Poultry Science (Dec 2023)

Phylogenetic analysis reveals multiple origins of Chinese gamecocks

  • Xufang Ren,
  • Zi Guan,
  • Haiying Li,
  • Li Zhang,
  • Junhui Wen,
  • Xiurong Zhao,
  • Gang Wang,
  • Xinye Zhang,
  • Huie Wang,
  • Fuqing Yu,
  • Zhihua Chen,
  • Lujiang Qu

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 102, no. 12
p. 103068

Abstract

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ABSTRACT: Cockfighting is popular worldwide, dating back to 2,800 BC. Primarily, 5 modern Chinese gamecock breeds exist, located in the northeast (Luxi and Henan), west (Turpan), south (Xishuangbanna), and southeast (Zhangzhou) of China. However, whether Chinese gamecocks were derived from a single origin or multiple origins remains controversial. Therefore, this study used next-generation resequencing data to elucidate the origin of Chinese gamecocks by constructing genome-wide and SRY-box transcription factor 5 (SOX5) gene phylogenetic trees. Data from 161 chickens from 27 breeds, including 9 gamecock breeds, were included. Before constructing the SOX5 gene tree, we validated that the pea-comb phenotype mutation in all gamecock breeds was attributed to copy number variation in intron 1 of the SOX5 gene, as previously reported. The specific region was chr1: 65,838,000 to 65,846,000. The phylogenetic tree results suggested that Zhangzhou and Xishuangbanna gamecocks have a monophyletic origin, while Luxi, Henan, and Turpan gamecocks have a common ancestor. Our study provides genome-wide evidence that Chinese gamecocks have multiple origins and advances the understanding of the genetic mechanisms of the pea-comb characteristic.

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