The relationship of plumage colours with MC1R (Melanocortin 1 Receptor) and ASIP (Agouti Signaling Protein) in Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica)

Abstract

1. The relationship of polymorphisms in the Melanocortin 1 Receptor (MC1R) and Agouti Signalling Protein (ASIP) genes with plumage colour in Japanese quail was investigated by cloning and sequencing the entire coding regions from black, white and maroon Japanese quail embryos at 12 d of incubation. 2. Three SNPs were identified in the MC1R coding region by multiple alignment of sequences from individuals with different plumage colours. A missense C/T mutation located at 169 bp within the Open Reading Frame caused a Ile57Val mutation in the amino acid sequence, and had a significant relationship with the black colour. 3. The expression of MC1R was higher in black plumage quails than that in maroon plumage quails, whereas the expression of ASIP was higher in maroon plumage quails than that in black plumage quails. 4. It is concluded that the black plumage colour in Japanese quails may be caused by either increased production of MC1R or decreased production of ASIP.

Regulation of Melanopsins andPer1byα-MSH and Melatonin in PhotosensitiveXenopus laevisMelanophores

“…α -Melanocyte stimulating hormone ( α -MSH), which is produced in the pars intermedia of the pituitary gland, is a darkening agent in all vertebrates. It induces a very rapid dispersion in dermal melanophores of ectothermic vertebrates [ 9 – 13 ], and it also plays a role in skin, fur, and feather darkening [ 14 , 15 ], in cell proliferation, in cell differentiation [ 16 ], and immune activity [ 17 , 18 ] of endothermic animals. Human α -MSH is produced in sites other than the pituitary, such as the skin itself and its systemic action promotes melanin production by the human skin in response to UV light [ 19 ].…”

Construction of MC1R and ASIP Eukaryotic Expression Vector and its Regulation of Plumage Color in Japanese Quail (<i>Coturnix japonica</i>)

“…In Japanese quail, the expression of ASIP was significantly lower in black quail than that in wild-type quail (Hiragaki et al, 2008). In our prior experiment, the expression of MC1R was higher in black quail than that in wild-type quail and white quail, whereas the expression of ASIP was higher in wild-type quail than that in black quail and white quail (Zhang et al, 2013). The same phenomena have been found in many mammals (Norris and Whan, 2008;Kingsley et al, 2009;Linnen et al, 2009), including humans (Hunt et al, 1995).…”

“…The beak and claws of the black plumage quail are more hyperchromic, and they do not have brown stripes on the back and head like the wild-type Japanese quail. The polymorphism and expression levels of MC1R and ASIP genes in black, white, and yellow quail have been analyzed in prior study and the results indicated the expression level of MC1R was significantly higher in the black plumage quail than that in the wild-type plumage quail, whereas the expression level of ASIP was significantly higher in the wild-type plumage quails than that in the black plumage quail (Zhang et al, 2013). Thus, in this study, the eukaryotic expression vectors of pcDNA 3.1(+)-MC1R and pcDNA 3.1(+)-ASIP were constructed and transfected into quail embryos to analyze the effects of forced expression levels of MCIR and ASIP on the plumage colors in Japanese quail.…”

Correlation Analysis between MyoG Gene Polymorphism and Carcass Characteristics of Egg quails

“…At present, quail breeding is becoming more and more popular in poultry and quail is smaller than other poultry, so quail can be used as a good new experimental animal. Quail can be used as a research animal in many subjects such as poultry reproduction, histology, nutrition, endocrinology, embryology, physiology, pharmacology etc (Zhang et al, 2013;Li et al, 2019, Bai et al, 2016a, 2016b.The experimental values of quail in teaching and scientific studies are increasing gradually (Bai et al,2016c(Bai et al, , 2016d(Bai et al, , 2017. Few studies on correlation analysis between MyoG and carcass characteristics of quail are available.…”