Polymorphisms in the Chicken Growth Differentiation Factor 9 Gene Associated with Reproductive Traits

Abstract

The aim of the study was to investigate GDF9 gene polymorphisms and their association with reproductive traits in chicken using DNA sequencing. A total of 279 Dongxiang blue-shelled (DX) chickens and 232 Luhua (LH) chickens were used for validation. We detected 15 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs): nine SNPs were previously unreported in chicken, two were missense mutations, and only three exhibited significant associations with reproductive traits. G.17156387C>T was significantly associated with age at first egg (AFE) and weight of first egg (WFE) in both breeds. Birds carrying the CC genotype exhibited higher AFE and WFE values than those with the TT genotype. The SNP g.17156427A>G exhibited an association with egg weight at 300 days of age (EWTA) in DX but not in LH chickens. The SNP g.17156703A>C affected the AFE and EN (total number of eggs at 300 days of age) in DX chickens. In addition, certain diplotypes significantly affected AFE, BWTA (body weight at 300 days of age), and EN in both breeds. RT-PCR results showed that the GDF9 gene was highly expressed in stroma with cortical follicles (STR) and prehierarchal follicles. These results provided further evidence that the GDF9 gene is involved in determining reproductive traits in chicken.

Analysis of Expression and Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms of INHA Gene Associated with Reproductive Traits in Chickens

“…Recently, several studies in poultry have been identified crucial genes and explored their relationship with phenotypes, such as Liu with 279 Dongxiang blue-shelled chickens [33], Yu with 188 female Muchuan black-boned chickens [34], and EI-Sabrout with 200 Lohmann Brown hens [35]. In this study, 12 SNPs were detected in INHA gene.…”

Sex-Biased miRNAs in the Gonads of Adult Chinese Alligator (Alligator sinensis) and Their Potential Roles in Sex Maintenance

“…The inhibition of DMRT1 expression by miR-200b and miR-429 in the ovary allows the female sex to be maintained in adulthood. GDF9 is an important oocyte secretion factor in a variety of vertebrates, and plays a role in the stability of the oocyte microenvironment and the maintenance of the quality of the oocyte ( Gilchrist et al, 2008 ; Chen et al, 2017 ; Liu et al, 2018 ). In an in vitro experiment to study zebrafish gonadal differentiation, GDF9 could significantly inhibit AMH and co-express with CYP19A in gonadal differentiation ( Chen et al, 2017 ).…”

Candidate Genes Applications in Genetic Improvement Programs in Chickens

“…Genes located on chromosome 3: Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) (Zhou et al, 2010;Nguyen et al, 2018), Follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR) (Li et al, 2011), 4) Genes located on chromosome 4: Melatonin Receptor 1A and 1C (MTNR1A) and (MTNR1C) (Li et al, 2013), Gonadotropin releasing hormone II (GnRHII) (Bhattacharya et al, 2019), 5) Genes located on chromosome 5: gremlin (GREM1) and (GREM2) (Tyasi et al, 2018) Genes located on chromosome 13: Growth Differentiation Factor 9 Gene (GDF9) (Liu et al, 2018), Dopamine receptor D1 (DRD1) (Tempfli et al, 2015), Rap guanine nucleotide exchange factor 6 (RAPGEF6) (Azmal et al, 2019),…”

“…Vu and Ngu (2016) found that genotypes of GH gene were associated with egg production in Noi chickens. Liu et al (2018) found that SNP of growth differentiation factor 9 gene was significantly associated with age at first egg and weight at first egg and CC genotype exhibited higher age at first egg and weight at first egg than that of TT To detect the molecular associations between the genotypes of candidate gene and economic traits, the effects of SNP genotype on different traits must be estimated using the PEST software (Groeneveld, 2006) and applying the following multi-trait animal model (defined in matrix notation):…”