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MEAT PRODUCTION IS THE PRIMARY GOAL OF THE TURKEY INDUSTRY AND REQUIRES PRODUCTION OF YOUNG TURKEYS (POULTS) FROM EGGS LAID BY THE BREEDING FLOCK. HOWEVER, A LARGE VARIATION IN EGG PRODUCTION EXISTS WITHIN INDIVIDUAL COMMERCIAL FLOCKS, LEADING TO REDUCED OVERALL EGG PRODUCTION. TO COMPENSATE FOR THE NUMBER OF EGGS LAID BY LOW EGG PRODUCING HENS, TURKEY PRODUCERS INCREASE THE NUMBER OF BREEDING HENS. IMPROVEMENT OF THE REPRODUCTIVE EFFICIENCY OF THESE HENS WOULD ELIMINATE THE NEED TO HOUSE AND FEED ADDITIONAL BREEDING HENS TO MEET POULT PRODUCTION REQUIREMENTS AS WELL AS AVOID THE FINANCIAL LOSSES INCURRED FROM REDUCED POULT PRODUCTION. REPRODUCTION IN TURKEYS IS CONTROLLED IN PART BY THE BIRD'S PRODUCTION OF ITS OWN HORMONES, INCLUDING HORMONES PRODUCED BY A REGION OF THE BRAIN CALLED THE HYPOTHALAMUS, THE ANTERIOR PITUITARY GLAND, AND THE OVARY. A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE MECHANISMS REGULATING PRODUCTION OF THESE HORMONES IS ESSENTIAL TO DEVELOP NEW STRATEGIES AIMED AT IMPROVING REPRODUCTION IN TURKEYS. WE SHOWED THAT DIFFERENCES IN EXPRESSION OF GENES CONTROLLING HORMONE PRODUCTION EXIST BETWEEN TURKEY HENS THAT PRODUCE A HIGH NUMBER OF EGGS AND HENS THAT PRODUCE A LOW NUMBER OF EGGS. THE OVERALL HYPOTHESIS OF OUR RESEARCH IS THAT REDUCED FUNCTIONALITY OF THE HORMONE-PRODUCING TISSUES LEADS TO REDUCED FOLLICULAR RECRUITMENT, OVULATION, AND ULTIMATELY LOWER EGG PRODUCTION. THE CURRENT PROPOSAL AIMS TO DEFINE THE MECHANISMS REGULATING THE PRODUCTION OF HORMONES THAT CONTROL REPRODUCTION IN TURKEYS. OUR SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES ARE TO 1) DEFINE THE INFLUENCES OF ESTROGEN AND THYROID HORMONE ON RESPONSIVENESS OF THE PITUITARY GLAND TO HYPOTHALAMIC HORMONES IN LOW AND HIGH EGG PRODUCING HENS, 2) CHARACTERIZE EFFECTS OF ESTROGEN AND THYROID HORMONE ON RESPONSIVENESS OF OVARIAN TISSUES TO PITUITARY HORMONES, AND 3) IDENTIFY PROTEINS AND NUCLEIC ACIDS THAT REGULATE IMPORTANT GENES WITHIN THE REPRODUCTIVE AXIS OF LOW AND HIGH EGG PRODUCING HENS. COMPLETION OF THIS RESEARCH WILL LEAD TO THE IDENTIFICATION OF NEW INFORMATION THAT CAN BE USED IN BREEDING PROGRAMS AND THE POULTRY INDUSTRY TO PRODUCE MORE FOOD FOR THE GROWING WORLD'S POPULATION.

$499,848FY2019National Institute of Food and AgricultureUSDA

University Of Maryland, College Park, College Park MD

Investigators

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MEAT PRODUCTION IS THE PRIMARY GOAL OF THE TURKEY INDUSTRY AND REQUIRES PRODUCTION OF YOUNG TURKEYS (POULTS) FROM EGGS LAID BY THE BREEDING FLOCK. HOWEVER, A LARGE VARIATION IN EGG PRODUCTION EXISTS WITHIN INDIVIDUAL COMMERCIAL FLOCKS, LEADING TO REDUCED OVERALL EGG PRODUCTION. TO COMPENSATE FOR THE NUMBER OF EGGS LAID BY LOW EGG PRODUCING HENS, TURKEY PRODUCERS INCREASE THE NUMBER OF BREEDING HENS. IMPROVEMENT OF THE REPRODUCTIVE EFFICIENCY OF THESE HENS WOULD ELIMINATE THE NEED TO HOUSE AND FEED ADDITIONAL BREEDING HENS TO MEET POULT PRODUCTION REQUIREMENTS AS WELL AS AVOID THE FINANCIAL LOSSES INCURRED FROM REDUCED POULT PRODUCTION. REPRODUCTION IN TURKEYS IS CONTROLLED IN PART BY THE BIRD'S PRODUCTION OF ITS OWN HORMONES, INCLUDING HORMONES PRODUCED BY A REGION OF THE BRAIN CALLED THE HYPOTHALAMUS, THE ANTERIOR PITUITARY GLAND, AND THE OVARY. A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE MECHANISMS REGULATING PRODUCTION OF THESE HORMONES IS ESSENTIAL TO DEVELOP NEW STRATEGIES AIMED AT IMPROVING REPRODUCTION IN TURKEYS. WE SHOWED THAT DIFFERENCES IN EXPRESSION OF GENES CONTROLLING HORMONE PRODUCTION EXIST BETWEEN TURKEY HENS THAT PRODUCE A HIGH NUMBER OF EGGS AND HENS THAT PRODUCE A LOW NUMBER OF EGGS. THE OVERALL HYPOTHESIS OF OUR RESEARCH IS THAT REDUCED FUNCTIONALITY OF THE HORMONE-PRODUCING TISSUES LEADS TO REDUCED FOLLICULAR RECRUITMENT, OVULATION, AND ULTIMATELY LOWER EGG PRODUCTION. THE CURRENT PROPOSAL AIMS TO DEFINE THE MECHANISMS REGULATING THE PRODUCTION OF HORMONES THAT CONTROL REPRODUCTION IN TURKEYS. OUR SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES ARE TO 1) DEFINE THE INFLUENCES OF ESTROGEN AND THYROID HORMONE ON RESPONSIVENESS OF THE PITUITARY GLAND TO HYPOTHALAMIC HORMONES IN LOW AND HIGH EGG PRODUCING HENS, 2) CHARACTERIZE EFFECTS OF ESTROGEN AND THYROID HORMONE ON RESPONSIVENESS OF OVARIAN TISSUES TO PITUITARY HORMONES, AND 3) IDENTIFY PROTEINS AND NUCLEIC ACIDS THAT REGULATE IMPORTANT GENES WITHIN THE REPRODUCTIVE AXIS OF LOW AND HIGH EGG PRODUCING HENS. COMPLETION OF THIS RESEARCH WILL LEAD TO THE IDENTIFICATION OF NEW INFORMATION THAT CAN BE USED IN BREEDING PROGRAMS AND THE POULTRY INDUSTRY TO PRODUCE MORE FOOD FOR THE GROWING WORLD'S POPULATION. · GrantIndex