Tailoring Dietary Selenium for Breed-Specific Gene Expression Profiles in Rabbits

Abstract

The current study was conducted to assess the effect of different sources of selenium (Se) in growing rabbit diets on gene expression profiles of IGF-1, PPAR-γ, and COX2 genes. Three rabbit breeds at weaning age were used; Alex line, V-line, and Apri rabbits. The rabbit were divided to control (-Se) and three treatments groups (organic, inorganic, and nano Se). The results indicated that different selenium sources affected the expression of three genes differently across three rabbit breeds. Organic selenium generally led to increased expression of all three genes. Inorganic selenium increased expression of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) overall breeds. Breed-specific effect was clear in Alex rabbits, as all the three genes were overexpressed when Alex rabbits received inorganic selenium. However, Nano Se unregulated the expression of the three genes in V-line rabbits. Nono.se treatment had mixed effects, depending on the gene and rabbit breed. Sex also affected gene expression. Overall, these results suggest the potential for targeted manipulation of dietary selenium to optimize rabbit health and productivity.