Characterization of IGF1 gene marker as potential genes in improving growth performance of Indonesian goats

Association of Growth Hormone Secretagogue Receptor (GHSR) Gene Polymorphisms with Performance Traits in Four Chicken Genotypes

Poultry farming is crucial to global food security, with particular significance in developing nations due to its affordability, efficiency, and contribution to rural livelihoods. This study evaluated morphological traits and genetic polymorphisms in the growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR) gene across four chicken genotypes: Normal Feather (NF), Frizzle Feather (FF), Naked Neck (NN), and Exotic (EX). A total of 100 day-old chicks were reared under controlled conditions, and growth performance traits, including body weight, height, body length, and shank length, were measured. Genomic DNA was extracted from blood samples, and the GHSR gene was amplified by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). The resulting PCR products were sequenced and analyzed to identify genetic polymorphisms. The results showed that the EX genotype significantly outperformed the indigenous genotypes (NF, FF, and NN) in all growth parameters. The highest level of genetic variation was observed in the EX chickens, followed by FF, NF, and NN genotypes. The EX genotype also exhibited the highest haplotype diversity (0.946 ± 0.006), whereas the highest nucleotide diversity was recorded in NF chickens (0.131 ± 0.0001). Phylogenetic analysis revealed two distinct clusters, with all indigenous genotypes grouped within the same major cluster, while the EX genotype formed a separate cluster. The lowest genetic distance was observed between the FF and NN chickens. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the GHSR gene were significantly associated with body weight, body length, and shank length, particularly in the EX genotype ( p <0.05). These findings suggest that SNP variation within the GHSR gene may serve as a useful basis for developing molecular markers to enhance growth performance, while also emphasizing the importance of maintaining genetic diversity in indigenous chicken populations.

From markers to mechanisms: a comprehensive review of major genes and quantitative trait loci shaping the modern sheep (Ovis aries)

This narrative review synthesizes major advances in sheep genetic mapping, functional genomics, and GS relevant to economically important traits to provide researchers, breeders, and students with a balanced, evidence-based resource to guide future genomic improvements in sustainable sheep production.

Complex combination of polymorphic variants of the OPN and IGF-1 genes in a cattle population

The article presents the results of a study on the combined genotypes of OPN (c.8514C/T) and IGF-1 (512T/C) genes in a population of Holstein heifers (n=202). The experiment was conducted at the Lenin Breeding Farm (Atninsky District, Republic of Tatarstan), and laboratory analyses were carried out at the Tatar Research Institute of Agriculture, Kazan Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The relevance of the study is driven by the need to identify genetic markers associated with reproductive traits in cattle, as fertility indicators alongside milk productivity determine the economic efficiency of dairy farming. The OPN and IGF-1 genes are involved in the regulation of embryogenesis, implantation, folliculogenesis, and early embryonic development; however, their combined interaction remains insufficiently studied. Genotyping was performed using PCR-RFLP with restriction endonucleases BseI (for OPN ) and BstSNI (for IGF-1 ). The analysis revealed the presence of all nine possible combined genotype combinations, confirming the genetic heterogeneity of the studied population. The highest frequency was observed for the combined genotype CT/AB (29.7%), while the lowest frequencies were found for CC/BB (2.0%) and CC/AA (3.0%) by OPN / IGF-1 . A pattern of decreasing frequency of combined genotypes was established with an increasing number of homozygous loci. Comparison of the observed and theoretically expected distributions showed no statistically significant deviations (χ² = 4.67; p > 0.05), indicating independent allele combination of the studied genes and the absence of factors disrupting genetic equilibrium in the sample. The obtained data can be applied in breeding programs for marker-assisted selection of parental pairs, genetic passportization, and monitoring of the genetic structure of cattle populations.

Uncovering genetic markers for growth and fat-tail traits in Kurdi sheep: associations with DGAT1 and PPARGC1B variants

Association of TGFβ2 gene polymorphism with growth performance and meat quality traits in Kampung Unggul Balitbangtan chickens under multienzyme supplementation

ABSTRACT Background and Aim: Improving growth performance and meat quality is a major objective in genetic improvement programs for indigenous poultry breeds. Kampung Unggul Balitbangtan (KUB) chickens are an improved Indonesian native breed with considerable potential for sustainable tropical poultry production. Transforming growth factor-beta 2 (TGFβ2) plays an important role in regulating skeletal muscle development, cell proliferation, and tissue remodeling; however, its genetic variation and association with economically important traits in KUB chickens remain unknown. This study aimed to characterize TGFβ2 gene polymorphisms and evaluate their associations with growth performance and meat quality traits in KUB chickens receiving dietary multienzyme supplementation. Materials and Methods: Twenty-five one-day-old male KUB chickens were assigned to five dietary treatments containing different combinations of phytase and protease and reared for 90 days. Growth performance was assessed using feed intake (FI), body weight (BW), feed conversion ratio (FCR), and carcass weight (CW). Meat quality traits, including pH, texture, cooking loss (CL), water holding capacity, and color characteristics (L*, a*, and b*), were evaluated after slaughter. Genomic DNA extracted from muscle tissue was analyzed using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism and DNA sequencing to identify TGFβ2 polymorphisms. Functional enrichment of differentially expressed genes was investigated using Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analyses. Results: Three TGFβ2 genotypes (CC, TC, and TT) were identified, with allele frequencies of 0.48 (C) and 0.52 (T). The TGFβ2 genotype was significantly associated with BW, CW, and FCR (p < 0.05), whereas FI was unaffected. Multienzyme supplementation significantly reduced CL, improved water holding capacity, and enhanced meat color characteristics without affecting pH or texture. Two exon single nucleotide polymorphisms, c.103C>T and c.99G>A, were identified, representing novel variants in KUB chickens. Functional enrichment analyses demonstrated significant involvement of extracellular matrix-receptor interaction, metabolic pathways, and biological processes related to muscle development and cell proliferation, supporting a nutrigenetic interaction between TGFβ2 polymorphism and enzyme supplementation. Conclusion: This study provides the first characterization of TGFβ2 polymorphisms in KUB chickens and demonstrates their association with growth performance and meat quality traits under multienzyme supplementation. The identified polymorphisms represent promising molecular markers for marker-assisted selection and precision nutrition strategies to improve productivity in indigenous tropical chicken populations.

Genome-wide association studies on growth performance trait of Nigerian indigenous Chicken genotypes

Meat from Nigerian indigenous chickens (NICs) has high consumer demands but slow growth rate with high variability in body weight (BW). A study was carried out at T&R farm of FUNAAB identifying chromosomes associated with body weights of NICs in a GWAS study using the chicken 60K Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) Panel for 53313 markers subjected to test. Body weight was taken for 8 week. Blood samples were collected from 42 purebreds and F2 upgrades of NICs to extract DNA and amplify through PCR-RFLP technique to obtain Amplicons used for sequencing. Sequenced molecular analysis involving many Molecular software packages and bioinformatics approach were were done to trim and compare the sequence. The raw phenotypic data which comprised of the sex and body weight (>2 kg as 1 (case)) and <1 kg as 0 (control)) were analyzed using Gen Abel of the R Software Package to carry out quality checks through some filtering techniques on these chickens. The results from Selective sweep analysis identified ten chromosomes and SNPs associated with BWT of the NICs F2 upgrades Nigerian Chickens resource population. However, ten chromosomes with SNPs associated with BWT at the suggestive Bonferroni significant threshold level (p < 0.05) were discovered. These findings made it clear that F2 upgrades had better trait association on chromosomes when compared to those of the Purebreds and should be included as a genetic marker in the breeding programs by breeders for genetic improvement due to the potentialities found in this NICs genotypes studied.