Sequencing and alignment of mitochondrial genomes of Tibetan chicken and two lowland chicken breeds

Tibetan chicken lives in high-altitude area and has adapted well to hypoxia genetically. Shouguang chicken and Silky chicken are both lowland chicken breeds. In the present study, the complete mitochondrial genome sequences of the three chicken breeds were all sequenced. The results showed that the mitochondrial DNAs (mtDNAs) of Shouguang chicken and Silky chicken consist of 16784 bp and 16785 bp respectively, and Tibetan chicken mitochondrial genome varies from 16784 bp to 16786 bp. After sequence analysis, 120 mutations, including 4 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in tRNA genes, 9 SNPs and 1 insertion in rRNA genes, 38 SNPs and 1 deletion in D-LOOP, 66 SNPs in protein-coding genes, were found. This work will provide clues for the future study on the association between mitochondrial genes and the adaptation to hypoxia.     

藏鸡线粒体全基因组序列的测定和分析

通过PCR扩增,测序,拼接,获得藏鸡（Tibetan Chicken）线粒体全基因组序列并进行数据分析处理。藏鸡线粒体全基因组序列全长16783bp,共有13个蛋白质编码基因、2个rRNA基因、22个tRNA基因和1个D-loop区。模拟电子酶切结果显示,藏鸡DraI酶的酶切结果和先前报道的原鸡,茶花鸡,尼西鸡和大理漾濞黄鸡的酶切结果都不相同,为藏鸡特有。基于D-loop区全序列和13个蛋白质编码基因序列,采用N-J算法与原鸡属4个种,3个亚种和3个家鸡品系构建系统进化树：初步确定藏鸡起源于红原鸡,与家鸡中的来航鸡、白洛克鸡亲缘关系最近,但是藏鸡的进化与来航鸡、白洛克鸡这两个家鸡品系又显得相对独立。推测可能原因是藏鸡的祖先在进入高原以后处于相对封闭的环境,从而形成了独特群体遗传特性。     

中国地方品种鸡白细胞介素2基因的克隆及遗传进化分析(英)

鸡白细胞介素 2 (chIL 2 )是近年来新发现的一类细胞因子 .根据Sundick等发表的鸡IL 2基因序列设计一对特异性引物 ,从ConA体外激活的脾淋巴细胞中提取mRNA ,通过RT PCR方法分别扩增和克隆了我国仙居鸡、丝羽乌骨鸡两个地方品种和艾维茵商品肉鸡IL 2cDNA .仙居鸡、丝羽乌骨鸡和艾维茵商品肉鸡IL 2基因的编码区均由 42 9nt组成 ,编码一个由 143个氨基酸组成的前体蛋白 .基因 5′端含有 17个核苷酸 ,3′端含有 2 85个核苷酸组成的非编码区 ,3′ UTR中含有 5个重复的“ATTTA”序列 .编码蛋白氨基酸与来自GenBank的Kestrel、Obese和SC品系的来杭鸡比较 ,氨基酸的突变主要发生在 2 8～ 3 2位 .而这一区域仙居鸡和丝羽乌骨鸡的编码氨基酸序列与Kestrel来杭鸡相同 ,艾维茵商品肉鸡与Obese和SC来杭鸡相同 .基因系统进化树分析表明 ,仙居鸡、丝羽乌骨鸡和Kestrel来杭鸡具有很近的亲缘关系 ,艾维茵商品肉鸡与Obese和SC来杭鸡具有很近的亲缘关系 .中国的药用鸡品种———丝羽乌骨鸡在非常保守的 13 3位发生了氨基酸突变     

利用微卫星标记分析四川8个地方鸡品种遗传多样性

通过选用30个多态性较好的微卫星标记,检测了四川省8个地方鸡品种：峨嵋黑鸡、泸宁鸡、旧院黑鸡、米易鸡、石棉草科鸡、凉山崖鹰鸡、兴文乌骨鸡、沐川乌骨鸡的遗传多样性。利用等位基因频率计算出各群体的平均遗传杂合度（H）、多态信息含量（PIC）和群体间的DA遗传距离。结果表明：30个微卫星位点中有24个微卫星位点在8个鸡群体中的多态信息含量均为高度多态,可作为有效的遗传标记用于各鸡品种的遗传多样性和系统发生关系的分析。各鸡种的杂合度都较高,平均杂合度范围是0.629~0.681,最高的是泸宁鸡（0.681）,最低的是旧院黑鸡（0.629）。据分析可能是由于交通闭塞,形成了家禽品种的多种多型,而且杂合度的高低与PIC值的大小体现了较高的一致性。对DA遗传距离的计算表明：用UPGMA法进行聚类分析,结果8个鸡品种被聚为3类：Ⅰ类：峨嵋黑鸡、米易鸡、泸宁鸡、旧院黑鸡聚为一类。米易鸡、泸宁鸡先聚在一起,然后又与峨嵋黑鸡在较近的距离聚在一起,然后再与旧院黑鸡聚在一起;Ⅱ类：石棉草科鸡、兴文乌骨鸡、沐川乌骨鸡聚为一类。兴文乌骨鸡、沐川乌骨鸡在较近的距离聚在一起,然后又与石棉草科鸡在较近的距离聚在一起;Ⅲ类：凉山崖鹰鸡独自聚为一类。这与几个鸡品种的来源、分化、选育历史及地理分布是一致的。     

鸡催乳素基因序列多态及生物信息学分析

选择繁殖性能具有明显差异的4个鸡品种（莱航鸡、阳山鸡、丝羽乌骨鸡和隐性白洛克鸡）构建品种DNA池,采用测序的方法快速筛查鸡催乳素基因（chicken prolactin,cPRL）5′侧翼调控区、外显子区和部分内含子区约4500 bp范围内可能与产蛋性能相关的序列多态,共检测到13个SNPs和两个短片段（24 bp和15 bp）插入/缺失多态,其中在5′侧翼序列筛查到9个SNPs及两个短片段插入/缺失多态,在第2外显子筛查到1个SNP,在第5外显子筛查到两个SNPs,在第2内含子筛查到1个SNP;进一步利用生物信息学分析cPRL基因的5′侧翼调控序列,发现24 bp短片段的插入使莱航鸡比阳山鸡多出了1个Evi-1可能的结合位点（93分）,C-2402T的变异则使阳山鸡比莱航鸡多出了1个C/EBPbeta可能的结合位点（94分）,这两个结合位点是否影响cPRL基因的表达,影响鸡的就巢性和产蛋性能,还需要进一步研究。Abstract：Four chicken breeds (White Leghorn, Yangshan, Taihe Silkies, White Recessive Rocks) with different reproduction were applied to screen potential SNPs related to laying performance in the 5′flanking region, exon region and partial intron region of chicken prolactin (cPRL) gene. Totally almost 4500 bp were screened rapidly based on DNA pooling and sequencing, and thirteen single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and two indels (24 bp and 15 bp) were found, including nine SNPs and two indels in the 5′flanking region, one SNP in Exon 2, two SNPs in Exon 5 and one SNP in Intron 2 respectively. Furthermore, 5′flanking region of cPRL gene was analyzed by the website of http://motif.genome.ad.jp/. A possible Evi-1 binding site (score 93) was found in White Leghorn cPRL gene because of the 24 bp insertion, another possible C/EBPbeta binding site (score 94) was found in Yangshan cPRL gene because of the variation of C-2402T. Further studies need to be carried out to verify their effects on the expression of cPRL gene, the broodiness and laying performance of chickens.     

我国部分地方鸡种肤色伴性遗传初步观察

对泰和鸡、仙居鸡、固始鸡、北京油鸡、萧山鸡、狼山鸡（Ｎ系）进行肤色伴性遗传观察,结果表明：泰和鸡常染色体上含有１对黑色素基因ＰＰ,仙居鸡、萧山鸡、北京油鸡性染色体上含有Ｉｄ抑制色素基因,狼山鸡、固始鸡、泰和鸡性染色体上含有ｉｄ基因,泰和鸡♂与含有Ｉｄ基因鸡种（仙居鸡、萧山鸡、北京油鸡）♀杂交,Ｆ１代肤色能自别雌雄,公鸡为黄皮肤,母鸡为黑皮肤。     

鸡Slc24a5基因的cDNA克隆、表达分析及其与黑色素沉积的关系研究

黑色素是一种由醌/吲哚-醌来源的混合物组成的生物高分子化合物.目前在小鼠中已发现的和黑色素沉积相关的基因已经超过了100个.Slc24a5(solute carrier family 24,member 5)基因是在斑马鱼中克隆的一个新基因.研究表明,Slc24a5基因可以调控斑马鱼中的黑色素沉积.鸡作为一种模式动物,已经广泛地被应用于实验研究.为了研究Slc24a5基因在鸡中的情况,克隆了鸡Slc24a5基因全长CDS,并且分析了其与黑色素沉积的关系.鸡Slc24a5基因全长CDS为1 269 bp,编码一个423氨基酸残基的蛋白质.该蛋白质比哺乳动物中的少大约80个氨基酸残基.基因全长超过11 kb,包含8个内含子和9个外显子.RT-PCR结果显示,鸡Slc24a5基因在多处组织表达(眼、脑、皮、肉、心、肝、肾和肺).通过荧光实时定量PCR对不同鸡种中的Slc24a5基因表达量进行检测,发现其在白莱杭,乌骨鸡和北京油鸡的眼睛中表达量很高.并且在乌骨鸡的皮肤和肌肉中Slc24a5基因也有很高的表达.乌骨鸡眼睛中的Slc24a5基因表达量为白莱杭的2倍.而在乌骨鸡皮肤中,Slc24a5基因表达量为白莱杭的70倍,为北京油鸡的15倍.Slc24a5基因在乌骨鸡肌肉中的表达量为白莱杭的15倍,为北京油鸡的3倍.同时通过对这3个鸡种中黑色素在各组织中沉积量进行分析,发现黑色素沉积越多的地方,Slc24a5基因表达量越高.这些结果表明鸡Slc24a5基因的表达与鸡中黑色素的沉积相关.     

藏鸡诱导型一氧化氮合酶基因低氧适应功能分析

低氧刺激诱导型一氧化氮合酶(Inducible nitric-oxide synthase, iNOS)催化产生NO, 增加血流, 改善组织供氧。文章采用测序和PCR-RFLP技术检测藏鸡及低地鸡iNOS基因编码区、5′侧翼区(2.0 kb片段)序列和3′侧翼序列SNP, 并测定低氧和常氧孵化时鸡胚尿囊绒毛膜组织iNOS基因表达量和酶活力。结果在iNOS基因 5′侧翼区发现一个与低氧适应相关的藏鸡高频率突变SNP位点(-870C→T), 藏鸡该突变的等位基因T频率高于低地鸡种。藏鸡iNOS基因表达量和酶活力在低氧孵化环境中多高于矮小鸡。结果表明藏鸡群体iNOS基因的突变及其低氧表达量的增加是其适应低氧环境的重要基础。     

Comparison of SNPs and microsatellites for assessing the genetic structure of chicken populations

Many studies in human genetics compare informativeness of single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and microsatellites (single sequence repeats; SSR) in genome scans, but it is difficult to transfer the results directly to livestock because of different population structures. The aim of this study was to determine the number of SNPs needed to obtain the same differentiation power as with a given standard set of microsatellites. Eight chicken breeds were genotyped for 29 SSRs and 9216 SNPs. After filtering, only 2931 SNPs remained. The differentiation power was evaluated using two methods: partitioning of the Euclidean distance matrix based on a principal component analysis (PCA) and a Bayesian model‐based clustering approach. Generally, with PCA‐based partitioning, 70 SNPs provide a comparable resolution to 29 SSRs. In model‐based clustering, the similarity coefficient showed significantly higher values between repeated runs for SNPs compared to SSRs. For the membership coefficients, reflecting the proportion to which a fraction segment of the genome belongs to the ith cluster, the highest values were obtained for 29 SSRs and 100 SNPs respectively. With a low number of loci (29 SSRs or ≤100 SNPs), neither marker types could detect the admixture in the Gödöllö Nhx population. Using more than 250 SNPs allowed a more detailed insight into the genetic architecture. Thus, the admixed population could be detected. It is concluded that breed differentiation studies will substantially gain power even with moderate numbers of SNPs.     

Genetic relationships between Japanese native and commercial breeds using 70 chicken autosomal SNP genotypes by the DigiTag2 assay

Recently, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been used to identify genes or genomic regions responsible for economic traits, including genetic diseases in domestic animals, and to examine genetic diversity of populations. In this study, we genotyped 70 chicken autosomal SNPs using DigiTag2 assay to understand the genetic structure of the Japanese native chicken breeds Satsumadori and Ingie, and the relationship of these breeds with other established breeds, Rhode Island Red (RIR), commercial broiler and layer. Five breeds, each consisting of approximately 20 chickens, were subjected to the assay, revealing the following: Average expected heterozygosities of broiler, Satsumadori, RIR, layer and Ingie were 0.265, 0.254, 0.244, 0.179 and 0.176, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis using the concatenated 70 autosomal SNP genotypes distinguished all chickens and formed clusters of chickens belonging to the respective breeds. In addition, the 2-D scatter plot of the first two principal components was consistent with the phylogenic tree. Taken together with the pairwise F(st) distances, broiler and RIR were closely positioned near each other, while Ingie was positioned far from the other breeds. Structure analysis revealed that the probable number of genetic clusters (K) was six and four with maximum likelihood and ΔK values, respectively. The clustering with maximum likelihood revealed that, in addition to the clustering of the other five breeds, the Satsumadori was subdivided into two genetic clusters. The clustering with ΔK value indicated that the broiler and Rhode Island Red were assigned to the same genetic cluster.     

京海黄鸡体重性状全基因组关联分析

体重性状是肉鸡重要的经济性状。为了寻找可用于京海黄鸡体重性状遗传改良的分子标记及候选基因,本文以400只京海黄鸡核心群母鸡为基础,测定了0~14周龄体重,利用简化基因组测序技术(Specific-locus amplified fragment sequencing, SLAF-seq)对京海黄鸡体重性状进行全基因组关联研究(Genome-wide association stndy, GWAS),筛选与京海黄鸡体重性状相关的SNPs位点。结果共检测到100个与京海黄鸡体重相关的SNPs位点,其中15个位点效应达到全基因组显著水平(P<1.87E-06),85个位点效应达到全基因组潜在显著水平(P<3.73E-05)。通过筛选每个显著SNP周围1 Mb区域内的基因,共找到9个可能的候选基因,其中FAM124A(Family with sequence similarity 124A)、QDPR(Quinoid dihydropteridine reductase)、WDR1(WD repeat domain 1)和SLC2A9(Solute carrier family 2 (facilitated glucose transporter), member 9) 4个基因可能是影响体重性状的重要候选基因。同时还发现,4号染色体75.6~80.7 Mb区域集中了大部分与京海黄鸡中后期体重性状显著相关的SNPs位点,该区域可能是影响京海黄鸡中后期生长体重的重要候选区域。     

High diversity of the chicken growth hormone gene and effects on growth and carcass traits

The chicken growth hormone (cGH) gene plays a crucial role in controlling growth and metabolism, leading to potential correlations between cGH polymorphisms and economic traits. In this study, DNA from four divergent chicken breeds were screened for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the cGH gene using denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography and sequencing. A total of 46 SNPs were identified, of which 4 were in the 5' untranslated region, 1 in the 3' untranslated region, 5 in exons (two of which are nonsynonymous), with the remaining 36 in introns. The nucleotide diversity in the cGH gene ( theta = 2.7 x 10(-3)) was higher than that reported for other chicken genes, even within the same breeds. The associations of five of these SNPs and their haplotypes with chicken growth and carcass traits were determined using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis in a F2 resource population cross of two of the four chicken breeds (White Recessive Rock and Xinghua). This analysis shows that, among other correlations, G+1705A was significantly associated with body weight at all ages measured, shank length at three of four ages measured, and average daily gain within weeks 0 to 4. Thus, this cGH polymorphism, or another polymorphism that is in linkage disequilibrium with G+1705A, appears to correspond to a significant growth-related quantitative trait locus difference between the two breeds used to construct the resource population.     

利用微卫星标记分析山东地方鸡品种的遗传多样性

微卫星是近几年来应用较多的一种分子标记,可有效地进行基因鉴定与系谱分析,并可估算群体间的遗传距离。通过选用5个微卫星标记,检测了山东省5个地方鸡种：日照麻鸡、寿光鸡、莱芜黑鸡、济宁百日鸡、鲁西斗鸡以及一个外来鸡种——安卡黄鸡和一个外省地方鸡种——广西黄鸡共7个鸡种的遗传多样性。根据测试结果计算了每个等位基因的频率,以基因频率为基础分析了品种内的遗传变异和品种间的DA遗传距离,并讨论了微卫星多态性在应用于群体遗传变异及亲缘关系等方面的意义。结果表明：共检测到40个等位基因,其中等位基因数最多的位点为。ADL0136(10个);等位基因数最低的位点为ADL0146(5个);而且每个位点的等位基因分布并不均匀,都有一种或几种优势基因存在。在7个品种中,杂合度最低的为寿光鸡,杂合度值为0．3327,因为此鸡种多年来一直由寿光市慈伦种鸡场进行纯繁保种,未与其他鸡种杂交,因此杂合度最小;其他鸡种杂合度也都低于0．4,据分析可能是由于日照麻鸡、济宁百日鸡群体较小;莱芜黑鸡是正在选育的一个品种,个体间遗传关系也不远;安卡黄鸡和广西黄鸡自从引人嘉明公司后,群体近交现象普遍,因此各鸡种杂合度都偏低。由此可见,通过对杂合度的计算,微卫星可以较好地反应群体内的变异。各品种PIC值的变动范围从0．6196(寿光鸡)到0．7027(莱芜黑鸡),PIC值的大小与杂合度的高低体现了较高的一致性。对DA遗传距离的计算表明：日照麻鸡与济宁百日鸡的距离最近,而鲁西斗鸡与其他鸡种距离均较远。用UPGMA法进行聚类分析,结果7个鸡种被聚为3类：山东的4个地方鸡种寿光鸡、日照麻鸡、莱芜黑鸡与济宁百日鸡聚为一类;安卡黄鸡和广西黄鸡聚在一起;鲁西斗鸡独自为一类。这与几个鸡种的分化与选育历史是一致的,因此聚类图能够比较正确地反映7个品种之间的亲缘关系。     

Haplotypic variation and characteristics across the toll-like receptor 3 locus in chickens

Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) has an important protective function against viral infection. The ability of an individual to respond properly to TLR ligands may be impaired by variants located in the TLR genes. By directly PCR sequencing four exons and their flanking sequence of chicken TLR3, a total of 50 nucleotide variants were identified from five breeds. Tibetan chickens and Silkies exhibited more abundant variation sites and rare alleles. Thirty haplotypes were reconstructed, with 31 variants whose minor allelic frequency was above 5% in five breeds, which revealed four divergent clades. Chicken TLR3 was partitioned into three haplotype blocks by the htSNPer program, and six tag SNPs could be used to distinguish these 30 haplotypes. Thirty variants were located in the coding sequence of chicken TLR3, and 16 of them were non-synonymous substitutions. It is predicted that p.Ser180Gly amino substitution could form an N-myristoylation site; the p.Lys240Thr amino substitution in chicken TLR3 could result in the loss of one protein kinase C phosphorylation site. These data provide a basic understanding of chicken TLR3 sequence variation and provide haplotypic markers for disease association studies.     

Genome‐wide association analysis reveals novel loci for hypoxia adaptability in Tibetan chicken

The Tibetan chicken (TBC), an indigenous chicken breed of the Tibetan Plateau, has adapted to its hypoxic, high‐altitude environment over hundreds of years. The objective of this study was to identify the polymorphisms and genes associated with adaptation to hypoxia in this chicken breed. In the present study, samples were collected during days 18–21 of the incubation period from both surviving chicks and dead embryos, all of which were hatched under hypoxic conditions. A genome‐wide association study was conducted using the Illumina iSelect 60K SNP array with a case–control design, in which the case group consisted of the dead chicken embryos (n = 54) and controls were the surviving chicks (n = 82). Four significant SNPs were detected at the genome‐wide level (P < 0.05), and the results indicated that fork head box G1 (FOXG1) was the main candidate gene. The lead SNP NC_006092.4:g.33368893T>C was confirmed with a polymerase chain reaction‐restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of 122 cases and 212 controls. A chi‐square test showed a significant association between NC_006092.4:g.33368893T>C and hatchability under hypoxic conditions (P < 0.01). Our results revealed novel polymorphisms and a candidate gene associated with hypoxic adaptation, facilitating further study in this field.