This study was designed to investigate the dynamic expression of genes related to regulation of feed intake, energy homeostasis and body weight, including AdipoR2, CPT-1, NPY, LEPR and STAT3 and the effect of fasting on their expression in growing broiler chicken with different days of age. Forty male broiler chicks were divided into two groups (the control and fasted groups). Chickens in the control group were continuously fed with nutrition regimen until the end of experiment, while their counterparts were fasted for 3 days before sampling. Chickens were humanely killed on 17, 23, 28, and 33 day-old, respectively, and the adipose and hypothalamic samples were collected. Expressions of AdipoR2, CPT-1, LEPR and STAT3 in the adipose tissue, and NPY in the hypothalamic tissue were detected by Real-time PCR. Results showed that in the control group, expressions of AdiopR2, CPT1 and STAT3 decreased with age, but not significantly (P>0.05), while NPY and LEPR expression trends were not regular during the whole experiment. In addition, AdipoR2, CPT1 and NPY expression in the fasted group was significantly higher than controls (AdipoR2: P<0.05 on day 17; CPT1: P<0.01 on day 33 and NPY: P>0.05 during the whole experiment), although their expression trend is similar in the two groups. However, LEPR and STAT3 expression trends were not regular both in the feed and fasted group. It is concluded that fasting stimulated the up-regulation of genes related to fatty metabolism and feed intake, while LEPR and STAT3, two of the important components in fatty metabolism regulation pathways in mammalians, did not show regular changes in chicken. A following in vitro study, therefore, needs to be further carried out to study the functions of chicken LEPR and its downstream genes like STAT3.

Key words: Chicken, Feed deprivation, Gene expression