Effects of dietary methionine on breast muscle growth, myogenic gene expression and IGF-I signaling in fast- and slow-growing broilers

This study investigated the responses of fast- (FG) and slow- (SG) growing broilers to dietary methionine (Met) status. The broilers were subjected to low (LM, 0.38 and 0.28 g/100 g), adequate (AM, 0.51 and 0.42 g/100 g) and high (HM, 0.65 and 0.52 g/100 g) Met during 1–21 and 22–42 d, respectively. Compared with the LM diets, the AM and HM diets increased body weight gain only in the FG broilers. The HM diets increased breast muscle yield only in the FG broilers, although insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) concentration was increased in both strains of broilers. The HM diets increased mRNA levels of myogenic regulatory factors (MRF4, Myf5) and myocyte enhancer factor 2 (MEF2A and MEF2B) in the FG broilers, and increased MEF2A and decreased myostatin mRNA level in the SG broilers. Extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) phosphorylation of breast muscle was increased by the HM diets in both strains of broilers, but mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) phosphorylation was increased by the AM and HM diets only in the FG broilers. These results reflect a strain difference in broiler growth and underlying mechanism in response to dietary Met.