Yang L, Du X, Wei S, Gu L, Li N, Gong Y, Li S
Key Laboratory of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, Ministry of Education, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei Province, 430070, China.
Collage of Life Science, Foshan University, Foshan, Guangdong, 528231, China.
Anim Genet. 2017 Oct;48(5):611-614. doi: 10.1111/age.12573. Epub 2017 Jun 22.
Plumage color in chicken is determined by the proportion of eumelanin and pheomelanin pigmentation. As the main ingredient in plumage melanin, eumelanin plays a key role in the dark black, brown and grey coloration. However, very few studies have been performed to identify the related genes and mutations on a genome-wide scale. Herein, a resource family consisting of one backcross population and two F2 cross populations between a black roster and Yukou Brown I parent stockbreed was constructed for identification of genes related to eumelanin pigmentation. Chickens with eumelanin in their plumage were classified as the case group, and the rest were considered the control group. A genome-wide association study of this phenotype and genotypes using Affymetrix 600K HD SNP arrays in this F2 family revealed 13 significantly associated SNPs and in 10 separate genes on chromosomes 1, 2, 3 and 5. Based on previous studies in model species, we inferred that genes, including NUAK family kinase 1 (NUAK1) and sonic hedgehog (SHH), may play roles in the development of neural crest cells or melanoblasts during the embryonic period, which may also affect the eumelanin pigmentation. Our results facilitate the understanding of the genetic basis of eumelanin pigmentation in chicken plumage.
鸡的羽毛颜色由真黑素和褐黑素色素沉着的比例决定。作为羽毛黑色素的主要成分，真黑素在深黑色、棕色和灰色羽毛的形成中起关键作用。然而，在全基因组范围内鉴定相关基因和突变的研究却很少。在此，构建了一个资源群体，该群体由一个回交群体和两个黑色公鸡与峪口褐I亲本之间的F2杂交群体组成，用于鉴定与真黑素色素沉着相关的基因。羽毛中含有真黑素的鸡被归类为病例组，其余的被视为对照组。在这个F2家系中，使用Affymetrix 600K HD SNP芯片对该表型和基因型进行全基因组关联研究，结果显示在1号、2号、3号和5号染色体上有13个显著相关的单核苷酸多态性（SNP），分布在10个不同的基因中。基于之前在模式物种中的研究，我们推断包括NUAK家族激酶1（NUAK1）和音猬因子（SHH）在内的基因可能在胚胎期神经嵴细胞或成黑素细胞的发育中发挥作用，这也可能影响真黑素色素沉着。我们的研究结果有助于理解鸡羽毛真黑素色素沉着的遗传基础。
