Enhancing oxygen utilization and mitigating oxidative stress in Tibetan chickens for adaptation to high-altitude hypoxia

Tibetan chicken (TBC) is one of the native poultry species that is well adapted to the high-altitude environment of the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau. To elucidate the genetic mechanisms underlying adaptation, the transcriptomes of five tissues (heart (HE), lung (LU), liver (LI), ovary (OV), and abdominal f...

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Main Authors: Ruidong Hao, Xianpei Ao, Yijing Xu, Mengyu Gao, Cunling Jia, Xianggui Dong, Cirenluobu, Peng Shang, Yourong Ye, Zehui Wei
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-04-01
Series:Poultry Science
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0032579125001300
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author Ruidong Hao
Xianpei Ao
Yijing Xu
Mengyu Gao
Cunling Jia
Xianggui Dong
Cirenluobu
Peng Shang
Yourong Ye
Zehui Wei
author_facet Ruidong Hao
Xianpei Ao
Yijing Xu
Mengyu Gao
Cunling Jia
Xianggui Dong
Cirenluobu
Peng Shang
Yourong Ye
Zehui Wei
author_sort Ruidong Hao
collection DOAJ
description Tibetan chicken (TBC) is one of the native poultry species that is well adapted to the high-altitude environment of the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau. To elucidate the genetic mechanisms underlying adaptation, the transcriptomes of five tissues (heart (HE), lung (LU), liver (LI), ovary (OV), and abdominal fat (AB)) were compared between TBCs and Roman chickens (RMCs) inhabiting the plateau for one year. Moreover, weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was applied to detect tissue-associated modules and hub genes. A total of 1105, 239, 400, 483, and 275 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in the LI, HE, LU, AB, and OV tissues, respectively. Fifteen tissue-specific modules were identified in TBC and thirteen in RMC. Analysis of transcription factor (TF) binding sites revealed nineteen hub TFs in TBC and twenty in RMC across the pool of hub genes in these two breeds. Functional enrichment analyses demonstrated that TBC exhibited robust capacity for oxygen transport, heme binding, oxidative phosphorylation, and antioxidant responses in high-altitude regions. Further investigation of the function of hub TFs indicated the involvement of ATF4, CEBPA, TCF7L1, and GFI1B in improving oxygen transport in TBCs. These hub TFs were associated with angiogenesis or hematopoiesis and likely linked to various regulatory functions and facilitate communication across multiple tissues. In conclusion, TBCs have developed a systemic adaptive mechanism to cope with high altitudes, involving the coordinated transcriptional regulation in multi-tissues to enhance oxygen transport and utilization, along with amelioration of oxidative stress.
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spelling doaj-art-c9b1fee2b5ec4e11aef0501c45c1d6d72025-08-20T03:05:06ZengElsevierPoultry Science0032-57912025-04-01104410489310.1016/j.psj.2025.104893Enhancing oxygen utilization and mitigating oxidative stress in Tibetan chickens for adaptation to high-altitude hypoxiaRuidong Hao0Xianpei Ao1Yijing Xu2Mengyu Gao3Cunling Jia4Xianggui Dong5 Cirenluobu6Peng Shang7Yourong Ye8Zehui Wei9College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, PR ChinaCollege of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, PR ChinaCollege of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, PR ChinaCollege of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, PR ChinaCollege of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, PR ChinaCollege of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, PR ChinaInstitute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary, Tibet Academy of Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Sciences, Lhasa 860000, PR ChinaCollege of Animal Science, Tibet Agriculture and Animal Husbandry University, Nyingchi, Tibet 860000, PR ChinaCollege of Animal Science, Tibet Agriculture and Animal Husbandry University, Nyingchi, Tibet 860000, PR ChinaCollege of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, PR China; Corresponding author. College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, PR China.Tibetan chicken (TBC) is one of the native poultry species that is well adapted to the high-altitude environment of the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau. To elucidate the genetic mechanisms underlying adaptation, the transcriptomes of five tissues (heart (HE), lung (LU), liver (LI), ovary (OV), and abdominal fat (AB)) were compared between TBCs and Roman chickens (RMCs) inhabiting the plateau for one year. Moreover, weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was applied to detect tissue-associated modules and hub genes. A total of 1105, 239, 400, 483, and 275 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in the LI, HE, LU, AB, and OV tissues, respectively. Fifteen tissue-specific modules were identified in TBC and thirteen in RMC. Analysis of transcription factor (TF) binding sites revealed nineteen hub TFs in TBC and twenty in RMC across the pool of hub genes in these two breeds. Functional enrichment analyses demonstrated that TBC exhibited robust capacity for oxygen transport, heme binding, oxidative phosphorylation, and antioxidant responses in high-altitude regions. Further investigation of the function of hub TFs indicated the involvement of ATF4, CEBPA, TCF7L1, and GFI1B in improving oxygen transport in TBCs. These hub TFs were associated with angiogenesis or hematopoiesis and likely linked to various regulatory functions and facilitate communication across multiple tissues. In conclusion, TBCs have developed a systemic adaptive mechanism to cope with high altitudes, involving the coordinated transcriptional regulation in multi-tissues to enhance oxygen transport and utilization, along with amelioration of oxidative stress.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0032579125001300Tibetan chickenHigh-altitude adaptationHypoxiaTranscriptomeMulti-tissues
spellingShingle Ruidong Hao
Xianpei Ao
Yijing Xu
Mengyu Gao
Cunling Jia
Xianggui Dong
Cirenluobu
Peng Shang
Yourong Ye
Zehui Wei
Enhancing oxygen utilization and mitigating oxidative stress in Tibetan chickens for adaptation to high-altitude hypoxia
Poultry Science
Tibetan chicken
High-altitude adaptation
Hypoxia
Transcriptome
Multi-tissues
title Enhancing oxygen utilization and mitigating oxidative stress in Tibetan chickens for adaptation to high-altitude hypoxia
title_full Enhancing oxygen utilization and mitigating oxidative stress in Tibetan chickens for adaptation to high-altitude hypoxia
title_fullStr Enhancing oxygen utilization and mitigating oxidative stress in Tibetan chickens for adaptation to high-altitude hypoxia
title_full_unstemmed Enhancing oxygen utilization and mitigating oxidative stress in Tibetan chickens for adaptation to high-altitude hypoxia
title_short Enhancing oxygen utilization and mitigating oxidative stress in Tibetan chickens for adaptation to high-altitude hypoxia
title_sort enhancing oxygen utilization and mitigating oxidative stress in tibetan chickens for adaptation to high altitude hypoxia
topic Tibetan chicken
High-altitude adaptation
Hypoxia
Transcriptome
Multi-tissues
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0032579125001300
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