Figure 9.

Met promoted yolk synthesis by stimulating estrogen secretion in D580 hens. (a) The number of ER-α-positive cells (brown) in the liver of D580 hens was increased by Met. Scale bar: 50 μm. (b) Effect of Met on levels of plasma HDL, LDL, FFA, Tchol, TG, and serum E₂ in D580 hens. (c) Effect of Met on expression of yolk deposition-related genes (VTGII, OVR, PPAR-γ, and VLDLR) and BCL2 in D580 hens. Values represent the means ± SEM in each group (n = 15). Different lowercase letters indicate significant difference (P < 0.05).