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Abstract
In poultry the stress hormone is corticosterone, and blood levels of corticosterone increase with fasting. Management of broiler breeders for improved reproductive performance involves them experiencing daily fasting periods. As plasma transport protein for corticosterone, corticosteroid binding globulin may play a vital role in the stress response by releasing corticosterone at specific tissues in response to stress as only released or free corticosterone can enter a target cell and cause a cellular response. The main objective of this research was to determine if corticosteroid binding globulin is expressed by developing follicles and if fasting altered its expression. Corticosteroid binding globulin is expressed by granulosa cells of the largest preovulatory follicles and its expression is increased by fasting. The results suggest locally produced corticosteroid binding globulin may act to prevent elevated corticosterone from inducing follicular atresia of the largest follicles during short term fasting periods.