Lung Changes in Ascites Syndrome in Broilers

Although extensive studies have been carried out on ascites syndrome (AS) in broilers, the pathogenesis of this syndrome remains unclear. In this study, the AS model was successfully developed, and lung tissues of three AS broilers and three healthy broilers were obtained for RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and pathological observation. The results suggest that 614 genes were up-regulated and 828 genes were down-regulated in the AS group than in the normal group. Several stress-related terms of GO enrichment and Keg pathway "HIF-1 signaling pathway" suggest that hypoxia stress response may play an important regulatory role on the onset of AS in broilers. The up-regulated genes involved in pulmonary hypertension and pulmonary disease were SPP1 、 IGFBP 、 SFRP4 、 EIF2AK4、HMOX1、MMP9、THBS1、CCR7、CRP、TLR4、CCL5、BCL2、IGF-I、APLN, and down-regulated genes included CD40, CD40L, CD4, NOX4, CCL1, CCL19, CX3CL1, APLNR , NR4A3 and AQP5 . KEGG enrichment analysis showed that the HIF-1 signaling pathway, NF-κB signaling pathway, p53 signaling pathway, alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism, and cell adhesion molecules played key roles in the occurrence and development of AS in broilers. This study investigated the important pathways and significantly differentially expressed genes of AS in lung tissues of broilers aged 35 days