Genomic Regions Associated with Early/Late Feathering in Daheng Broilers Identified Using Genome-Wide Association Studies
Genomic Regions Associated with Early/Late Feathering in Daheng Broilers Identified Using Genome-Wide Association Studies
Donghao Zhang1, Lingqian Yin1, Zhongzhen Lin1, Chaowu Yang2, Chunlin Yu1,2, Zengrong Zhang2, Mohan Qiu2* and Yiping Liu1*
ABSTRACT
A causal mutation of a repeat segment on the Z chromosome directly regulates the late feather phenotype in chickens. However, further research on the molecular mechanism of autosomal influence on feather development is of great significance for chicken production and early sex identification. Here, genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) technology was used to develop genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) markers for early-feathering (EF) and late-feathering (LF) phenotypes in Daheng broilers. A total of 11626 high-quality SNPs were identified, and the different positions and numbers of SNPs were counted. On this basis, genome-wide association study (GWAS) analysis was performed to find molecular genetic markers significantly related to this trait. Candidate genes such as TBC1D22A, PRSS23 and HOXD gene families that may be related to feather growth and development were identified, and biological pathways to play their roles were sought. The concentration of these significant candidate genes in autosomal genes indicates that feathering rate is also related to autosomal inheritance. Then, each candidate SNPs and population frequency information were determined according to the sequencing results. Bayesian models were used to estimate the probability of LF or EF for each observed genotype. In all, our results improve the molecular regulatory mechanisms of follicle development and feathering phenotype, and provide data support for the establishment, refined production management and utilization of EF and LF lineages.
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