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Detection of endogenous lipids in chicken feathers distinct from preen gland constituents.

ABSTRACT: Bird feather lipids are usually attributed to the oily secretion product of the uropygial (preen) gland. We have observed, however, that feathers exhibit a strong reaction with osmium tetroxide (OsO4), even after treatment with detergents. This leads us to postulate the existence of endogenous feather lipids distinct from preen gland lipids. In order to substantiate our hypothesis, we investigated down feathers from a 1-day-old chicken as their uropgygial gland is not functionally active. The results confirmed the osmiophilic reaction, which was concentrated in the center of barbs and strongly reduced after lipid extraction. In these lipid extracts, we identified using thin layer chromatography, cholesterol, various ceramides, glycolipids, phospholipids, and fatty acids, which closely resembled the lipid composition of the water barrier in the chicken-cornified epidermal envelope. This composition is clearly distinct from chicken uropygeal gland secretion (UGS) known to consist of fatty alcohols as part of aliphatic monoester waxes and of free, predominantly saturated, fatty acids. A filter assay showed a strong reactivity between OsO4 and the fatty acids C18:1 and C18:2 and with feather lipid extracts, but not with UGS. These observations were confirmed by gas chromatography detecting unsaturated fatty acids including C18:1 and C18:2 as well as cholesterol exclusively in chicken feathers. Our results indicate that (1) endogenous lipids are detectable in chicken feathers and distinct from UGS and (2) in analogy to the morphogenesis of the cornified envelope of chicken feather lipids that may have derived from cellular feather-precursors, apparently enduring the specific cell death during developmental feather cornification.

SUBMITTER: Zeisler-Diehl V

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7567736 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Detection of endogenous lipids in chicken feathers distinct from preen gland constituents.

Zeisler-Diehl Viktoria V Al-Khutabi Eshrak Ali Ali EAA Kirfel Gregor G Schreiber Lukas L van Echten-Deckert Gerhild G Herzog Volker V

Protoplasma 20200826 6

Bird feather lipids are usually attributed to the oily secretion product of the uropygial (preen) gland. We have observed, however, that feathers exhibit a strong reaction with osmium tetroxide (OsO<sub>4</sub>), even after treatment with detergents. This leads us to postulate the existence of endogenous feather lipids distinct from preen gland lipids. In order to substantiate our hypothesis, we investigated down feathers from a 1-day-old chicken as their uropgygial gland is not functionally act ...[more]

PMID: 32851422

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Project description:Beta-keratin in poultry feathers is a structural protein that is resistant to degradation due to disulfide and hydrogen bonds. Feather meal can be a valuable feed compound if the digestibility can be increased. The objective of the present study was to analyze the effects of chemical, enzymatic, and pressure-thermic treatments for chicken feathers on solubility, in vitro protein digestibility (IVPD), and amino acid composition of solubilized and residual fractions. Two experiments were conducted. In experiment 1, models for solubility and IVPD were developed including the above factors applying a central composite face-centered design. Addition of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and sodium sulfite (Na2SO3), and autoclaving time affected solubility and IVPD of the feather hydrolysates, but not addition of keratinolytic enzyme. In experiment 2, 7 combinations of the hydrolysis factors NaOH, Na2SO3, and autoclaving time with a predicted IVPD of 900 g/kg of DM, calculated for the sum of solubilized and residual feather fractions, were included to measure effects on IVPD and amino acid composition in each fraction. The IVPD values were higher for solubilized than residual fractions when treated with NaOH and autoclaving, but no differences were found when treated with Na2SO3 and autoclaving. Losses of cystine were substantial for all treatments, but lower for Na2SO3 than for NaOH. Furthermore, use of lower Na2SO3 concentration and longer autoclaving time reduced losses of cystine. Compared with NaOH treatments, Na2SO3 gave lower losses of threonine, arginine, serine, and tyrosine. With reference to the ideal protein profile for Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.), the treatments with 60 or 90 min autoclaving and 0.36 or 0.21% Na2SO3 had the highest chemical scores. The scores were generally higher for amino acids in residual than solubilized fractions, but with 90 min autoclaving and 0.21% Na2SO3 differences were small. In conclusion, hydrolysis of chicken feathers with low concentrations of Na2SO3 combined with autoclaving results in feather meal with high nutritional value for Atlantic salmon; separation of solubilized and residual fractions is not necessary.

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Detection of endogenous lipids in chicken feathers distinct from preen gland constituents.

Publications

Detection of endogenous lipids in chicken feathers distinct from preen gland constituents.

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