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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Fayetteville, Arkansas » Poultry Production and Product Safety Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #148696
Title: DIFFERENTIAL MITOCHONDRIAL PROTEIN EXPRESSION IN NON-ASCITIC AND ASCITIC CHICKENS.

Author
item Cisar, Cindy
item Balog, Janice
item ANTHONY, NICHOLAS - UNIV OF ARKANSAS
item IQBAL, MUHAMMAD - UNIV OF ARKANSAS
item BOTTJE, WALTER - UNIV OF ARKANSAS
item Donoghue, Ann - Annie

Submitted to: Annual Conference on Functional Genomics
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/1/2004
Publication Date: 5/14/2004
Citation: Cisar, C.R., Balog, J.M., Anthony, N., Iqbal, M., Bottje, W., Donoghue, A.M. 2004. Differential mitochondrial protein expression in non-ascitic and ascitic chickens [abstract]. Annual Conference on Functional Genomics. p. FG2.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Ascites syndrome, also known as pulmonary hypertension syndrome (PHS), is a significant problem for producers in the poultry industry. Meat-type birds such as broilers can develop PHS if exposed to cold, fed a high energy diet, or raised at high altitude. PHS in chickens is characterized by chronic elevated pulmonary blood pressure resulting in enlargement of the right ventricle of the heart, accumulation of fluid in the abdomen, and eventually death of the animal due to heart failure or other complications of the syndrome. Ascites resistant and susceptible chicken broiler lines developed previously were used in these experiments. PHS was induced by placing birds from each line at hatch into a hypobaric chamber (simulated altitude of 2,900 m). Over a six week period, the hearts of birds that exhibited symptoms of cyanosis and whose abdomens were enlarged were collected. Hearts were also collected from birds that were symptomless after six weeks in the hypobaric chamber. Right ventricle to total ventricle weight ratios (RV:TV) were calculated and used to confirm whether birds were ascitic or non-ascitic. Total protein extracts were prepared from the tissues and protein expression was measured by quantitative immunoblot using commercial antibodies to mammalian mitochondrial proteins. Seven chicken mitochondrial proteins were differentially expressed. The expression patterns differ by protein, line (PHS resistant vs. susceptible), and disease state of the bird (non-ascitic vs. ascitic). Quantitative RT-PCR experiments are underway to determine if expression is regulated at the gene or protein level.