POU class 1 homeobox 1 gene polymorphisms associated with growth traits in Korean native chicken

Prabuddha Manjula, Nuri Choi, Dongwon Seo, Jun Heon Lee

POU class 1 homeobox 1 (POU1F1) mediates growth hormone expression and activity by altering transcription, eventually resulting in growth rate variations So we aimed to identify chicken POU1F1 polymorphisms and evaluate the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and growth-related traits, and logistic growth curve parameters traits (α, β and γ). Three SNPs (M_1 to M_3) were used to genotype 585 F1 and 88 F0 birds from five Korean native chicken lines using a PCR-RFLP method. Single marker analyses and traits association analyses showed that M_2 was significantly associated with body weight at two weeks, weight gain from hatching to 2 weeks, and weight gain from 16 to 18 weeks (P < 0.05). M_3 was significantly associated with weight gain from 14 to 16 weeks and from 16 to 18 weeks, and asymptotic body weight (α) (P < 0.05). No trait was associated with M_1. The POU1F1 haplogroups were significantly associated with weight gain from 14 to 16 weeks (P = 0.020). Linkage disequilibrium test and Haploview analysis shown one main haploblock between M_2 and M_3 SNP. Thus, POU1F1 significantly affects the growth of Korean native chickens and their growth curve traits.