Progress 04/01/20 to 03/31/25
Outputs
Target Audience:Work this period benefited other scientists/researchers and trainees by increasing our knowledge of the cellular and molecular mechanisms regulating skeletal muscle growth and resulted in the establishment of a model with which we can reliably produce WB-affected and normal broilers for experiments aimed at understanding the etiology of this costly meat quality defect. Commercial poultry meat producers will also benefit from work in this period as we continue to work toward developing approaches to maximize the efficiency of lean meat production as well as aid them in developing selection tools and management strategies to eliminate the Wooden Breast quality defect from the chicken meat supply. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Graduate research assistants, a technician, undergraduate research assistants, and visiting research scholars all received training in the various animal husbandry, sample collection, lab techniques, data analysis, and oral/poster presentation of data, both in-person and virtually. Students/mentees at all levels presented at local and international scientific conferences and symposia and interacted with other scientists and industry stakeholders. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results from this project reporting period have been presented at local, state, national, and international scientific meetings where industry stakeholders and other research scientists were in attendance. Presentation abstracts were published in peer-reviewed, scientific association journals. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The Wooden Breast (WB) broiler breast muscle myopathy is a complex physiological problem in which the role of muscle stem cell function has been unclear for more than a decade. Our early work revealed that the different populations of muscle-specific stem cells called satellite cells (SC) were altered in WB-affected broiler chickens compared with their normal flock mates. In completing project objectives 1 and 2, we have discovered that the SC isolated from WB-affected broilers and subsequently labeled with fluorescent markers can successfully proliferate, differentiate, and fuse into myofibers after in vitro culturing for several days. This finding supports the idea that there is an inherent issue with the local or systemic environment in the birds the cells originated from and that at least some cells in the birds can function normally in vitro. To complete objective 2, breast muscle SC were isolated and labeled SC and then transplanted immediately without culturing from WB-affected birds into the breast muscles of unaffected birds from a slow-growing line as well as from normal, slow-growing birds into WB-affected birds. As expected, subsequent retrieval of the labeled SC post-transplant proved to be our biggest challenge. We searched thoroughly for the labeled SC in breast muscles of recipient birds at 4, 6, and 8 days post-transplantation. We have yet to recover enough of the labeled SC from both donor-recipient groups post-transplant to determine whether the labeled SC were functioning properly in their new environment in the recipient muscle. This was a challenge we identified early on, and we hypothesize that it's most likely a combination of the difficult recovery process as well as the theory that the labeled SC were effectively removed by the host bird's innate immune system resident macrophage cells and just aren't there to find. Further experimentation will be required to determine if this is the case or not. Regardless of the overall outcome, this project team is the first to successfully isolate, fluorescently label, and transplant labeled muscle SC in modern broiler chickens as well as demonstrated that these cells are capable of functioning normally in culture. The methods we developed by completing this project propelled the WB muscle biology research field forward meaningfully, and sets the stage for other researchers to conduct these types of experiments to further our knowledge not only of fundamental mechanisms controlling skeletal muscle growth and repair but also continuing our quest to determine why the highest yielding, fastest growing broilers are unable to repair their muscle and develop the WB myopathy. Future experiments can now be designed using our results and experience to further investigate the role of muscle SC in the WB myopathy.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Starkey, J. D. 2024. Impact of maternal and postnatal 25-hydroxycholecalciferol supplementation on porcine and avian satellite cell mitotic activity and skeletal muscle growth characteristics. 2024 American Society of Animal Science Annual Meeting Growth & Development Symposium. J. Anim. Sci. 102 (E-suppl.).
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Rueda, M. S., J. D. Davis, J. D. Starkey, J. L. Purswell, C. M. Edge, J. C. Campbell, Catarina Stefanello, C. R. Smith, and B. I. Baker-Cook. 2024. Determining feed spillage of broilers using two commercial feeders and two supplemental feeders during the starter phase. Poult. Sci. 103 (E-suppl).
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2025
Citation:
Sandoval, J. L., J. W. Rogers, G. A. Abascal-Ponciano, C. W. Starkey, and J. D. Starkey. 2025. Effects of broiler genetic strain and diet on growth performance and Wooden Breast incidence. International Poultry Scientific Forum. Poult. Sci. 104 (E-suppl).
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2025
Citation:
Abascal-Ponciano, G. A., M. D. Boersma, A. J. Keel, C. W. Starkey, and J. D. Starkey. 2025. Effect of litter condition on the duodenal proteome of young broiler chickens. International Poultry Scientific Forum. Poult. Sci. 104 (E-suppl).
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2025
Citation:
Rogers, J. W., B. L. Hutson, M. S. Rueda, J. D. Davis, K. E. Elliott, C. L. Hanlon, C. W. Starkey, and J. D. Starkey. 2025. Effect of thermal variation during early-stage incubation on broiler chicken muscle satellite cell populations at transfer and hatch. International Poultry Scientific Forum. Poult. Sci. 104 (E-suppl).
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2025
Citation:
Barberena, J. J., J. W. Rogers, J. E. Banegas, B. L. Hutson, M. S. Rueda, J. D. Davis, K. E. Elliott, C. L. Hanlon, C. W. Starkey, and J. D. Starkey. 2025. Effect of thermal variation during late-stage incubation on broiler chicken body weight gain and Pectoralis major muscle growth characteristics. International Poultry Scientific Forum. Poult. Sci. 104 (E-suppl).
|
Progress 04/01/23 to 03/31/24
Outputs
Target Audience:Work during this period benefited other scientists/researchers and trainees by increasing our knowledge of the cellular and molecular mechanisms regulating skeletal muscle growth and resulted in the establishment of a model with which we can reliably produce WB-affected and normal broilers for experiments aimed at understanding the etiology of this costly meat quality defect. Commercial poultry meat producers will also benefit from work in this period as we continue to work toward developing approaches to maximize the efficiency of lean meat production as well as aid them in developing selection tools and management strategies to eliminate the Wooden Breast quality defect from the chicken meat supply. Changes/Problems:The unexpected continued avian influenza and reovirus outbreaks and ongoing COVID-related supply chain disruptions have made it difficult to secure all the supplies and reagents needed for this work in a timely manner. In addition, the effort required to establish a reliable model in which we can produce both affected and unaffected (control) broilers from modern commercial broiler lines has proven time-consuming and difficult. Combined, these issues have resulted in significant delays in project progress, particularly for objective 2. However, the objectives remain the same and we have now obtained a suitable control broiler strain that does not develop Wooden Breast and we expect to complete the project in the next reporting period. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Sixteen graduate research assistants, 1 technician, 2 undergraduate research assistants, and 12 visiting research scholars all received training in various animal husbandry, sample collection, lab techniques, data analysis, and oral/poster presentation of data, both in-person and virtually. Students/mentees at all levels presented at local and international scientific conferences and symposia and interacted with other scientists and industry stakeholders. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results from this project reporting period have been presented at local, state, national, and international scientific meetings where industry stakeholders and other research scientists were in attendance. Results were published in peer-reviewed journals. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In the next project reporting period, we will conduct the fluorophore-labeled MSC transplantation and tracking experiments where MSC isolated from WB-affected and unaffected birds will be transplanted into WB-affected. We will utilize both high-yielding/fast-growing modern commercial broiler genetic strains as well as a slow-growing broiler line for the unaffected control. The successful completion of those experiments will accomplish the goals of Objective 2 thus competition of the project.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Toward accomplishing the specific project goals, we have now successfully established a broiler-rearing model using 30% starter diet nutrient restriction strategy which slows the growth rate and delays the development of WB up to 7 days compared with unrestricted, fast-growing broilers commercial diet and develops a WB phenotype that is palpable to the touch as early as 14 days post-hatch. In addition, we have successfully isolated, fluorescently labeled, and cultured labeled MSC from WB-affected (fast-growing genetics) and unaffected (slow-growing genetics) broilers during this reporting period. The work completed in this project period sets us up well to complete the live bird MSC transplant experiments (Objective 2) and thus the project. The results of this work are useful for industry stakeholders and research scientists in determining potential interventions to reduce the incidence of or eliminate this costly meat quality defect from the chicken meat industry.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
i. Gregg, C. R., Hutson, B. L., Flees, J. J., C. W. Starkey, J. D. Starkey. 2023. Comparing standard and physiological cell culture temperatures on in vitro proliferation and differentiation of primary broiler chicken Pectoralis major muscle satellite cells. Frontiers in Physiology: Avian Physiology. DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2023.1288809
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
ii. Flees, J. J., A. J. Keel, C. R. Gregg, C. W. Starkey, and J. D. Starkey. 2023. Effects of light intensity and reduction of starter diet digestible lysine and metabolizable energy on broiler chicken growth performance, breast meat yield, and meat quality defects. Poult. Sci. Poult. Sci. 102. DOI: 10.1016/j.psj.2023.103222.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
i. Rogers, J. W.!, B. L. Hutson, M. S. Rueda, J. D. Davis, J. L. Purswell, C. W. Starkey, and J. D. Starkey. Assessment of early-stage thermal manipulation on broiler chicken muscle satellite cell populations at transfer and hatch. 2023. American Society of Animal Science Annual Meeting. J. Anim. Sci. 101 (E-Suppl)
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
ii. Fiallos, O. B., B. L. Hutson, M. S. Rueda, J. D. Davis, J. L. Purswell, C. W. Starkey, and J. D. Starkey. Evaluation of thermal variation during early-stage incubation on broiler chicken Pectoralis major muscle satellite cell mitotic activity and heterogeneity at 28 days post-hatch. 2023. American Society of Animal Science Annual Meeting. J. Anim. Sci. 101 (E-Suppl)
|
Progress 04/01/22 to 03/31/23
Outputs
Target Audience:Work during this period benefited other scientists/researchers, and trainees by increasing our knowledge of the cellular and molecular mechanisms regulating skeletal muscle growth. It resulted in the establishment of a model with which we can reliably produce WB-affected and normal broilers for experiments aimed at understanding the etiology of this costly meat quality defect. Commercial poultry meat producers will also benefit from work in this period as we continue to work toward developing approaches to maximize the efficiency of lean meat production and aid them in developing selection tools and management strategies to eliminate the Wooden Breast quality defect from the chicken meat supply. Changes/Problems:The unexpected continued COVID pandemic-related disruptions of normal research operations, ongoing COVID-related supply chain disruptions, and avian influenza outbreaks have made it difficult to secure all the supplies and reagents needed for this work. In addition, the effort required to establish a reliable model to produce both affected and unaffected (control) broilers from modern commercial broiler lines has proven time-consuming and difficult. These issues have resulted in significant delays in project progress, particularly for objective 2. However, the objectives remain the same, and we expect to complete the project in the next reporting period. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Twelve graduate research assistants, 1 technician, 6 undergraduate research assistants, and 10 visiting research scholars all received training in various animal husbandry, sample collection, lab techniques, data analysis, and oral/poster presentation of data, both in-person and virtually. Students at all levels presented at local and international scientific conferences and symposia and interacted with other scientists and industry stakeholders. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results from this project reporting period have been presented at local, state, national, and international scientific meetings where industry stakeholders and other research scientists were in attendance. Results were published in peer-reviewed journals. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In the next project reporting period, we will conduct cell labeling and tracking experiments where MSC isolated from WB-affected and unaffected birds will be transplanted into WB-affected. We will utilize both high-yielding/fast-growing modern commercial broilers and a slow-growing broiler line for the unaffected control. The successful completion of those experiments will accomplish the goals of Objective 2, thus competition of the project.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The increasing demand for chicken meat globally has required tremendous improvements in broiler meat yield, growth rate, and feed efficiency. Unfortunately, along with these improvements came a severe breast meat quality defect called Wooden or Woody Breast (WB), whose cause has yet to be determined but results in chicken breast fillets that are hard to the touch due to extensive connective tissue deposition. This defect results in poor-quality meat that results in a negative eating experience for consumers and costs the commercial broiler chicken industry billions of dollars each year in lost revenue due to the repurposing of WB-affected chicken breast fillets. Skeletal muscle stem cells, also called satellite cells (MSC), play a critical role in post-hatch broiler skeletal muscle growth, repair, and maintenance. Yet, the relationship between MSC function in high-yielding broilers and the development of WB myopathy is still not well understood. Our work has been focused on determining how and why the WB defect occurs and the role of the MSC in developing this costly chicken meat quality defect. We have determined that the relative size and mitotic activity of the various MSC and macrophage populations and collagen deposition are altered in WB-affected muscle compared with normal. Alterations in myogenic regulatory factor, autophagy pathway, and pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine protein expression in WB-affected muscles have also been observed. Overall, these findings support the idea that abnormal MSC function has a major role in the development of WB myopathy. To accomplish the specific project goals, we have successfully isolated and cultured MSC from WB-affected and unaffected broilers and characterized their regulatory factor expression heterogeneity over time in culture. In addition, the culture conditions for MSC from today's high-yielding broilers, including temperature, plating strata, oxygen and carbon dioxide concentrations, and media composition, have all been assessed and optimized to support our remaining experiments for completing Objective 2. In addition, we have also established a broiler-rearing model using starter diet nutrient restriction with slows growth rate and with which we can reliably produce both normal and WB-affected broilers further to study the etiology of this costly meat quality defect. Even with 30% reductions in nutrient density throughout the growing period, which is not feasible for commercial producers, the WB defect could still not be completely eliminated. Therefore, the work aimed at understanding the extent of collagen infiltration, MSC population heterogeneity in myogenic regulatory factor expression, and macrophage populations were also characterized in both WB-affected and unaffected birds fed normal and nutrient-reduced diets. The work completed in this project period sets us up well to complete the live bird MSC transplant experiments (Objective 2) and, thus, the project. The results of this work are useful for industry stakeholders and research scientists in determining potential interventions to reduce the incidence of or eliminate this costly meat quality defect from the chicken meat industry.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Flees, J.J., C. W. Starkey, and J. D. Starkey. 2022. Effect of different basal culture media and sera type combinations on primary broiler chicken muscle satellite cell heterogeneity during proliferation and differentiation. Animals (Basel). 12(11):1425. doi: 10.3390/ani12111425.
- Type:
Theses/Dissertations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Gregg, C. R. Optimizing in vitro culture conditions for broiler chicken Pectoralis major muscle satellite cells. Auburn University M.Sc. Thesis.
- Type:
Theses/Dissertations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Flees, J. J. Role of muscle satellite cells in the Wooden Breast broiler chicken meat quality defect. Auburn University Ph.D. Dissertation.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Flees, J. J., C. R. Gregg, B. L. Wall, G. A. Abascal-Ponciano, C. W. Starkey, and J. D. Starkey. 2022. Effect of starter diet nutrient restriction and feed form on broiler chickens until 19 days of age. Poult. Sci. 101 (E-suppl.)
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Gregg, C. R., B. L. Wall, J. J. Flees, C. W. Starkey, and J. D. Starkey. 2022. Impact of initial cell plating density of broiler chicken Pectoralis major muscle satellite cells on viability, proliferation, and heterogeneity. Poult. Sci. 101 (E-suppl.)
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Flees, J. J., G. A. Abascal-Ponciano, C. I. Almendares, S. J. Herrera, C. W. Starkey, and J. D. Starkey. 2023. Effect of starter diet nutrient reductions and feed form on Pectoralis major collagen infiltration and heterogeneity of muscle satellite cell and macrophage populations in young broiler chickens. Poult. Sci. 102 (E-Suppl)
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Gregg, C. R., B. L. Wall, J. J. Flees, C. W. Starkey, and J. D. Starkey. 2023. Comparison of standard and physiological cell culture temperatures on proliferation and differentiation of broiler chicken Pectoralis major primary muscle satellite cells. Poult. Sci. 102 (E-Suppl).
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Wall, B. L., C. R. Gregg, J. J. Flees, C. I. Almendares, O. B. Fiallos, C. W. Starkey, and J. D. Starkey. 2023. Evaluation of dietary nutrient reduction on broiler chicken growth performance, carcass characteristics, and breast meat quality defects. Poult. Sci. 102 (E-Suppl).
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Sandoval, J. L., B. L. Wall, J. E. Banegas, J. D. Starkey, and C. W. Starkey. 2022. Effect of physical feed form on crop fill and growth performance of 3-d-old broiler chickens. Poult. Sci. 101 (E-suppl.)
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Wall, B. L., M. S. Rueda, J. D. Davis, J. L. Purswell, C. W. Starkey, and J. D. Starkey. 2022. Evaluation of thermal variation during early-stage incubation on broiler chicken growth performance, carcass characteristics, and the breast meat quality defects, Wooden Breast and White Striping. Poult. Sci. 101 (E-suppl.)
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Banegas, J. E., B. L. Wall, M. S. Rueda, J. D. Davis, J. L. Purswell, C. W. Starkey, and J. D. Starkey. 2023. Effect of thermal variation during late-stage incubation on broiler chicken growth performance, carcass characteristics, and meat quality defects. Poult. Sci. 102 (E-Suppl).
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Rogers, J. W., J. E. Banegas, B. L. Wall, M. S. Rueda, J. D. Davis, J. L. Purswell, C. W. Starkey, and J. D. Starkey. 2023. Assessment of late-stage thermal manipulation on broiler chicken pectoralis major muscle satellite cell heterogeneity at hatch. Poult. Sci. 102 (E-Suppl).
|
Progress 04/01/21 to 03/31/22
Outputs
Target Audience:Work this period benefited other scientists/researchers and trainees by increasing our knowledge of the cellular and molecular mechanisms regulating skeletal muscle growth and resulted in the establishment of a model with which we can reliably produce WB-affected and normal broilers for experiments aimed at understanding the etiology of this costly meat quality defect. Commercial poultry meat producers will also benefit from work in this period as we continue to work toward developing approaches to maximize the efficiency of lean meat production as well as aid them in developing selection tools and management strategies to eliminate the Wooden Breast quality defect from the chicken meat supply. Changes/Problems:The unexpected continued COVID pandemic-related disruptions of normal research operations combined with supply chain disruptions have made it difficult to secure all of the supplies and reagents needed for this work. These issues have resulted in significant delays in project progress, particularly for Objective 2. The objectives remain the same and we expect to make significant progress on the project in the next reporting period. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Twelve graduate research assistants, 1 technician, 6 undergraduate research assistants, and 10 visiting research scholars all received training in the various animal husbandry, sample collection, lab techniques, data analysis, and oral/poster presentation of data, both in-person and virtually. Students at all levels presented at local and international scientific conferences and symposia and interacted with other scientists and industry stakeholders. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results from this project reporting period have been presented at state, national, and international scientific meetings where industry stakeholders and other research scientists were in attendance. Results were published in peer-reviewed journals. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In the next project reporting period, we will focus on conducting the cell labeling and tracking experiments where MSC isolated from WB-affected and unaffected birds will be transplanted into WB-affected. The successful completion of those experiments will accomplish the goals of Objective 2.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
To meet the huge global demand for chicken meat, the commercial broiler industry has placed tremendous genetic selection pressure on breast meat yield, growth rate, and feed efficiency traits and has made remarkable improvements over the last 30 years. Unfortunately, along with those tremendous improvements has come a severe meat quality defect whose cause has yet to be elucidated. The Wooden (or Woody) Breast (WB) meat quality defect is characterized by visible bulging of the breast fillet with extreme hardness to the touch. The WB phenotype has been characterized by histopathologists as a degenerative myopathy in which excessive fibrotic tissue infiltration occurs. Skeletal muscle stem cells also called satellite cells (MSC) play a critical role in post-hatch broiler skeletal muscle growth, repair, and maintenance. Yet, the relationship between MSC function in high-yielding broilers and the development of the WB myopathy is still not well understood. The major objectives of the project are to 1) assess the extent to which MSC function is impaired in WB-affected birds, 2) determine whether the apparent aberrant function of the satellite cell populations are due to an issue with the MSC themselves and/or their environment. Our recent work using in vivo cell labeling, cryohistology, and immunofluorescence techniques demonstrates that the relative size and mitotic activity of the various MSC and macrophage populations and collagen deposition are altered in WB-affected muscle compared with normal. Alterations in myogenic regulatory factor, autophagy pathway, and pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine protein expression in WB-affected muscles have also been observed using quantitative fluorescent Western blotting. These data suggest the involvement of aberrant MSC function in the development of WB myopathy. Objective 2. We have successfully isolated and cultured MSC from WB-affected and unaffected broilers and have characterized their regulatory factor expression heterogeneity over time in culture. In addition, the culture conditions for MSC from today's high-yielding broilers, including temperature, plating strata, oxygen and carbon dioxide concentrations as well as media composition have all been assessed. We found that MSC from modern, high-yielding broilers proliferate and differentiate effectively when cultured in warmer temperatures closer to normal bird body temperature and with lower oxygen concentrations. The MSC can be grown and differentiate into myotubes on gelatin-coated culture dishes. We have also established a broiler rearing model using starter diet nutrient restriction with slows growth rate and with which we can reliably produce both normal and WB-affected broilers to further study the etiology of this costly meat quality defect. In the next reporting period live bird transplant experiments will commence and we will work toward achieving project objective 2. The results of this work are useful for industry stakeholders and research scientists in determining potential interventions to reduce the incidence of or eliminate this costly meat quality defect from the chicken meat industry.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Wall, B. L., J. J. Flees, C. R. Gregg, and J. D. Starkey. 2021. Effect of cell culture plate gelatin coating method on density
of primary broiler chicken skeletal muscle satellite cells. Poult. Sci. 100 (E-suppl.)
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Flees, J. J., B. L. Wall, C. R. Gregg, and J. D. Starkey. 2021. Effect of basal plating culture media on primary broiler
chicken muscle satellite cell myogenic regulatory factor expression heterogeneity. Poult. Sci. 100 (E-suppl.)
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Gregg, C. R., J. J. Flees, B. L. Wall, and J. D. Starkey. 2021. Effect of in vitro culture temperature on heterogeneity of
myogenic regulatory factor expression in primary broiler chicken satellite cells. Poult. Sci. 100 (E-suppl.)
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Wall, B. L., J. J. Flees, C. R. Gregg, and J. D. Starkey. 2021. Effect of cell culture plate gelatin coating method on density
of primary broiler chicken skeletal muscle satellite cells. Auburn University Research Symposium
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Flees, J. J., B. L. Wall, C. R. Gregg, and J. D. Starkey. 2021. Effect of basal plating culture media on primary broiler
chicken muscle satellite cell myogenic regulatory factor expression heterogeneity. Auburn University Research Symposium
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Gregg, C. R., J. J. Flees, B. L. Wall, and J. D. Starkey. 2021. Effect of in vitro culture temperature on heterogeneity of
myogenic regulatory factor expression in primary broiler chicken satellite cells. Auburn University Research Symposium
|
Progress 04/01/20 to 03/31/21
Outputs
Target Audience:Work this period benefited commercial poultry meat producers in developing approaches to maximize the efficiency of lean meat production as well as aid them in developing selection tools and management strategies to eliminate the Wooden Breast quality defect from the chicken meat supply. This work also benefited other researchers by increasing our knowledge of the cellular and molecular mechanisms regulating skeletal muscle growth. Changes/Problems:The unexpected COVID pandemic and subsequent disruption in normal research operations caused significant delays in our research project progress during this reporting period, particularly for objective 2. The objectives remain the same and we expect to make significant progress on the project in the next reporting period. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Eight graduate research assistants, 10 undergraduate research assistants, and 7 visiting research scholars all received training in the various animal husbandry, sample collection, lab techniques, data analysis, and oral/poster presentation of data, both in-person and virtually. Students at all levels presented at local and international scientific conferences and symposia and interacted with other scientists and industry stakeholders. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results from this project reporting period have been presented at state, national, and international scientific meetings where industry stakeholders and other research scientists were in attendance. Results were published in peer-reviewed journals. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
To meet the huge global demand for chicken meat, the commercial broiler industry has placed tremendous genetic selection pressure on breast meat yield, growth rate, and feed efficiency traits and has made remarkable improvements over the last 30 years. Unfortunately, along with those tremendous improvements has come a severe meat quality defect whose cause has yet to be elucidated. The Wooden (or Woody) Breast (WB) meat quality defect is characterized by visible bulging of the breast fillet with extreme hardness to the touch. The WB phenotype has been characterized by histopathologists as a degenerative myopathy in which excessive fibrotic tissue infiltration occurs. Skeletal muscle stem cells also called satellite cells (MSC) play a critical role in post-hatch broiler skeletal muscle growth, repair, and maintenance. Yet, the relationship between MSC function in high-yielding broilers and the development of the WB myopathy is still not well understood. The major objectives of the project are to 1) assess the extent to which MSC function is impaired in WB-affected birds, 2) determine whether the apparent aberrant function of the satellite cell populations are due to an issue with the MSC themselves and/or their environment. Our recent work using in vivo cell labeling, cryohistology, and immunofluorescence techniques demonstrates that the relative size and mitotic activity of the various MSC and macrophage populations and collagen deposition are altered in WB-affected muscle compared with normal. Alterations in myogenic regulatory factor, autophagy pathway, and pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine protein expression in WB-affected muscles have also been observed using quantitative fluorescent Western blotting. These data suggest the involvement of aberrant MSC function in the development of WB myopathy. In the next reporting period live bird transplant experiments will commence and we will work toward achieving project objective 2. The results of this work are useful for industry stakeholders and research scientists in determining potential interventions to reduce the incidence of or eliminate this costly meat quality defect from the chicken meat industry.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Ferreira, T. Z., L. Kindlein, J. J. Flees, L. K. Shortnacy, S. L. Vieira, V. P. Nascimento, K. J. Meloche, and J. D. Starkey. Characterization of pectoralis major muscle satellite cell population heterogeneity, macrophage density, and collagen infiltration in broiler chickens affected by Wooden Breast. Front. Physiol. Invited. 11:529. doi: 10.33889/fphys.2020.00529.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Tejeda, O. J., K. J. Meloche, J. D. Starkey. 2020. Effect of incubator tray location on broiler chicken growth performance, carcass part yields, and the meat quality defects wooden breast and white striping. Poult. Sci. 100:654-662.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Starkey, J. D. 2020. Role of skeletal muscle satellite cells in the broiler chicken Wooden Breast meat quality defect. 2020 American Society of Animal Science Virtual Meat and Muscle Biology Symposium. J. Anim. Sci. 98 (E-Suppl 1.)
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Flees, J. J., C. R. Gregg, and J. D. Starkey. Effect of Wooden Breast severity on myogenic regulatory factor and cytokine protein expression in 25- and 43- day-old broiler chickens. Poult. Sci. 101 (E-suppl 1).
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Gregg, C. R., J. J. Flees, and J. D. Starkey. Effect of Wooden Breast severity on autophagy pathway protein expression in 25- and 43-day-old broiler chickens. Poult. Sci. 101 (E-suppl 1).
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Avila, L. P., S. F. Leiva, G. A. Abascal-Ponciano, J. J. Flees, K. M. Sweeney, J. L. Wilson, A. Pokoo-Aikins, S.P. Corray, G. Litta, C. W. Starkey, and J. D. Starkey. 2020. Effect of combined maternal and post-hatch dietary 25-hydroxycholecalciferol supplementation on broiler chicken Pectoralis major muscle growth characteristics and Wooden Breast. Poult. Sci. 99 (E-Suppl 1).
- Type:
Theses/Dissertations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Luis Avila. 2020. Effect of maternal and post-hatch dietary 25-hydroxycholecalciferol supplementation on broiler chicken growth characteristics and skeletal muscle satellite cell activity. Auburn University MS Thesis.
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