Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

2006 Business Meeting Report Information: · Annual Meeting Dates: 10/26/06 and 10/27/06 · Period the Report Covers: 01/2006 to 12/2006 Participants: · Wallace, Berry (berrywd@auburn.edu)  Auburn University · El-Halawani, Mohamed (elhal001@umn.edu)  University of Minnesota · Froman, David (David.Froman@oregonstate.edu)  Oregon State University · Grizzle, Judy (jgrizzle@utk.edu)  University of Tennesee · Hagler, Winston (winston_hagler@ncsu.edu)  North Carolina State University · Jurkevich, Alexander (ajurkev@uark.edu) · Kuenzel, Wayne (wkuenzel@uark.edu)  University of Arkansas · Millam, Jim (jrmillam@ucdavis.edu)  UC Davis · Mirando, Mark (mmirando@csrees.usda.gov)  CSREES, USDA · Proudman, John (miles-to-go@prodigy.net)  ARS Beltsville, MD (retired) · Rhoads, Doug (drhoads@uark.edu)  University of Arkansas · Satterlee, Dan (dsatterlee@agctr.lsu.edu)  Louisiana State University · Siopes, Tom (tom_siopes@ncsu)  North Carolina State University · Wood, Ben (ben.wood@hybridturkeys.com)  Hybrid Turkeys Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting: The business meeting was chaired by David Froman using the following outline: (1) a thanks to Doug Rhoads, (2) future leadership, (3) participation in annual meetings, (4) meeting organization, (5) annual reports, and (6) the 2007 annual meeting. Doug Rhoads was thanked for his organizing the 2006 annual meeting in St. Croix, US Virgin Islands. The quality of accommodations and the meetings structure were enjoyed by all. With respect to group leadership, D. P. Froman agreed to continue as chair. Meeting organization has assumed to forms to date. Whereas the traditional approach has been to share research results by experiment station or experimental objectives, a topical approach also has been used. In view of the groups goal for increased industry participation (preferably VPs of research and development or their representatives), an argument was made in favor of a topical approach; for this affords industry personnel an overview of subjects to be discussed well in advance of the annual meeting. Thus, a compromise approach is to organize presentations by topic within project objectives as was done during the 2006 annual meeting. With respect to the S1020 annual report, members were reminded that a single report is to be submitted to NIMSS from the group through the chair to Dr. Hagler. This report entails a synthesis of accomplishments. Thus, members were encouraged to first read the 2005 annual report on-line at NIMSS and then write their contributions with an emphasis on integration as well as the advancement of the projects goals. Only pertinent publications were to be included. Data summaries such as graphs and tables are not acceptable for preparation of the annual report. It is the responsibility of each member to succinctly summarize accomplishments using language that can be understood by a wide audience. The advantages and disadvantages of several potential meeting sites were discussed. However, a consensus arose with respect to coastal Georgia as a first choice. Thus, the chair agreed to contact Dr. Jeanna Wilson upon his return to work. Tentative meeting dates were either the 25th and 26th of October or the 1st and 2nd of November, 2007. Both Dr. Hagler and Dr. Mirando deemed the level of participation to be acceptable even though a number of participants were unable to attend the annual meeting. This concerned the chair in that the primary objective of the project is collaboration. In view of the distribution of participants throughout the US, the annual meeting may be the only time some participants see each other during the course of a year.

Report Information: · Annual Meeting Dates: 10/26/06 and 10/27/06 · Period the Report Covers: 10/2005 to 10/2006 Participants: · Wallace, Berry (berrywd@auburn.edu)  Auburn University · El-Halawani, Mohamed (elhal001@umn.edu)  University of Minnesota · Froman, David (David.Froman@oregonstate.edu)  Oregon State University · Grizzle, Judy (jgrizzle@utk.edu)  University of Tennesee · Hagler, Winston (winston_hagler@ncsu.edu)  North Carolina State University · Jurkevich, Alexander (ajurkev@uark.edu) · Kuenzel, Wayne (wkuenzel@uark.edu)  University of Arkansas · Millam, Jim (jrmillam@ucdavis.edu)  UC Davis · Mirando, Mark (mmirando@csrees.usda.gov)  CSREES, USDA · Proudman, John (miles-to-go@prodigy.net)  ARS Beltsville, MD (retired) · Rhoads, Doug (drhoads@uark.edu)  University of Arkansas · Satterlee, Dan (dsatterlee@agctr.lsu.edu)  Louisiana State University · Siopes, Tom (tom_siopes@ncsu)  North Carolina State University · Wood, Ben (ben.wood@hybridturkeys.com)  Hybrid Turkeys Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting: The business meeting was chaired by David Froman using the following outline: (1) a thanks to Doug Rhoads, (2) future leadership, (3) participation in annual meetings, (4) meeting organization, (5) annual reports, and (6) the 2007 annual meeting. Doug Rhoads was thanked for his organizing the 2006 annual meeting in St. Croix, US Virgin Islands. The quality of accommodations and the meetings structure were enjoyed by all. With respect to group leadership, D. P. Froman agreed to continue as chair. Meeting organization has assumed to forms to date. Whereas the traditional approach has been to share research results by experiment station or experimental objectives, a topical approach also has been used. In view of the groups goal for increased industry participation (preferably VPs of research and development or their representatives), an argument was made in favor of a topical approach; for this affords industry personnel an overview of subjects to be discussed well in advance of the annual meeting. Thus, a compromise approach is to organize presentations by topic within project objectives as was done during the 2006 annual meeting. With respect to the S1020 annual report, members were reminded that a single report is to be submitted to NIMSS from the group through the chair to Dr. Hagler. This report entails a synthesis of accomplishments. Thus, members were encouraged to first read the 2005 annual report on-line at NIMSS and then write their contributions with an emphasis on integration as well as the advancement of the projects goals. Only pertinent publications were to be included. Data summaries such as graphs and tables are not acceptable for preparation of the annual report. It is the responsibility of each member to succinctly summarize accomplishments using language that can be understood by a wide audience. The advantages and disadvantages of several potential meeting sites were discussed. However, a consensus arose with respect to coastal Georgia as a first choice. Thus, the chair agreed to contact Dr. Jeanna Wilson upon his return to work. Tentative meeting dates were either the 25th and 26th of October or the 1st and 2nd of November, 2007. Both Dr. Hagler and Dr. Mirando deemed the level of participation to be acceptable even though a number of participants were unable to attend the annual meeting. This concerned the chair in that the primary objective of the project is collaboration. In view of the distribution of participants throughout the US, the annual meeting may be the only time some participants see each other during the course of a year. Accomplishments: Countering a long-term decline in the fertility of meat-type chickens Doug Rhoads and David Froman completed their initial analysis of RNAs expressed in the chicken reproductive tract. This effort identified 475 novel genes and thereby afforded a new technical paradigm for the application of genomics to the study of reproductive efficiency in poultry. For example, this advance should expedite mapping genes that are major determinants of reproductive efficiency. Rhoads also described a rapid and inexpensive method for DNA isolation suitable for high throughput genotype analysis in poultry. Wayne Kuenzel reported pilot studies addressing the role of male broiler breeder behavior in flock fertility. This effort complemented that of Inma Estevez, who addressed the role of environmental enrichment on broiler breeder behavior, male-female aggression in particular. Dr. Estevez performed studies on five commercial broiler breeder farms wherein reproductive performance was measured for control and treated flocks. Environmental enrichment was achieved by allocation of panels, which serve to subdivide space within the house. Environmental enrichment increased egg production by nearly 2%. Likewise, incidence of floor eggs was reduced by 30%. Finally, male home range increased with environmental enrichment. This affords any given male increased potential to meet and then copulate with a larger number of females. Enhanced reproductive performance was attributed to decreased female stress. Reproduction in males is compromised by routine vaccination with avian infectious bronchitis virus (AIBV). Janice Bahr continued her investigation of underlying mechanism whereby vaccination induces epididymal dysfunction. Western blot analysis demonstrated that anti-AIBV antibodies bind to sperm. The consequence of antibody binding awaits explanation. Research conducted by Dan Satterlee demonstrated a link between the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis of dams and the reproductive performance of their female offspring. In this case, lines of quail selected for either low or high stress were used as experimental animals. In other words, experimental birds are characterized by a reduced or heightened reaction of the HPA to a common stressor. The HPA serves to elevate circulating corticosterone in response to environmental stressors. Elevated corticosterone has a negative effect on reproductive efficiency by its action upon the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. Whereas this effect has been understood for several decades with respect to birds exposed to an environmental stressor, evidence is emerging that parental stress can adversely affect the reproductive performance of adult offspring. This is attributed, in part, to the fact that corticosterone is a lipid-soluble hormone. Thus, the hormone can move from the bloodstream into the oocytes yolk. Such transmission sets the stage for a maternal hormone altering the performance of progeny. In this case, the fertility of female offspring was determined for the following dams: low stress controls, low stress dams implanted with corticosterone, high stress controls, and high stress dams implanted with corticosterone. The fertility of female offspring was ranked as follows. Fertility of females hatched from eggs laid by low stress control dams was equivalent to that of females hatched from eggs laid by low stress dams implanted with corticosterone. The fertility of these two groups of females was greater than that of females hatched from eggs laid by high stress dams, which in turn, was greater than the fertility of females hatched from eggs laid by high stress dams implanted with corticosterone. Research conducted by Judy Grizzle addressed the deleterious role of fungal mycotoxins on reproduction. Though suboptimal fertility is typically attributed to variables such as intense genetic selection for body growth or heat stress, mycotoxin contamination of feed grains is estimated to be 25%. Currently, there are no methods for detoxification of infested grain or ameliorating the effect of ingested infected grain. Work in progress is testing an intervention strategy against mycotoxin exposure in commercial chickens. Likewise, the effect of mycotoxin on postnatal testis development and semen quality will be studied. Developing an adaptive, comprehensive understanding of turkey egg hatchability that can be applied to commercial hatcheries Vern Christensen used genetic crosses to evaluate the relationship between cardiac function, embryonic viability, and lines of turkeys. Experimental lines included those selected for body weight and egg production in addition to randombred turkeys. Both sires and dams contribute to cardiac growth and function. This is important because commercial turkey breeding entails crossing a line selected for egg production with a line selected for rapid growth in order to produce commercial breeders. Discovering the basis for photorefractoriness in turkeys It is well established that thyroid hormone is essential for photosexual stimulation of domestic turkeys. One biological role for thyroid hormone is inducing retraction of glial end-feet that ensheath the terminals of axons from GnRH I. It is also known that photostimulation of photosensitive hens leads to immunoreactive protein expression within the hypothalamus. Such proteins are related to c-fos (known collectively as fos-related antigens; FRA), an immediate early gene associated with neuronal activation. Jim Millam and Tom Siopes tested the hypothesis that thyroid hormone is essential for photo-induced immunoreactive FRA. Turkey hens were fed propylthiouracil (PTU) prior to photostimulation. PTU inhibits thyroid hormone synthesis. Treated and control hens were sacrificed 48 hr after photostimulation. When brain tissue was examined, there was no difference in immunoreactive FRA between treated and control hens. This outcome demonstrated that photo-induced immunoreactive FRA in the turkey hypothalamus is not induced by thyroid hormone. In other words, thyroid-critical events in photostimulation are downstream from induction of immunoreactive FRA. Previous research demonstrated that immunoreactive FRA expression does not occur in photostimulated, photorefractory turkey hens. Consequently, limited GnRH 1 secretion rather than inadequate thyroid hormone most likely accounts for the absence of immunoreactive FRA expression in photostimulated, photorefractory hens. Explaining the CNS integration that drives the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis GnRH is a key neuropeptide affecting the hypothalamic-pituityary-gonadal axis. Wayne Kuenzel reported the completion of a study in which the distribution of GnRHergic neurons was mapped within the chicken brain. In addition, exposure to a long-day photoperiod induced an increase in the number of neurons positive for GnRH with a major nucleus wherein GnRHergic neurons are found. A relatively new signal molecule within the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis is gonadotropin inhibitory hormone (GnIH). Ramesh Ramachandran cloned and characterized cDNA encoding the chicken GnIH receptor. In addition, the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to detect GnIH mRNA within the chicken diencephalon (the central region of the vertebrate brain in which the hypothalamus is found), the anterior pituitary gland, and ovary. GnIH mRNA was not detected within the liver. Real-time PCR demonstrated that GnIH mRNA was greatest within the diencephalon. These experimental outcomes afford the means whereby control points for GnRH secretion can be assessed within a physiological context. Impact Statements: 1. The validation of a rapid and inexpensive method for DNA isolation suitable for high throughput genotype analysis will expedite and standardize genomic analyses. Likewise, characterization of the transcriptome within the reproductive tract affords a new tool suitable for the characterization of gene networks that affect reproductive efficiency. 2. Critical environmental factors affecting flock performance include diet, photoperiod, and temperature. However, social factors affect reproductive efficiency as well. Environmental enrichment, as outlined by researchers at the University of Maryland, is predicted to yield an additional 24,000 chicks per house per production cycle. Based upon pilot studies conducted on breeder farms owned by one company, this business would produce nearly 14 million additional chicks per year by making a marginal investment in environmental enrichment. 3. Apart from genetic effects, the determinants of poultry reproductive efficiency have historically been viewed as factors affecting birds on hand. However, research with quail has demonstrated that stressors acting upon a dam can affect the reproductive performance of adult offspring in the next generation. This realization affords a new paradigm in the analysis of reproductive performance of poultry. This paradigm is applicable to primary breeders; for the degree to which the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis responds to stressors may warrant consideration in addition to production traits. 4. Photorefractoriness is a primary factor limiting production of turkey hatching eggs. Research explaining a series of hormone-driven events continues to refine critical control points within the brain that affect photorefractoriness. Publications: Bahr, J. M., M. Dalponte, S. J. Janssen, and M. Nakai. 2006. Ion transporters for fluid resorption in the rooster (Gallus domesticus) epididymal region. Animal. Reprod. Sci. 95:331-337. Boltz, D. A., C. R. Zimmerman, M. Nakai, D. Bunick, G. Scherba, and J. M. Bahr. 2006. Epididymal stone formation and decreased sperm production in roosters vaccinated with a killed strain of avian infectious bronchitis virus. Avian Diseases (in press). Christensen, V. L., J. L. Grimes, R. D. Rowland, and D. T. Ort. 2006. Effect of chelated calcium proteinate fed in the maternal diet of turkey breeders on embryo cardiac physiology. Int. J. Poult. Sci. 5:337-343. Christensen, V. L., L. G. Bagley, T. Olson, J. L. Grimes, R. D. Rowland, and D. T. Ort. 2006. Shell thickness of turkey eggs affects cardiac physiology and embryo survival. Int. J. Poult. Sci. 5:796-803. Froman, D. P., J. D. Kirby, and D. D. Rhoads. 2006. An expressed sequence tag analysis of the chicken reproductive tract transcriptome. Poult. Sci. 85:1438-1441. Jackson, U., D. A. Boltz, M. Nakai, D. Bunick, G. Scherba, and J. M. Bahr. 2006. Prepubertal exposure to the avian infectious bronchitis virus induces epididymal stones in the rooster after puberty. Poult. Sci. 43:280-285. Kuenzel, W. J., and C. D. Golden. 2006. Distribution and change in number of gonadotropin-releasing hormone-1 neurons following activation of the photoneuroendocrine system in the chick (Gallus gallus). Cell Tissue Res. 325:501-512. Proudman, J. A., and T. D. Siopes. 2006. Potential role of thyroid hormones and prolactin in the programming of photorefractoriness in turkey hens. Poult. Sci. 85:1457-1461.