Muscle (pectoralis major) protein turnover in young broiler chickens fed graded levels of lysine and crude protein

Department of Animal and Poultry Science, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

An evaluation of muscle (pectoralis major) protein turnover using the phenylalanine flood dose technique was assessed in broiler chicks fed graded dietary lysine levels with CP at 170, 210, 250, and 290 g/kg diet. Chicks at 21 d old were injected with 1 mL/100 g BW of a phenylalanine solution (120 micromol L-[ring-2H5)]-phenylalanine). Muscle protein gain was assessed in chicks at 19 and 23 d of age. No differences were found in weight gain at lysine levels higher than 1.22% of the diet. Dietary lysine levels affected fractional synthesis rate (FSR, %/ d) of muscle with 170 and 210 g of CP/kg diet but not with 250 and 290 g of CP/kg. However, there was increasing FSR with increasing diet lysine levels at 290 g of CP/ kg. Breast muscle protein deposition (absolute growth rate, AGR, mg/d) reached a plateau with 1.22% dietary lysine at CP levels of 170,210, and 290 g/kg diet, confirming the observation on gross muscle weight. In terms of absolute synthesis rate/AGR with minimal absolute breakdown rate (ABR), the diet containing 210 g of CP/kg with 1.22% lysine was the most appropriate for chicks to 21 d. Levels of lysine influenced protein synthesis more so than protein degradation. These data suggest that both protein synthesis and breakdown increase at levels of dietary lysine and CP above those required for maximizing growth.