Evaluation of endothelial and inducible nitric oxide synthase mRNA expression in the lung of broiler chickens with developmental pulmonary hypertension due to cold stress

• Published in: British poultry science 2006-04, Vol.47 (2), p.223-229
• Main Authors: Teshfam, M, Brujeni, G.N, Hassanpour, H
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aging - metabolism; animal age; animal stress; Animals; ascites; broiler chickens; Chickens; cold stress; Cold Temperature; endothelium; gene expression; Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; Hypertension, Pulmonary - enzymology; Hypertension, Pulmonary - genetics; Hypertension, Pulmonary - metabolism; Hypertension, Pulmonary - veterinary; Lung - enzymology; lungs; Male; messenger RNA; nitric oxide synthase; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II - metabolism; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III - metabolism; Poultry Diseases - enzymology; Poultry Diseases - genetics; Poultry Diseases - metabolism; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction - veterinary; RNA, Messenger - analysis
• ISSN: 0007-1668; 1466-1799
• DOI: 10.1080/00071660600611169

1. To clarify the effect of cold-induced pulmonary hypertension on endothelial and inducible nitric oxide synthase (eNOS and iNOS) mRNA expression in the lung of broiler chickens, semi quantitative reverse transcription-PCR was performed on total RNAs isolated from lungs of the broiler chickens exposed to 5 weeks of cold stress. 2. The eNOS gene was expressed increasingly with the increasing age during the rearing period. 3. Comparing the treatment group with its related control group eNOS was expressed significantly only at d 21. 4. Expression of iNOS mRNA also increased in both control and treatment groups with increasing age until d 28 and then decreased at d 35 and 42. 5. Comparing the treatment group with its control group, iNOS mRNA level was significantly higher at 21 d of age in the cold-exposed chickens. 6. It was concluded that, although cold exposure could significantly increase eNOS and iNOS gene expression, cold-induced pulmonary hypertension is not associated with significant variations of eNOS and iNOS expression in the lungs of broiler chickens.