[Characterization of tissue expression of peroxisome proliferator activated receptors in the chicken]

The peroxisome proliferator activated receptor (PPAR) is the member of super family of nuclear receptors. A great number of researches in rodent and human have showed that PPARs are involved in the lipids metabolism, especially in regulating the microsome,expression of genes coding the various enzymes during the beta-oxidation of peroxisome and the differentiation of adipose cell. The PPARs are one of the important gene clusters that are viewed as the objective genes correlated with the lipids metabolism and corresponding diseases. Great differences in lipids metabolism are existed between the poultry and mammals. The mechanism of the lipids metabolism in poultry is not completely understood. The current study was designed to investigate the expression characterization of PPAR genes in chicken in order to understand the effects of PPAR gene on adipose and other tissues. The eight weeks age Arber Acres broilers were used and quantitative RT-PCR and Northern blot were developed to analyze the expression characterization of PPAR-alpha and PPAR-gamma gene in heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, stomach, intestine, brain, muscle and adipose tissues. Results of the quantitative RT-PCR showed that the expression level of PPAR-alpha gene was higher in brain, lung, kidney, heart and intestine, medium in stomach, liver and adipose, and lower in spleen. But did no expression was detected in breast muscle. The expression level of PPAR-gamma gene was higher in adipose, medium in brain and kidney, lower in spleen, heart, lung, stomach and intestine, but no expression was detected in liver and breast muscle. Northern blot results showed that PPAR-alpha gene expressed in heart, liver, kidney and stomach, and the intensity of hybridization signal was the greatest in liver tissue; PPAR-gamma gene only expressed in adipose and kidney tissues, and the intensity of hybridization signal was greater in adipose tissue. The present study results showed that the tissue expression characterization of PPARs gene in chicken was almost consistent with that in rodent and human, but, in chicken, PPAR-alpha did not expressed in breast muscle and PPAR-gamma gene expressed in kidney. The results of current research indicated simultaneously that the PPAR genes were related with the growth and development of various tissues and organs.