Recipient Organization
UNIV OF MINNESOTA
(N/A)
ST PAUL,MN 55108
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Turkey meat is the second most popular poultry meat in the world and the U.S. is the biggest producer and exporter. By improving production efficiency, the turkey industry can help achieve food security. One major issue is the decline in fertility of parent flocks, which makes it hard to supply commercial poults to turkey growers. Currently, there is no effective way to stop or reverse this decline. This study aims to understand the changes in the female reproductive system that cause fertility decline and if using anti-inflammatory treatments can help prevent or restore fertility. In the first experiment, the roles of each cell in the reproductive system before and after fertility decline, as well as the communication between these cells, will be examined. Disturbances in the microbial population of the reproductive tract will also be analyzed to identify harmful microbes that exacerbate inflammation and cause fertility loss. In the second experiment, an anti-inflammatory compound will be tested to see if it can prevent or improve fertility. If this compound works, our future efforts will focus on its further development and implementation in the industry. Information generated from this study will include the discovery of potential markers of hen fertility as well as strategies to prevent and/or improve fertility loss. The findings from this study will benefit the turkey industry as well as other poultry industries and allow for increased production while conserving resources.
Animal Health Component
20%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
80%
Applied
20%
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
The long-term objective is to enhance the reproductive efficiency of turkey breeder hens by improving and prolonging fertility, thereby achieving a more sustainable model of production. Suspected factors leading to fertility decline are changes in the female reproductive tract during late lay leading to decreased sperm retention and storage. Here we aim to: 1. Characterize the overall changes in immune cells, the surrounding mucosal cells, and the microbial environment of the lower reproductive tract of turkey hens during fertility decline.2. Determine if reducing inflammation in the lower reproductive tract at two key stages of production can improve sperm retention and fertility in turkeys.Information generated from this study will include the discovery of fertility markers and strategies to prevent and/or improve fertility loss. The turkey industry and other poultry industries will directly benefit from the findings.
Project Methods
For Aim 1: Characterize Changes in Immune Cells, Mucosal Cells, and Microbial Environment of the lower reproductive tract of turkey hens during fertility decline.Animal Models: 192 turkey breeder hens will bephotostimulated for egg laying at 28 weeks of age. They will be inseminated with high-quality semen at 30 weeks of age and their fertility tracked for 18 weeks.Experimental Groups: Hens will be classified into high fertility (top 10%), low fertility (bottom 10%), and intermediate groups based on fertility rates.Experiment 1.1: Immune and Mucosal Cell AnalysisTissue Collection: Vagina and UVJ tissues will be dissected from high and low fertility hens at 18 weeks of lay (WOL) and processed for single-cell RNA sequencing and spatial transcriptomics.Single-cell RNA Sequencing: Immune cells will be isolated, sorted, and sequenced to identify cell populations and their gene expression profiles.Spatial Transcriptomics: Tissues will be analyzed to map gene expression spatially, identifying immune cell locations and their interactions with mucosal cells.Experiment 1.2: Microbiome AnalysisSample Collection: Vaginal and UVJ mucosal tissues from high and low fertility hens will be collected at 18 weeks of lay tissues will be analyzed for microbial content.16S rRNA and Shotgun Metagenomic Sequencing: These methods will identify differences bacterial diversity and functional genes in the reproductive tract of high and low fertility hens.Expected Results: the experiments described below will be deemed successful if we are able to achieve the following:Identification of immune cell subsets and their functional changes during fertility decline.Detailed spatial maps of immune and mucosal cell interactions.Differences in microbiome composition between high and low fertility hens.Identification of microbial taxa and pathways associated with fertility.Evaluation of results and interpretation for Aim 1: Results from this experiment will be presented at a scientific conference where feedback on analysis and interpretation will be provided. Subsequently, results will be compiled into a manuscript, submitted to a scientific journal for peer review and subsequent publication.For Aim 2: Determine if reducing inflammation in the lower reproductive tract at two key stages of production can improve sperm retention and fertility in turkeys.Animal Models: 192 turkey breeder hens will be divided into early ( 8 weeks of lay) and delayed (18 weeks of lay) intervention groups and treated with 3 increasingdoses of an anti-inflammatory compound for 8 weeks.Experimental Design: A 2x4 factorial design will be used to test the effects of intervention stage and anti-inflammatory dose on fertility.Experiment 2.1: Effect of anti-inflammatory treatmenton fertilityEstimation of Sperm retention: Sperm numbers in sperm storage tubules will be estimated by counting sperm trapped in the outer perivitelline layer freshlu laidof eggs 24 hours after insemination.Fertility Assessment: True fertility will be determined by incubating eggs and checking for embryo development at 10 days post incubation.Gene and Protein Expression: Pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine levels in vaginal and UVJ tissues will be measured using qPCR and western blotting.Expected Results: the experiments described below will be deemed successful if we are able to achieve the following:Lower anti-inflammatory doses will reduce inflammation and prevent fertility drop in younger birdsHigher anti-inflammatory doses will reduce inflammation and improve fertility drop in older birdsAnti-inflammatory treatment will alter the expression of inflammatory cytokines, promoting an anti-inflammatory environment conducive to sperm survival.Evaluation of results and interpretation for Aim 2: Results from this experiment will be presented at a scientific conference where feedback on analysis and interpretation will be provided. Subsequently, results will be compiled into a manuscript, submitted to a scientific journal for peer review and subsequent publication.