polymorphism of the melanocortin receptor gene and its association with egg production traits in lohmann brown chickens
;Aggag Sarah;El-Sabrout Karim
Chemical biology & drug design2018Vol. 50pp. 317-323
139
sarah2018genetikapolymorphism
Abstract
The melanocortin gene (MC4R) was proposed as a candidate gene in this study
for egg production traits (yield and weight) in Lohmann Brown hens. Two
different primers from MC4R gene (MC4R-1 and MC4R-2) were investigated. DNA
from blood samples was extracted to amplify the MC4R gene and the purified
PCR products were sequenced. Alignment of sequence data from each group
revealed that there is a variation in MC4R-1 at nucleotide 22 (T-G) (sense
mutation) for high egg weight. Hens with the genotype produced
significantly (P<0.05) higher egg weight compared to hens with the AA and BB
genotypes. There was no significant (P>0.05) effect of this mutation on egg
yield. There was no variation detected in MC4R-2. The detected mutation and
the analysis of egg production means revealed a significant association
between MC4R polymorphism and egg weight. The MC4R-SNP could be considered
as a useful marker in chicken selection especially for egg weight.