(An) orexigenic hypothalamic neuropeptides are differentially expressed in high and low feed efficient quail lines

Abstract

The livestock and poultry industry is facing numerous challenges to keep up with the increasing demand for high quality animal protein due to the continuously increasing global human population, severe drought conditions around the world, and grains being used for ethanol production. Since feed costs are the majority of the total cost required to produce a live bird, feed efficiency (FE) is a trait of importance. It is beneficial to develop a more deep molecular understanding of the mechanisms that determine feed efficiency. Recently, this study used Japanese quail that were divergently selected for high and low feed efficiency as a model to determine the differential expression of several feeding-related hypothalamic neuropeptides.