Research Article Open Access

The Effect of Broiler Breeder Maternal Age on Gene Expression of the Hen and the Embryo

Authors

Anthony Beitia
Aviagen Incorporated, Huntsville, Alabama 35805, USA
|
Andrew Magnuson
iD 0000-0003-1078-6759
Department of Animal Science, SUNY Cobleskill, Cobleskill, New York 12043, USA
|
Nirun Boonsinchai
Charoen Pokphand Group Co. Ltd., CP Tower, 14th Floor, 313 Silom Road, Bangkok 10500, Thailand
|
Pramir Maharjan
iD 0009-0008-8343-1784
Department of Poultry Science, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
|
Justin Weil
Hill's Pet Nutrition, Inc., Topeka, Kansas 66603, USA
|
Katie Hilton
Danisco Animal Nutrition, IFF, Springdale, Arkansas 72762, USA
|
Justina Caldas
iD 0000-0001-9387-6834
Aviagen Incorporated, Huntsville, Alabama 35805, USA
|
Nawin Suesuttajit
Charoen Pokphand Group Co. Ltd., CP Tower, 14th Floor, 313 Silom Road, Bangkok 10500, Thailand
|
Diego Martinez
Center of Excellence for Poultry Science, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701, USA
|
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Craig Coon
iD 0000-0002-4410-3680
Center of Excellence for Poultry Science, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701, USA
Published on: October 31, 2026
DOI 10.66920/ijps.2026.196.208
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Abstract

Background and Objective: Broiler breeder hens begin laying at approximately 25 weeks of age and produce small eggs that are frequently non-settable or yield small chicks with reduced livability. The yolk sac (YS) and liver (LV) are the primary tissues supporting nutrient utilization during embryonic development, and hen age affects yolk size and hatchling weight. The objective of this study was to characterize age-related differences in gene expression and protein abundance in breeder hens and their embryos.

Materials and Methods: Cobb 500 breeder hens were artificially inseminated at 26 and 35 weeks of age, and hatching eggs were collected over a 7-d period at each age. Yolk sac and LV samples were collected from embryos on embryonic day 17 (E17), while abdominal fat (AF) and LV samples were collected from the hens that produced those eggs. Forty-eight genes related to fatty acid, glucose, and amino acid metabolism were profiled using a fold-regulation cutoff of 2.0 and p<0.05. Selected targets were subsequently confirmed by Western blotting.

Results: In the YS of embryos from 26-week-old hens, the most overexpressed genes were Pyruvate Carboxylase (PC), glutamic-pyruvate transaminase 2 (GPT2) and lipoprotein lipase (LPL), with fold increases of 75, 28 and 24, respectively. Three genes were underexpressed in the YS but overexpressed in the embryonic LV of the same embryos: fatty acid-binding protein 2 (FABP2), low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 2 (LRP2) and PKM2. In the LV of 26-wk-old hens, the most overexpressed genes were the fatty acid metabolism-related genes stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD), fatty acid elongase 6 (ELOVL6), and acetyl-CoA carboxylase alpha (ACACA). Protein abundance confirmed greater levels of GPT2, PC and LPL in the YS of embryos from young hens, whereas LRP2 protein abundance was greater in embryos from 35-wk-old hens.

Conclusion: Embryos from young breeder hens exhibit greater expression of genes involved in gluconeogenesis and carbohydrate metabolism, whereas embryos from prime-aged hens exhibit greater abundance of lipid transport proteins. These findings indicate an age-related shift in fuel utilization during late incubation rather than impaired fatty acid metabolism.

Keywords:

Broiler breeder, carbohydrate metabolism, fatty acid metabolism, gene expression, progeny

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Copyright (c) 2026 Anthony Beitia, Andrew Magnuson, Nirun Boonsinchai, Pramir Maharjan, Justin Weil, Katie Hilton, Justina Caldas, Nawin Suesuttajit, Diego Martinez, Craig Coon

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This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

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Beitia, A., Magnuson, A., Boonsinchai, N., Maharjan, P., Weil, J., Hilton, K., Caldas, J., Suesuttajit, N., Martinez, D., & Coon, C. (2026). The Effect of Broiler Breeder Maternal Age on Gene Expression of the Hen and the Embryo. International Journal of Poultry Science, 25, 196–208. https://doi.org/10.66920/ijps.2026.196.208
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