G0S2 Gene Polymorphism and Its Relationship with Carcass Traits in Chicken

SIMPLE SUMMARY: With the progress of society, the demand for meat is increasing; therefore, how to improve the efficiency of breeding, reduce environmental pollution, and reduce the cost of breeding have become urgent priorities. Abdominal fat is a redundant part of the production of chickens. Thus, reducing abdominal fat deposition is increasingly vital in chicken breeding. Studies have shown that G0S2 is a crucial gene in regulating fat metabolism, and its single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) was significantly associated with chicken production traits in previous studies. The present study aimed to identify SNPs of the G0S2 gene and analyze whether they were associated with chicken carcass traits, including abdominal fat weight. The present study results can provide practical information for molecular marker-assisted breeding of chicken carcass traits. ABSTRACT: Gene single nucleotide polymorphisms can be used as auxiliary markers in molecular breeding and are an effective method to improve production performance. G0S2 is a key gene involved in regulating fat metabolism, but little research has been conducted on this gene regarding its role in poultry. In this study, the specialized commercial partridge chicken strain G0S2 gene was cloned and sequenced, and the relationship between the SNP sites on G0S2 and the carcass traits of chickens was investigated. The results showed that a total of seven SNPs were detected on G0S2 (g.102G > A, g.255G > A, g.349C > T, g.384A > G, g.386G > A, g.444G > A, g.556G > A). Two sites are located in the coding region and five sites are located in the 3′-UTR. SNPs located in the coding region are synonymous mutations. g.444G > A has a significant correlation with abdominal fat weight. The chickens with AG and GG genotypes have the highest abdominal fat weight, while the AA genotype is lower. The g.102G > A genotype has a significant correlation with live and abdominal fat weight. The live weight and abdominal fat weight of the chickens with AA and AG genotypes are at a higher level and have a larger gap than the GG genotype. Chickens with the AA genotype in g.556G > A had the lowest fat weight. The results of present study can provide practical information for molecular marker-assisted breeding of chicken carcass traits.