Selection of chickens for resilience to heat stress could be a valid strategy to reduce the negative economic impact of climate change. A heat-susceptible broiler line and a heat-resistant Fayoumi line were evaluated for response to heat stress using RNA-seq technology. We found that 278 genes were differentially expressed (False Discovery Rate (FDR) <0.05) between broilers and Fayoumi that were subjected to high ambient temperatures. GO Term Finder analysis revealed that differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were enriched in biological regulation process and catalytic activity function. Many novel key genes and biological networks related to heat stress response were identified and may be biomarkers used to breed chickens that are better able to adapt to heat stress.
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/susan_lamont/97/