The elite chickens carrying favorable SNPs identified in this study can be selected in breeding programs to improve economic benefits for poultry farmers.
Abstract
Simple Summary Body weight is a critical indicator to evaluate the growth performance of chickens at all production stages and is a core parameter for early breeding selection. Given that the NCAPG-LCORL locus has been widely reported to regulate animal body weight and skeletal muscle development, this gene region was selected as the research candidate. Based on genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) data from an F2 resource population, we screened SNPs within the NCAPG-LCORL locus. After linkage disequilibrium (LD) analysis, association analyses were performed between tag SNPs/non-tag SNPs and 12 economic traits. Furthermore, we explored the regulatory effects of NCAPG and LCORL on the proliferation and differentiation of chicken skeletal muscle satellite cells (SMSCs) at the cellular level. The elite chickens carrying favorable SNPs identified in this study can be selected in breeding programs to improve economic benefits for poultry farmers.
The Charolais sheep is a world‐renowned breed of meat sheep, known for its large frame, heavy muscling, and rapid growth. A novel breed, the Chao Mu meat sheep, has been developed by utilizing the Charolais sheep as the paternal line. This advancement has significantly contributed to the genetic enhancement and breeding of indigenous meat sheep in China. However, body size varies among different Charolais families introduced in China. To address this, we employed DNA‐seq combined with MLR analysis to identify key genes associated with growth, slaughter, and meat quality performance. Isolation of genomic DNA was performed from blood samples obtained from 1400 Charolais sheep with recorded production performance data for subsequent statistical analyses of genotypes and haplotypes. A SNP (T136210A) was identified in LCORL, and another (G105452A) in LTBP2, in Charolais sheep. In the haplotype combinations of these genes, for growth, the dominant haplotype in ewes was TTAA. Multiple linear regression demonstrated a significant linear relationship between body weight and these performance metrics. BW = 0.690CC + 0.522LL + 1.546CW + 1.863WH − 2.386BaH + 1.613BH − 0.610BL + 3.422CaC − 0.819SH + 1.555FW − 0.575CD + 0.227HH − 118.193 (R 2 = 0.794) in ewes and BW = 1.472CC + 0.509HW − 88.303 (R 2 = 0.961) in rams. The TT (LCORL) in ewes and GG (LTBP2) in ewe lamb genotypes are promising candidates as molecular markers for the evaluation of growth performance. Genotypes TT (LCORL) and GG (LTBP2) were associated with slaughter performance, suggesting their potential utility as molecular markers.
Jiaqi Ge, Zi-Wen Qi, Jianing Xin et al.· Veterinary Medicine Internat...· 0 citations
The gene TCF21, a subject of growing interest in molecular poultry genetics being an important player in cell differentiation and muscle and adipose tissue growth regulation has been recognized as an emerging regulatory gene. The study aimed to evaluate the potential use of molecular markers in selection, breeding, and improvement programs. This study included 100 samples of ROSS 308 broiler chickens, which were reared for 40 days. Field measurements were taken weekly, including body weight, body length, and chest width every two weeks. At 20 days of age, blood was collected in K3- EDTA tubes for laboratory analysis, including DNA extraction PCR and Sequencing. TCF21 is a member of the basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) family of transcription factors and available evidence has suggested that it presents significant biological and molecular features. It’s thought to be involved with regulating the growth of muscle and fat tissue, and has been reported to influence body weight, growth rate, body composition and fat deposition capacity in broilers. On more recent reports, these polymorphisms were associated with several economically important traits, suggesting that TCF21 can be exploited as a molecular marker in contemporary selection programs aimed at improving productive performance and carcass quality in poultry. Combining genomic with phenotype information in genetic-improvement schemes is a big advance toward accurate and efficient commercial broiler production programs. The study aimed to focus on the TCF21 gene because it is one of the most prominent candidates directly related to the efficiency of production and profitability of poultry projects, given its role in regulating muscle formation, fat deposition, and some traits associated with feed conversion efficiency. The results showed the presence of several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the TCF21 gene. Fourteen mitochondrial loci were identified, distributed across the two primaries used (seven variants each), reflecting significant genetic diversity in the studied regions. These results confirm the health of TCF21, as it can be one of the candidate combinations that contribute to the regulation of morphology and histogenesis through its effect on the differentiation of muscle and fat cells.
Mariam Kadhim Hussein, Ahmed Mahmoud Al-Nadawi· GSC Advanced Research and Re...· 0 citations
Target gene prediction and enrichment analysis indicated that pre-miR-1453 may participate in the regulation of chicken growth and serum biochemical parameters through pathways related to neuron development, cytoskeletal dynamics, and energy metabolism.
Jianzhou Shi, Lunguang Yao, G. Sun· Animals· 0 citations
The article presents the results of a study on the combined genotypes of
OPN
(c.8514C/T) and
IGF-1
(512T/C) genes in a population of Holstein heifers (n=202). The experiment was conducted at the Lenin Breeding Farm (Atninsky District, Republic of Tatarstan), and laboratory analyses were carried out at the Tatar Research Institute of Agriculture, Kazan Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The relevance of the study is driven by the need to identify genetic markers associated with reproductive traits in cattle, as fertility indicators alongside milk productivity determine the economic efficiency of dairy farming. The
OPN
and
IGF-1
genes are involved in the regulation of embryogenesis, implantation, folliculogenesis, and early embryonic development; however, their combined interaction remains insufficiently studied. Genotyping was performed using PCR-RFLP with restriction endonucleases
BseI
(for
OPN
) and
BstSNI
(for
IGF-1
). The analysis revealed the presence of all nine possible combined genotype combinations, confirming the genetic heterogeneity of the studied population. The highest frequency was observed for the combined genotype CT/AB (29.7%), while the lowest frequencies were found for CC/BB (2.0%) and CC/AA (3.0%) by
OPN
/
IGF-1
. A pattern of decreasing frequency of combined genotypes was established with an increasing number of homozygous loci. Comparison of the observed and theoretically expected distributions showed no statistically significant deviations (χ² = 4.67; p > 0.05), indicating independent allele combination of the studied genes and the absence of factors disrupting genetic equilibrium in the sample. The obtained data can be applied in breeding programs for marker-assisted selection of parental pairs, genetic passportization, and monitoring of the genetic structure of cattle populations.
N. Safina, E. Mukhanina, E. R. Gainutdinova· Legal regulation in veterina...· 0 citations
Early postnatal growth is a critical determinant of meat production efficiency and long-term genetic improvement in goats; however, the molecular mechanisms underlying individual variation in growth performance remain poorly understood. In this study, a total of 123 Hechuan white goats were included. First, a genome-wide association study (GWAS) for average daily gain (ADG) was performed using all 123 individuals. Subsequently, based on the coefficient of variation of ADG (CV = 65.6%), an extreme phenotype sampling (EPS) strategy was applied to select 39 individuals with extreme growth phenotypes for subsequent metabolomic, microbiome, and integrated mGWAS analyses.The results showed that ADG approximately followed a normal distribution across the 123 goats. GWAS identified 22 loci significantly associated with ADG, mapping to genes including DLK1, NCAPG2, LCORL, CNTNAP2, and SLC8A1, which are involved in pathways related to skeletal muscle development, cell cycle regulation, ion transport, and immune function. Metabolomic profiling detected 1,589 putative metabolites, revealing differential enrichment of lipid, amino acid, and bile acid metabolic pathways between fast- and slow-growing goats. Gut microbiome analysis demonstrated that Christensenellaceae_R-7_group and Monoglobus were significantly enriched in fast-growing individuals, whereas Desulfovibrio was more abundant in slow-growing goats.Integrated mGWAS analysis further revealed extensive effects of host genetic variation on gut microbiota and fecal metabolites. Specifically, 11 bacterial genera were significantly associated with host genomic variants, among which Desulfovibrio exhibited the highest number of associated loci. Integration of multiple variant types consistently linked Desulfovibrio, Eubacterium_hallii_group, and Candidatus_Saccharimonas with genes such as ARHGAP24 and IGF2BP2. In addition, 14 metabolites were significantly associated with host genetic variants, with Lysopc(14:1(9Z)/0:0) and glycocholic acid showing the strongest associations. Notably, the peak signal for Lysopc was located within HMGA2.Collectively, these findings define a coordinated host genome–gut microbiota–metabolite network underlying early growth variation in goats and provide a mechanistic foundation for precision breeding and targeted nutritional strategies in goat production systems.
The study was conducted to identify the genotypes of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the GHRL, GAST, and SCTR genes for early performance assessment in Smena 9 poultry. The study was performed on 170 CM5/CM7 roosters and 750 final-hybrid CM5679 broiler chickens with individual feed intake monitoring at ages 36-42 days and 21-42 days, respectively. Groups were formed randomly. Polymorphisms were identified using genotyping using real-time PCR with fluorescently labelled probes. CM5 roosters homozygous for the T allele and heterozygous (TC) for the rs312295326 polymorphism demonstrated improved feed conversion in the 36-42-day period. The feed conversion ratio (FCR) for this period was 1.89 for birds with the TT genotype and 1.91 for TC. The CC genotype was associated with a 7.3-8.5% decrease in FCR (p<0.05). Statistically significant differences in feed conversion efficiency (FCR) were observed in broilers with polymorphic variants of the SCTR gene (rs314830059 and rs736374789). In birds of both sexes with the GG genotype of the rs314830059 polymorphic variant, a decrease in FCR by 8.6-16.9% was observed compared to the GT and TT genotypes from the 24th to the 33rd day (p<0.05). Females with the GG genotype of the rs736374789 polymorphism showed a lower FCR (2.18 to 2.48) compared to individuals with the GT genotype (2.41 to 2.89) on days 39, 40, and 42 (p < 0.05). The identified SNPs in the GHRL (rs312295326), SCTR (rs314830059), and SCTR (rs736374789) genes can be integrated into genomic selection programmes aimed at reducing FCR in meat-producing chickens.
L. G. Korshunova, E. I. Kulikov, D. M. Dmitrenko et al.· Achievements of Science and...· 0 citations
