Expression analysis and single-nucleotide polymorphisms of MLPH and PMEL17 genes associated with melanin deposition in Xuefeng black-bone chickens

Abstract

Melanin deposition related genes such as MLPH and PMEL17 play an important role in black-bone chicken. This study was aimed to identify and associate SNPs in the MLPH and PMEL17 genes with melanin content of pectoral muscle (MCPM) in Xuefeng black-bone chicken. A total of 120 Xuefeng black-bone chickens at 120-day-old were randomly selected to measure blackness of pectoral muscle (BPM), according to the degree of BPM selected 22 high blackness (HB) and 22 low blackness (LB) chickens to determine the MCPM, and extract DNA and mRNA. The results indicated that the MCPM in the HB group was higher than in the LB group (P 0.05). And there were 10 SNPs in PMEL17 gene, the G-1843C, C-2812T, and G-2794A were associated with MCPM (P 0.05). These SNPs could be molecular markers for breeding selection of blackness traits.