In chickens, more than 90% of the de novo synthesis of fatty acids occurs in the liver; therefore, the liver metabolism has a critical effect on chicken development and egg laying performance. Although the physiological processes of liver lipid metabolism have been studied extensively in chicken, the underlying mechanisms and the roles of noncoding RNAs in the process remain ambiguous. Recently, we investigated the regulatory mechanism of hepatic lipid in chicken by new generation sequencing technology. Our results uncovered many genes, which play crucial roles in mammal lipid metabolism process, might have different biological functions in chicken. Some other genes which might play essential roles in chicken hepatic lipid metabolism were found. In addition, the physiological processes of hepatic lipid metabolism in chicken are regulated by noncoding RNAs, such as miRNAs and lncRNAs.
Part of the book: Poultry Science