Animal Science College, Zhejiang University, Zijingang Campus, Hangzhou, China 310058.
Animal Science College, Zhejiang University, Zijingang Campus, Hangzhou, China 310058.
Poult Sci. 2020 Jun;99(6):2895-2901. doi: 10.1016/j.psj.2019.12.070. Epub 2020 Mar 19.
Reproduction trait is one of the most important economic traits in poultry industry. This study was aimed to investigate the mRNA expression levels, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) of POMC gene, and the association with reproduction traits in chickens. Five SNP (g.958 G > A, g.1374 G > C, g.1393 G > A, g.1817 C > T, and g.1918G > A) were detected in introns of POMC gene in 317 Zhenning yellow chickens. Association analysis revealed that g.958 G > A and g.1817 C > T showed significantly associations with fertilization rate, hatching rate of hatching eggs, and hatching rate of fertilized eggs in chickens. Simultaneously, g.1374 G > C and g.1918G > A were both associated with egg weight at 300 D of age (P < 0.05). The SNP of g.958 G > A, g.1393 G > A, and g.1817 C > T were all associated with E2 hormone levels (P < 0.05). The result of mRNA expression levels in different tissues showed that POMC mRNA expression level in the pituitary was higher than those in the other tissues and varied in different genotypes. In conclusion, the results in this study provided new evidences that polymorphisms of the POMC gene have potential effects on reproduction traits in chickens. The 5 SNP detected in this study could be potential markers for improving reproduction traits in chickens.
繁殖性状是家禽业最重要的经济性状之一。本研究旨在探讨鸡促黑激素原（POMC）基因的 mRNA 表达水平、单核苷酸多态性（SNP）与繁殖性状的关系。在 317 只镇宁小黄鸡的内含子中检测到 5 个 SNP（g.958G>A、g.1374G>C、g.1393G>A、g.1817C>T 和 g.1918G>A）。关联分析表明，g.958G>A 和 g.1817C>T 与鸡的受精率、种蛋孵化率和受精蛋孵化率显著相关。同时，g.1374G>C 和 g.1918G>A 均与 300 日龄蛋重相关（P<0.05）。g.958G>A、g.1393G>A 和 g.1817C>T 的 SNP 均与 E2 激素水平相关（P<0.05）。不同组织中 POMC mRNA 表达水平的结果表明，垂体中 POMC mRNA 表达水平高于其他组织，且不同基因型存在差异。综上所述，本研究结果为 POMC 基因多态性对鸡繁殖性状的潜在影响提供了新的证据。本研究检测到的 5 个 SNP 可能是改善鸡繁殖性状的潜在标记。
