Effect of genetic background on the developmental expression of c-fos and c-myc in chicken.

The developmental expression of the protooncogenes, c-fos and c-myc, in muscle and liver of 14- and 19-day embryos and 1-, 6-, 8- and 28-day-old chicks of Athens Canadian Random Bred (ACRB) Single Comb White Leghorn (SCWL) and Peterson X Arbor Acres commercial broiler (PXAA) was determined. For the three stocks of chicken, significant differences were found in c-fos and c-myc expression. For both muscle and liver, averaged across ages, abundance of c-fos RNA was highest in PXAA and lowest in ACRB with differences significant at the P less than 0.01 level. c-myc RNA levels were significantly higher (P less than 0.01) in PXAA than in ACRB or SCWL liver. Taken over the developmental period, expression of c-fos RNA in muscle increased at different rates between breeds from 14-day embryo levels to peak levels in 6- to 8-day-old chicks and declined in 28-day-old chicks. Levels of c-fos were much lower in liver and showed no consistent differences related to developmental stage. A steady decline in c-myc from 14-day embryo levels to 28-day-old chicks was found in both muscle and liver. This decline in c-myc levels generally parallels the decline in relative growth rates which occurs in all breeds over the developmental period. In liver, the fast growing PXAA had the highest levels of c-myc, c-fos, on the other hand, showed elevated levels in PXAA for both muscle and liver and distinctly different patterns between these two tissues over the developmental period, suggesting tissue-specific involvement in growth.