PACHOL4

D.D. del MUR n. 104 del 02/02/2022

Codice progetto MUR: 2022EPWEPW

UE funding: 133.160,00 €

Duration: 12/10/2023 - 11/10/2025

Coordinator: DISTAL, University of Bologna

UNIBO Role: PI

Scientific Officer: Francesca Soglia

Research group: Francesca Soglia, Martiza Bordini, Federico Sirri, Martina Zappaterra

Research areas: Animal sciences

Objectives and Purposes

The project aims to deepen the understanding about the etiology of specific meat quality defects, known as “white striping” (WS) and “wooden breast” (WB), affecting the breast muscle of broiler chickens selected for fast growth-rate and high breast-yield. Specifically, PACHOL4 intends to investigate the involvement of a particular type of collagen, Collagen type IV, in the biological and molecular processes underlying these abnormalities. Given that altered synthesis and/or composition of this protein has been hypothesized to be associated with the onset of WS and WB, the project includes analyses to assess potential differences in its syn-thesis and composition in affected and unaffected samples, as well as to identify genetic factors linked to their manifestation through transcriptomic studies, with the ultimate goal of identifying genes and regulatory elements involved in the development of such defects

Expected results

The results achieved by PACHOL4 will contribute to improve the knowledge concerning the white striping and wooden breast underlying mechanisms and might lead to the identification of potential biomarkers useful for excluding broilers more prone to the development of these conditions from breeding programs. Finally, considering the similarities between these defects and the poorly understood muscular disorders in humans, the potential use of Gallus gallus as an animal model may be explored to investigate the muscular defects associated with Collagen type IV abnormalities