INFLUENCE OF BREEDING INTERVALS AND SEASONS ON HEAT SHOCK PROTEIN 70 (Hsp70) EXPRESSION IN HYLA RABBIT IN SOUTHWESTERN NIGERIA
The study was conducted to evaluate the effects of seasons and breeding intervals on the gene expressing stress proteins, heat shock protein 70, in Hyla rabbits in southwestern Nigeria. A total of twenty-four healthy adult rabbits, sixteen females and eight males of average 2600g ± 100 g, were used in the study. Does were randomly allotted into the four experimental treatments: T1 (two weeks), T2 (four weeks), T3 (six weeks), and T4 (eight weeks) breeding intervals with four rabbits per treatment in a Completely Randomized Design under four different seasons (late rain (S1), early dry (S2), late dry (S3), and early rain (S4)). Blood was collected into EDTA bottles from all does at the middle of each season to quantify the Hsp70 expression. The results showed that RT-PCR analysis indicated Hsp70 mRNAs were expressed in the tested blood from all does in different breeding intervals and seasons. Hsp70 had the higher (p < 0.05) gene expression in S3 and T4. The interaction between seasons and breeding intervals revealed that the expression of Hsp70 was higher (p < 0.05) in S1 in T2 and T3 while higher (p < 0.05) in S3 in T1 and T4. Hsp70 can be easily triggered by small increases in temperature and other stressors in response to stress. Environmental stress was very high in the late dry season, which caused high Hsp70 expression. The situation could easily lead to heat stress, which adversely affects the growth, production, and reproduction performance of the does and their kits. Therefore, Hyla rabbit keepers should guard against the excess heat during the late dry season in southwestern Nigeria.
Key words: Hyla rabbit, Hsp70, breeding interval, season, RT-PCR, mRNA.
