Expression of the 5-HT2C receptor in chicken
Abstract
Serotonin 2C (5-HT2C) receptors are G protein-coupled receptors which are expressed on GABAergic, glutamatergic, and dopaminergic neurons. 5-HT2C receptors have been identified as important regulators of obesity in humans and animals. It is well known that 5-HT2C receptor expression levels are inversely proportional to the obesity of any individual. To date, no research has examined the expression levels of the 5-HT2C receptor on birds with high fat content. The aim of our current research is to evaluate the expression levels of the 5-HT2C receptor in broiler chickens when fed a low fat versus high fat diet. Materials and methods: In order to perform the experiment, we raised a total of 200 birds (100 males and 100 females) with two main groups: birds fed a high fat diet (HFD) (10 replications for a total of 100 birds) and birds fed a low fat diet (LFD) (100 birds with 10 replications). Birds in the HFD and LFD groups will be fed high energy ratios containing 11.65% fat and low energy ratios containing 5.62% fat respectively. The brains of the birds were collected every two weeks until eight weeks of age (WOA). The 5-HT2C receptor mRNA expression in the hypothalamus of chicken brains were identified by RT-qPCR reactions based on threshold cycle (Ct) values of the samples. Results: The expression of hypothalamic 5-HT2C receptor mRNA was higher in the LFD group of birds compared to the HFD group of birds with significant differences at 6 and 8 WOA. However, there were no significant differences in 5-HT2C receptor mRNA expression levels between male and female birds in either of the diet groups of birds. Conclusion: Both diet and age have significant effects on the expression of hypothalamic 5-HT2C receptor in birds. The LFD increases the expression levels of hypothalamic 5-HT2C receptor after 4 weeks of continuous feeding. On the contrary, HFD gradually decreases the expression levels of hypothalamic 5-HT2C receptor mRNA from two to six WOA.
Subject Area
Neurosciences|Genetics
Recommended Citation
Bipradas Roy,
"Expression of the 5-HT2C receptor in chicken"
(2016).
ETD Collection for Tennessee State University.
Paper AAI10243630.
https://digitalscholarship.tnstate.edu/dissertations/AAI10243630