O. S. Romanenkova, O. V. Aleynikova, O. V. Kostyunina
L. K. Ernst Federal Research Center for Animal Husbandry, Dubrovitsy, Moscow region, Russia
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Volume 25 No. 9
Date of paper submission: 02.06.2025, date of review: 18.06.2025, date of acceptance: 02.07.2025.
Published: 09/30/2025
Abstract. The economic efficiency of poultry farming largely depends on the quality of the eggshell. Losses caused by damage during transportation and storage determine the importance of studying the genetic factors affecting this trait. The BMPR1B gene (bone morphogenetic protein receptor type 1B), encoding a serine/threonine kinase belonging to the TGF-β superfamily, is one of the multifunctional growth factors expressed in osteoblasts and chondrocytes. The osteopontin gene SPP1 encodes a protein involved in the attachment of osteoclasts to the mineralized bone matrix. Transcriptomic studies have shown that BMPR1B and SPP1 are among the genes involved in eggshell mineralization processes. The purpose of the work was to study the expression of these genes in the tissues of the uterus and isthmus of hens with different phenotypes to assess its suitability as a potential candidate gene for the shell quality indicator. The scientific novelty of the study is that for the first time a search was carried out for DNA markers associated with the trait of eggshell strength in chickens using an analysis of the expression of genes involved in the formation of the eggshell. Methods. The study was conducted on White Highsex hens (n = 48). The expression of the BMPR1B and SPP1 genes in the tissues of the uterus and isthmus was analyzed using real-time qPCR (qPCR). The reference genes GAPDH and ACTB were used. Statistical data processing was performed in RStudio using the Mann – Whitney U-test. Results. Analysis of the research results in terms of the “bad shell” – “good shell” phenotypes showed statistically insignificant higher values of BMPR1B gene expression in the group of hens with the “good shell” phenotype. When analyzing the expression of the SPP1 gene in the tissues of the uterus and isthmus of the control group of chickens and chickens with the “thin shell” phenotype, a lower expression level was shown in the uterus samples in the group of chickens with a thin shell. The age factor did not affect the level of relative expression of both genes. At the same time, a dependence of the expression levels of both studied genes (BMPR1B and SPP1) in the uterine tissues on the stage of the ovulatory cycle was revealed.
Keywords: hens, egg, shell, quality, test system, expression
Acknowledgments. The study was carried out with the financial support of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, topic FGGN-2024-0015, No. 124020200114-7.
For citation: Romanenkova O. S., Aleynikova O. V., Kostyunina O. V. Analysis of the expression level of BMPR1B and SPP1 genes in chickens. Agrarian Bulletin of the Urals. 2025; 25(09): 1406‒1419. https://doi.org/10.32417/1997-4868-2025-25-09-1406-1419 (In Russ.)
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