Expression of the Chicken Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor-γ Gene Is Influenced by Aging, Nutrition, and Agonist Administration1

Peroxisome proliferatior-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ) is a transcription factor that modulates lipid and glucose metabolism in mammals. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether chicken PPARγ is expressed in tissues in a similar manner to mammalian PPAR and whether it is involved in the regulation of lipid metabolism, particularly in the regulation of fat accumulation in adipose tissue and ovaries. In 30wk-old chickens, PPARγ mRNA was detected in most tissues that were examined. Of those tissues expressing chicken PPARγ mRNA, the lowest expression levels were found in adipose tissue, the tissue that in mammals was shown to express the highest levels of PPARγ mRNA. Chicken PPARγ mRNA expression in abdominal adipose tissue tended to increase with age, as shown by higher expression levels at 6 wk than at 1 and 2 wk of age. With regard to nutritional modulation, PPARγ mRNA levels in abdominal adipose tissue were significantly higher in (