Association of polymorphisms in adipocyte fatty acid binding protein gene with fat-related traits in chicken

Abstract

PCR-SSCP analysis was used to detect polymorphic sites in chicken adipocyte fatty acid binding protein (A-FABP) gene. Six Chinese local breeds, Beijing-You chicken, Dwarf chicken, Taihe silky chicken, Chongrenma chicken, Xiayan chicken, Luyuan chicken and an introduced foreign breed, Arbor Acre broiler, were used as test populations. Three PCR-SSCP loci were detected. Statistical results showed that frequencies of genotypes and alleles were significantly different in the test populations. Sequence analysis revealed that C → T, G → A, and C → T transitions were responsible for the polymorphisms. Some fat-related traits such as body weight, content of intramuscular fat (IMF) and percentage of abdominal fat (AFP) were measured in Dwarf chickens and male Beijing-You chickens. We found out that chicken quality was significantly related to different genotypes in these two populations.

Keywords

A-FABP gene / PCR-SSCP / intramuscular fat / chicken