Jae-ryeong So, a PhD candidate in the Department of Agricultural Convergence Technology (supervisor: Professor Ki-Deok Song), received the Best Poster Presentation Award in the poster session at the 2026 International Joint Symposium and Academic Conference of the Korean Society of Animal Science and Technology for research that elucidated the breast muscle developmental characteristics of the Korean native chicken breed Ogye at the transcriptome level.

At the conference, PhD candidate Jae-ryeong So presented the research under the title 'Wnt Signaling Pathway-associated cis-lncRNA-mRNA Crosstalk in Ogye Breast Muscle'.

The research team performed next-generation sequencing (RNA-sequencing) on breast muscle tissues from 10-week-old birds of the Korean native Ogye breed and the representative meat-type Cornish breed.

They found that genes associated with the Wnt signaling pathway, which play major roles in muscle cell proliferation and development, tended to be expressed at relatively higher levels in Ogye breast muscle tissue.

Additionally, cis-acting analysis suggested that the non-coding RNA MSTRG.4144 is likely involved in regulating the expression of the target gene WNT9A.

The team explained that the interaction between MSTRG.4144 and WNT9A may represent a conserved gene regulatory mechanism between breeds, and that differential expression of the two genes may contribute to the unique developmental and functional characteristics of Ogye breast muscle.

This study is significant in that it examined the muscle development mechanisms of Ogye at the molecular level and provided foundational data for a scientific understanding of the genetic characteristics of Korean native chickens. It is expected to be useful for genetic resource conservation and for research on functional livestock resources that leverage the unique traits of native chickens.

PhD candidate Jae-ryeong So said, 'Thanks to the careful guidance of my supervisor and the cooperation of our laboratory members, we were able to produce meaningful basic research results. This study is significant in that it suggests the potential to understand Ogye muscle development mechanisms at the molecular level. I hope to contribute to more clearly delineating the genetic characteristics of Korean native chickens through further research.'

Meanwhile, this research was carried out with support from the Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) RISE Project Group project 'Development of a High-Value Bio-based Material Production System and Establishment of a Green Bio New Industry Research Cluster' (JB-RISE Research Cluster Establishment; Principal Investigator: Professor Jeong-Hwan Lee, Department of Biological Sciences), the National Research Foundation of Korea's Support Program for Outstanding Scientists at Regional Universities, and the Phase 4 Brain Korea 21 (BK21 FOUR) project.