Multi-Omics profiling reveals immunometabolic adaptations underlying disease resilience in indigenous Lueyang Silky Fowl compared to White Leghorns

Concordant enrichments spanned mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation; amino-acid metabolism (arginine/proline; alanine/aspartate/glutamate); MAPK and calcium signaling; and antioxidant pathways (notably glutathione). Integrated networks revealed 66 shared KEGG pathways, including convergent hubs in calcium/MAPK signaling, apelin, and focal adhesion, nominating candidate markers like NOS1, GOT1, PRKCA, MAP2K6, and ATP6V1E1.

These bulk-tissue signatures likely integrate myocyte-intrinsic, stromal, and resident immune-cell programs; thus, offering testable signatures for avian immunometabolic resilience. We propose validation through single-cell/spatial transcriptomics, immunohistochemistry, targeted LC-MS and metabolomics, and pathogen challenge assays. This study advances ornithological understanding by revealing breed-specific physiological adaptations in poultry, positioning muscle as proxy for systemic resilience, and providing biomarkers for genomic selection to conserve and enhance genetic diversity in resilient avian lines under intensive farming pressure.