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ABSTRACT: Glyphosate (GLY)-based herbicide (GBH) formulations are widely used pesticides in agriculture. The European Union recently decided to extend the use of GLY in Europe until 2034. Previously, we showed that chronic dietary GBH exposure in adult hens resulted in a reversible increase in early mortality in chicken embryos. In this present study, we investigated the GBH effects on metabolism and ovarian functions by using a transcriptomic approach in vivo in young female broilers and in vitro in ovarian explant cultures. We exposed 11-day-old female broilers to 13 mg GLY equivalent/kg body weight/d (GBH13, n = 20), 34 mg GLY equivalent/kg body weight/d (GBH34, n = 20), or a standard diet (control [CT], n = 20) for 25 d. These 2 GBH concentrations correspond to approximatively one-eighth and one-third of the no observed adverse effect level (NOAEL) as defined by European Food Safety Authority in birds. During this period, we evaluated body weight, fattening, food intake, and the weight of organs (including the ovaries). Chronic dietary GBH exposure dose dependently reduced food intake, body weight, and fattening, but increased oxidative stress and relative ovary weight. We analyzed the ovarian gene expression profile in CT, GBH13, and GBH34 broilers with RNA sequencing and showed that differentially expressed genes are mainly enriched in pathways related to cholesterol metabolism, steroidogenesis, and RNA processing. With quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting, we confirmed that GBH decreased ovarian STAR and CYP19A1 messenger RNA and protein expression, respectively. Furthermore, we confirmed that GBH altered steroid production in ovarian explants. We have identified potential regulatory networks associated with GBH. These data provide valuable support for understanding the ovarian transcriptional regulatory mechanism of GBH in growing broilers.

The study of facial expressions in mammals provided great advances in the identification of their emotions and then in the comprehension of their sentience. So far, this area of research has excluded birds. With a naturalist approach, we analysed facial blushing and feather displays in domestic fowl. Hens were filmed in situations contrasting in emotional valence and arousal level: situations known to indicate calm states (positive valence / low arousal), have rewarding effects (positive valence / high arousal) or induce fear-related behaviour (negative valence / high arousal). Head feather position as well as skin redness of comb, wattles, ear lobes and cheeks varied across these situations. Skin of all four areas was less red in situations with low arousal compared to situations with higher arousal. Furthermore, skin redness of the cheeks and ear lobes also varied depending on the valence of the situation: redness was higher in situations with negative valence compared to situations with positive valence. Feather position also varied with the situations. Feather fluffing was mostly observed in positively valenced situations, except when hens were eating. We conclude that hens have facial displays that reveal their emotions and that blushing is not exclusive to humans. This opens a promising way to explore the emotional lives of birds, which is a critical step when trying to improve poultry welfare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are complex, polygenic and heterogenous neurodevelopmental conditions. The severity of autism-associated variants is influenced by environmental factors, particularly social experiences during the critical neurodevelopmental period. While early behavioral interventions have shown efficacy in some children with autism, pharmacological support for core features - impairments in social interaction and communication, and stereotyped or restricted behaviors - is currently lacking. In this study, we examined how the social environment influences both wild-type (WT) and Shank3 knockout (KO) mice, a model reflecting core autism-like traits. Our findings revealed that chronic social isolation enhanced social interaction and olfactory neuron responses in WT animals. Furthermore, it restored impairments in social novelty preference and olfactory function, as well as self-grooming in Shank3 KO mice. Conversely, an enriched social environment heightened social interest toward novel conspecifics in WT mice, but elicited the opposite effect in Shank3 KO mice. Notably, Shank3 KO mice displayed distinct social responses when exposed to WT or Shank3 KO mice. These results offer novel insights that could favor the implementation of behavioral interventions and inclusive classroom programs for children with ASD., (© 2024. The Author(s).)