The Journal of Poultry Science (Oct 2008)
Correlation between Microsatellite Loci and Onset of Lay and Egg Quality Traits in Chinese Silkies, Gallus gallus
Abstract
This study investigated the correlation between microsatellite DNA polymorphic loci and egg laying traits in Chinese Silkies (Gallus gallus) to find possible candidate loci for marker-assisted selection. 180 experimental birds were used, which were offspring of a dam line and a sire line of Silkies specialized for production and growth performances, respectively. Seventeen chicken-specific microsatellite markers were analyzed for polymorphism. Multiplex PCR and capillary electrophoresis were used to detect alleles and allele frequencies. All the 17 microsatellite markers were polymorphic. In all, 109 alleles were detected from these polymorphic loci, with a range of 4 to 10 alleles and an average of 6.41 alleles per locus. The frequencies of the 109 alleles ranged from 0.0090 to 0.7559. The average value of polymorphism information content (PIC) was 0.644, ranging from 0.357 to 0.859. The average observed heterozygosity of 17 markers was 0.335, and the average expected heterozygosity was 0.681, ranging from 0.370 to 0.876. Ten microsatellite loci were found to be correlated with four egg quality traits and two onsets of lay traits (P<0.01 or P<0.05). Within marker MCW0036, allele 164 had a positive correlation, while allele 174 had a negative correlation with shell proportion. In MCW0254, allele 114 had positive effect on albumen proportion trait, while alleles 108 and 110 had negative effect. Therefore, genotype 164/164 in MCW0036 and genotype 114/114 in MCW0254 are two potential candidate loci for egg quality traits in Chinese Silkies. Furthermore, genotypes 224/224 and 220/220 in MCW0036 are probably candidate loci for onset of lay traits in these birds. These findings would provide a valuable theoretical basis for marker-assisted selection for the improvement of production performances in Silkies.
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