2012 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

Study on the role of avian uncoupling protein in heat stress-induced overproduction of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species and the regulation mechanism of the expression in birds

Research Project

Project/Area Number	23880003
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
Allocation Type	Single-year Grants
Research Field	Zootechnical science/Grassland science
Research Institution	Tohoku University
Principal Investigator	KIKUSATO Motoi 東北大学, 大学院・農学研究科, 助教 (90613042)
Project Period (FY)	2011 – 2012
Keywords	暑熱 / 酸化ストレス / 脱共役タンパク質 / 活性酸素 / ミトコンドリア / プロトンリーク / 膜電位
Research Abstract	On exposure of meat-type chickens to heat stress, avian uncoupling protein (avUCP) expression in the skeletal muscle was decreased, which was involved in the overproduction of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species production (ROS) probably via an increase in the mitochondrial membrane potential. This study demonstrates that the heat stress-induced overproduction of mitochondrial ROS did not occur in the muscle mitochondria of laying-type chickens, whose avUCP expression is relatively higher than that of meat-type ones, and in mitochondria of meat-type chickens whose avUCP expression was up-regulated with dietary intake of olive oil and oleuropein. From these results, it is conceivable that avUCP expression may play an important role in suppressing the overproduction of mitochondrial ROS and oxidative damage caused by heat exposure.