Differential Expression of Cell Cycle Regulators During Hyperplastic and Hypertrophic Growth of Broiler Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue

Hyperplastic growth and hypertrophic growth within adipose tissue is tightly associated with cell cycle activity. In this study, CCNG2 and CDKN2C were found to be correlated with cell cycle inhibition during fat cell differentiation, whereas CCND3, CCNA1, and ANAPC5 were positively associated with cell cycle activity during fat cell proliferation after selection based on GEO datasets available on the NCBI website. The findings were validated through comparison of expressions of these genes among different tissues/fractions in broiler chickens and time points during primary cell culture using quantitative real-time PCR. Development of broiler subcutaneous adipose tissue was investigated on embryonic days 15 and 17 and on post-hatch days 0, 5, 11, and 33 using H&E staining and PCNA immunostaining with DAPI counter stain. In addition, mRNA expressions of five cell cycle regulators as well as precursor cell and adipocyte markers were measured at those time points. The results suggest that cellular proliferation activity decreased as the fat pad grows, but a population of precursor cells seemed to be maintained until post-hatch day 5 despite increasing differentiation activity. Hypertrophic growth gradually intensified despite a slight cessation on post-hatch day 0 due to increased energy expenditure during hatching and delayed food access. From post-hatch day 5 to day 11, most of the precursor cells may become differentiated. After post-hatch day 11, hyperplastic growth seemed to slow, while hypertrophic growth may become dominant. This study provides further understanding about broiler fat tissue development which is imperative for effective control of fat deposition.