Temporal RNA-seq atlas of breast muscle development in purebred and crossbred broilers

Commercial broilers are known for their rapid growth rates and high meat yield, constitute a major source of protein in the human diet. Increasing meat production is an important objective in the poultry industry, with breast meat yield playing a critical role in determining total meat output. Previous gene expression profiles have largely ignored the distinctions between embryonic myogenesis and postnatal growth stages. Therefore, multi-stage transcriptional atlases of breast muscle are essential for advancing our understanding of muscle development and enhancing meat production in broilers. In this study, we sequenced 72 breast muscle samples collected at embryonic day 17 and post-hatching days 1, 21, and 42 across Cornish purebred, White Plymouth Rock purebred, and their crossbred progeny. A total of 460.76 Gb of high-quality bulk RNA-seq data were generated from six biological replicates per group at each time point. This dataset can be used to study molecular networks during muscle development, and serves as a reference model for comparative analyses of growth heterosis in animals.