Open access
Study on the Role of FHL2 in Chicken: Promoting Bone Growth and Inhibiting Fat Formation via Regulating BMSC Differentiation Balance
Zi-Jian Qin
Li-Sha Han
Fen Ying
Ming Pan
Chang-Bin Zhao
Tao Lin
Shui-Bing Liu
Lin-Xin Wu
Bo-Lin Cai
Qing-Bin Luo
Xi-Quan Zhang
De-Xiang Zhang
F. Bordbar
Hong-Mei Li
Medicine
Abstract
Simple Summary In some chickens, high body weight is accompanied by a low dressing percentage because growth is preferentially directed to bone and fat rather than muscle. Our study identified four and a half LIM domains protein 2 (FHL2) as a key gene that promoted osteogenic differentiation and suppressed adipogenic differentiation in bone marrow stem cells. This finding supports the future development of molecular markers for selecting chickens with better carcass yield and healthier body composition. In the long term, improving the bone–lipid balance may increase production efficiency, reduce feeding costs, and lower the risk of skeletal problems.