Jiangsu Institute of Poultry Science, Yangzhou 225125, China.
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Sericultural and Animal Biotechnology, School of Biotechnology, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang 212100, China.
Animal. 2024 Jun;18(6):101167. doi: 10.1016/j.animal.2024.101167. Epub 2024 Apr 24.
Eggshell color is an important visual characteristic that affects consumer preferences for eggs. Eggshell color, which has moderate to high heritability, can be effectively enhanced through molecular marker selection. Various studies have been conducted on eggshell color at specific time points. However, few longitudinal data are available on eggshell color. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate eggshell color using the Commission International de L'Eclairage Lab* system with multiple measurements at different ages (age at the first egg and at 32, 36, 40, 44, 48, 52, 56, 60, 66, and 72 weeks) within the same individuals from an F2 resource population produced by crossing White Leghorn and Dongxiang Blue chicken. Using an Affymetrix 600 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array, we estimated the genetic parameters of the eggshell color trait, performed genome-wide association studies (GWASs), and screened for the potential candidate genes. The results showed that pink-shelled eggs displayed a significant negative correlation between L* values and both a* and b* values. Genetic heritability based on SNPs showed that the heritability of L*, a*, and b* values ranged from 0.32 to 0.82 for pink-shelled eggs, indicating a moderate to high level of genetic control. The genetic correlations at each time point were mostly above 0.5. The major-effect regions affecting the pink eggshell color were identified in the 10.3-13.0 Mb interval on Gallus gallus chromosome 20, and candidate genes were selected, including SLC35C2, PCIF1, and SLC12A5. Minor effect polygenic regions were identified on chromosomes 1, 6, 9, 12, and 15, revealing 11 candidate genes, including MTMR3 and SLC35E4. Members of the solute carrier family play an important role in influencing eggshell color. Overall, our findings provide valuable insights into the phenotypic and genetic aspects underlying the variation in eggshell color. Using GWAS analysis, we identified multiple quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for pink eggshell color, including a major QTL on chromosome 20. Genetic variants associated with eggshell color may be used in genomic breeding programs.
蛋壳颜色是影响消费者对鸡蛋偏好的一个重要视觉特征。蛋壳颜色具有中等到高度的遗传力，可以通过分子标记选择进行有效增强。已经在特定时间点对蛋壳颜色进行了各种研究。然而，关于蛋壳颜色的纵向数据很少。因此，本研究的目的是使用国际照明委员会 Lab系统，在同一个个体中，从白来航鸡和东乡鸡杂交产生的 F2 资源群体中，在不同年龄（第一枚蛋的年龄和 32、36、40、44、48、52、56、60、66 和 72 周）进行多次测量，研究蛋壳颜色。利用 Affymetrix 600 个单核苷酸多态性（SNP）阵列，我们估计了蛋壳颜色性状的遗传参数，进行了全基因组关联研究（GWAS），并筛选了潜在的候选基因。结果表明，粉色壳蛋的 L值与 a和 b值呈显著负相关。基于 SNP 的遗传力表明，粉色壳蛋的 L*、a和 b值的遗传力范围为 0.32 至 0.82，表明遗传控制程度为中等到高度。每个时间点的遗传相关性大多在 0.5 以上。影响粉色蛋壳颜色的主要效应区域位于鸡 20 号染色体的 10.3-13.0 Mb 区间，选择了候选基因，包括 SLC35C2、PCIF1 和 SLC12A5。在染色体 1、6、9、12 和 15 上发现了影响粉色蛋壳颜色的次要多基因区域，共鉴定出 11 个候选基因，包括 MTMR3 和 SLC35E4。溶质载体家族的成员在影响蛋壳颜色方面起着重要作用。总体而言，我们的研究结果提供了对蛋壳颜色变异的表型和遗传方面的有价值的见解。通过 GWAS 分析，我们鉴定了粉色蛋壳颜色的多个数量性状基因座（QTL），包括 20 号染色体上的一个主要 QTL。与蛋壳颜色相关的遗传变异可用于基因组选育计划。
