Integrated transcriptomics and metagenomics analyze the dynamic correlations between cecal mucosal tissue and cecal microbiota in Liangshan Yanying chickens during early postnatal development

Liangshan Yanying chicken, a precious indigenous Chinese breed listed in the Catalog of Livestock and Poultry Genetic Resources in China, is an economic pillar in Liangshan Yi ethnic area and critical for poverty alleviation-to-rural revitalization transition. It has excellent phenotypic traits, high nutritional value, unique flavor, and strong adaptability to 380-4500 m altitudes. However, the co-evolutionary mechanism between its cecal mucosal tissue and gut microbiota (key to intestinal homeostasis and productivity) remains unclear. We systematically investigated their dynamic crosstalk in 1-, 14-, and 28-day-old chickens (n = 10/group) using transcriptomics, metagenomics, bioinformatics, and qPCR. Cecal length increased from 3.77 cm (1 d) to 8.98 cm (28 d), with higher growth rate at 14-28 d. We identified 67 DEGs (34 upregulated immune-related, 33 downregulated development-related) and 16 dynamically changed microbial taxa. Host-microbiota crosstalk was mediated by 52 shared KEGG pathways, with 10 core genes and 13 functional taxa maintaining homeostasis via PI3K-Akt pathway. This study first reveals a "gut microbial homeostasis" model for cecal dynamic homeostasis, providing insights for local poultry intestinal health and breeding.