Metabolome and Transcriptome Profiling Reveals Age-Associated Variations in Meat Quality and Molecular Mechanisms of Taihe Black-Bone Silky Fowls

To explore the changes in meat quality and molecular
mechanisms
during the growth and development of Taihe black-bone silky fowl,
this study employed liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry
(LC–MS/MS) metabolomics to elucidate the dynamic changes of
key differential metabolites (DMs) affecting meat quality, indicating
that chicken at D120 had higher levels of ω-3 polyunsaturated
fatty acids (PUFAs), creatine, anserine, and homocarnosine, while
D150 had the most stachydrine and D210 had the most acylcarnitines.
Additionally, D120 and D180 had more umami and sweet compounds. Furthermore,
key metabolic pathways influenced by age included purine metabolism,
the pentose phosphate pathway, nicotinate and nicotinamide metabolism,
and taurine and hypotaurine metabolism. Transcriptomic identified
differential expression genes (DEGs) are predominantly enriched in
focal adhesion, the TGF-β signaling pathway, and the MAPK signaling
pathway. Integrated metabolomics and transcriptomics revealed complex
regulatory networks of DEGs and DMs in key metabolic pathways. This
research enhanced our understanding of the biology of Taihe black-bone
silky fowl meat quality, revealing possible biomarkers.