp;Kun Yang ,&nbsp;Shengjun Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.psj.2025.105180","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psj.2025.105180","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The low fertility of geese has long constrained the development of the geese industry. Sperm quality plays a critical role in fertility, and sperm mobility (<strong>SM</strong>) serves as a key indicator of sperm quality. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying SM remain largely unexplored. The objective of this study was to identify molecular markers associated with SM in the epididymis of Zi geese (Anser cygnoides L.). The SM of 40 one-year-old ganders was assessed. Based on SM values, six ganders were selected: three with the highest SM (H group: <em>n</em> = 3, SM = 0.43 ± 0.02) and three with the lowest SM (L group: <em>n</em> = 3, SM = 0.10 ± 0.01, <em>P</em> &lt; 0.001). Semen quality parameters, fertility, and hormone levels were measured in both groups. Epididymal tissues from the six ganders were subjected to transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses. Results identified 438 differentially expressed genes (<strong>DEGs</strong>) between the groups, primarily associated with transmembrane transport of proteins and ions. These DEGs were enriched in pathways such as “alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism,” “butanoate metabolism,” and the “PPAR signaling pathway.” Among these, <em>ATP12A, ATP1B4</em>, and <em>CNDP1</em> were identified as key genes regulating SM. Additionally, 486 metabolites showed significant differences between the groups in both positive and negative ion modes. Integration of transcriptomic and metabolomic data revealed critical gene-metabolite pairs, including <em>CNDP1</em>–citric acid, implicated in SM regulation. Notably, the “arginine biosynthesis” pathway was significantly enriched by both DEGs and differential metabolites. In conclusion, this study provides novel insights into the molecular mechanisms regulating SM in the epididymis and lays a theoretical foundation for geese breeding programs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20459,"journal":{"name":"Poultry Science","volume":"104 7","pages":"Article 105180"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143864778","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}