Research Note: Association of insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor gene polymorphism with production performance in Savimalt and French Giant meat-type quails

This study aimed to investigate the association of insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF-1R) gene single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with growth traits and carcass traits of quail by PCR amplification and direct sequencing technology. Genomic DNA was extracted from blood samples collected from 49 female French Giant (FG) quails and 36 female Savimalt (SV) quails as part of this study. Growth traits and carcass traits were measured and assessed for IGF-1R gene analysis in the 2 meat-type quail strains. The results showed that 2 SNPs (A57G and A72T) of the IGF-1R gene were detected in the 2 quail strains. The A57G (P = 0.002) and A72T (P = 0.026) were significantly associated with breastbone length (BBL) in FG. Whereas A57G was significantly associated with chest weight (CW, P = 0.004), BBL (P = 0.009), and body length (BL, P = 0.009) in SV, while A72T was significantly associated with BBL (P = 0.014) and BL (P = 0.028) in SV. Haplotypes based on these 2 SNPs showed significant effects on BBL in FG strain (P = 0.000), and they also had significant effects on CW (P = 0.007), BBL (P = 0.004), and BL (P = 0.001) in SV strain. Additionally, A57G was significantly associated with liver rate (LR) in FG strain (P = 0.017). A72T showed significant associations with dressed carcass weight (DCW, P = 0.048) and breast muscle weight (BMW, P = 0.018) in FG strain. A57G was significantly associated with DCW (P = 0.048), whole net carcass weight (WNCW, P = 0.048), BMW (P = 0.036), and liver muscle rate (LMR, P = 0.003) in SV strain. Haplotypes also displayed significant effects on BMW (P = 0.029) and LMR (P = 0.010) in FG strain. These findings indicated that the IGF-1R gene could serve as a valuable molecular genetic marker for enhancing growth traits and carcass traits in meat-type quails.