Detection of the important chromosomal regions determining production traits in meat-type chicken using entropy analysis

ABSTRACT

1. The objective of this study was to indicate the most informative chromosomal regions and candidate genes connected to body weight at 36 d, body weight at 39 d, body weight changes between 39 and 46 d, feed intake between 39 and 46 d and feed conversion ratio of meat-type chicken based on genomic data using entropy analysis.

2. Data contained information about 862 genotyped individuals from a Cobb commercial line using 60K Illumina iSelect chicken array and information from 42 770 Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs). Entropy analysis was employed to detect important chromosomal regions determining the target traits. Locations of genes within the designated regions on each chromosome and for each trait were verified using the Ensembl genome database.

3. The most informative SNPs were located on chromosomes 1, 2, 4, 8, 12 and Z, whereas clusters of the most informative pairs of SNPs connected to all recorded traits were located on chromosomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 12, 20 and Z. The identified chromosomal localisations overlap with genes functionally connected to the nervous system and gastrointestinal tract.

KEYWORDS:

• Body weight
• broilers
• entropy analysis
• feed conversion ratio
• genome
• SNP

Acknowledgements

Cobb Vantress Inc. (Arkansas, U.S.A.) is acknowledged for sharing the data. We would like to thank Dr. Rachel Hawken for her support and valuable comments. The authors are grateful to the Section Editor and anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Supplemental data

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed here.

Additional information

Funding

ECO-FCE has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration. Additionally, this work is partly funded by the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education from funds for science in the years 2015-2017 allocated to an international co-financed project [noW171.PR/2014]].