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Genetic Control of Embryonic Cardiac Growth and Functional Maturation in Turkeys¹

V. L. Christensen^*, D. T. Ort^*, K. E. Nestor, G. B. Havenstein^* and S. G. Velleman^,2

^* Department of Poultry Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh 27695-7608; and Department of Animal Sciences, The Ohio State University, Ohio Agriculture and Development Center, Wooster 44691

² Corresponding author: velleman.1{at}osu.edu.

Turkey experimental lines E (selected 44 yr for increased total egg production) and F (selected 38 yr for increased 16-wk BW) were mated reciprocally with the randombred control lines from which they were derived (RBC1 and RBC2, respectively), and the pureline and reciprocal cross poults were compared for their BW, heart weight, heart rates, myocardial glycogen and lactate concentrations, and plasma creatine kinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activities. The CK and LDH were used as indicators of cardiac insufficiency. Orthogonal contrasts of the data from the pureline and reciprocal cross data were used to estimate additive genetic effects, reciprocal effects (confounded maternal and sex-linked effects), and heterosis for each of the traits measured. Long-term selection for increased egg production in the E line has reduced embryo heart weight and has altered the energy metabolism of the myocardium. The differences in energy metabolism may be due to the more rapid heart rates. Conversely, long-term selection for increased 16-wk BW has significantly decreased the heart rate of F line embryos and has not changed the weight of the heart relative to the BW until the embryo has passed through the plateau stage. The F line embryos show a different energy metabolism that relies much more on gluconeogenesis. Embryo deaths occur more frequently in turkey embryos when the energy metabolism of the myocardium shows elevated glycogen to lactate ratios as it did in the pure E and F lines.

Key Words: turkey • heart weight • heart rate • myocardial energy metabolism • embryo survival

¹ Salaries and research support provided by state and federal funds appropriated to the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, The Ohio State University. The mention of trade names in this publication does not imply endorsement of the products mentioned or criticism of similar products not mentioned.