Transcriptomic Analysis of Broiler Chickens Under Normal and Heat Stress Conditions

As global climate changes, it is important to improve the resilience of farm animals to the anticipated increases in average temperature and frequency of heat waves. One approach is to identify alleles that improve animals’ ability to survive in the face of heat stress. Our laboratories are using transcriptomics to identify genes in the chicken that are sensitive to heat, with the underlying hypothesis that such genes play a role in controlling the response of the animal to this stress.  Current studies are defining transcriptome responses of skeletal muscle, hypothalamus and pituitary in the Ross 708 broiler line to cyclical daily heat stress.  The presentation will focus on implications of these analyses from both control and heat stress conditions.