Understanding the mechanisms of photoreception in birds in relation to physiology, behaviour and welfare

本项目将采用最先进的技术，研究鸟蛋人工孵化期间的光照对孵化后雏鸟产生积极影响的机制。家禽生产是英国和全世界农业部门的重要组成部分。仅在英国，每个月就有超过9000万个卵子被用于孵化。孵化期间的环境条件对正常发育至关重要，并可能在孵化后产生持久的影响。减少孵化不同步，提高孵化率是提高动物福利和效率的重要手段。孵化期间的光照已成为提高小鸡孵化率和孵化同步性的潜在手段。我们对孵化期间光照如何起作用以及如何优化光照的理解仍然有限，特别是在孵化后的表现方面。我们最近的工作表明，视网膜外光感受器（非视蛋白）代表了一种广泛的、进化上古老的光探测和反应形式，可以很容易地调节这些发育效应。该项目的主要目的是测试非视觉视蛋白在孵化期间与小鸡生理和行为（包括昼夜节律）的关系中的作用。通过使用基因编辑的神经元视蛋白敲除鸡系，目的是阐明是否额外的视网膜光感受器在孵育期间介导光暴露的积极作用。该项目将提供独特的见解，以了解小鸡能够探测和响应光线线索的机制。这种理解不仅将为商业孵卵和改善福利提供信息，而且还将为更详细地了解夜间光照如何影响野生鸟类种群提供信息。这个最先进的项目将由一个强大的多学科团队监督，该团队在鸟类行为和生理学方面拥有卓越的技能，并在新型鸟类基因编辑的技术进步方面拥有丰富的经验。学生将在动物行为、生理学、福利、湿实验室技术（免疫组织化学和qRT-PCR）、转录组学以及新型鸟类基因编辑方面发展技能，并获得展示工作的经验。该项目还将利用与美国同事的国际合作。

This project will use state of the art technology to investigate the mechanism by which light exposure during artificial incubation of bird eggs exerts positive effects on chicks post-hatch.Poultry production is a major component of the agricultural sector in the UK and worldwide. Over 90 million eggs are set for incubation each month in the UK alone. Environmental conditions during incubation are vital for proper development and can have long lasting consequences post-hatch. Reduction of hatch asynchrony and improvement of hatchability represents a key means to improve animal welfare and efficiency.Light exposure during incubation has emerged as a potential means of improving chick hatchability and hatch synchrony. Our understanding of how light exposure acts during incubation, and how it can be optimized remains limited particularly in relation to post hatch performance. Our recent work has shown that extra-retinal photoreceptors (non-visual opsins) represent a widespread and evolutionarily ancient form of light detection and response that could readily mediate these developmental effects. The main objective of the project is to test the role of non-visual opsins during incubation in the relation to chick physiology and behaviour including circadian rhythms. By using gene edited neuronal opsin knockout chicken lines the aim is to elucidate whether extra retinal photoreceptors mediate the positive effects of light exposure during incubation. The project will provide unique insights into the mechanisms by which chicks are able to detect and respond to light cues. This understanding will inform not only commercial egg incubation and improve welfare, but inform a more detailed appreciation of how nocturnal light exposure may impact wild bird populations.The state of the art project will be supervised by a strong multidisciplinary team with exceptional skills in avian behaviour and physiology, as well as experience with technological advances in novel avian gene-editing. The student will be supported to develop skills in animal behaviour, physiology, welfare, wet lab techniques (immunohistochemistry and qRT-PCR), transcriptomics as well as novel avian gene editing and gaining experience in presenting work. The project will also draw on international collaboration with colleagues in the USA.