Genomics of Dwarfism in Italian Local Chicken Breeds

The identification of the dwarf phenotype in chicken is based on body weight, height, and shank length, leaving the differentiation between dwarf and small breeds ambiguous. The aims of the present study were to characterize the sequence variations associated with the dwarf phenotype in three Italia...

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Main Authors: Francesco Perini, Filippo Cendron, Zhou Wu, Natalia Sevane, Zhiqiang Li, Chunhua Huang, Jacqueline Smith, Emiliano Lasagna, Martino Cassandro, Mauro Penasa
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023-03-01
Series:Genes
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4425/14/3/633
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author Francesco Perini
Filippo Cendron
Zhou Wu
Natalia Sevane
Zhiqiang Li
Chunhua Huang
Jacqueline Smith
Emiliano Lasagna
Martino Cassandro
Mauro Penasa
author_facet Francesco Perini
Filippo Cendron
Zhou Wu
Natalia Sevane
Zhiqiang Li
Chunhua Huang
Jacqueline Smith
Emiliano Lasagna
Martino Cassandro
Mauro Penasa
author_sort Francesco Perini
collection DOAJ
description The identification of the dwarf phenotype in chicken is based on body weight, height, and shank length, leaving the differentiation between dwarf and small breeds ambiguous. The aims of the present study were to characterize the sequence variations associated with the dwarf phenotype in three Italian chicken breeds and to investigate the genes associated with their phenotype. Five hundred and forty-one chickens from 23 local breeds (from 20 to 24 animals per breed) were sampled. All animals were genotyped with the 600 K chicken SNP array. Three breeds were described as “dwarf”, namely, Mericanel della Brianza (MERI), Mugellese (MUG), and Pepoi (PPP). We compared MERI, MUG, and PPP with the four heaviest breeds in the dataset by performing genome-wide association studies. Results showed significant SNPs associated with dwarfism in the MERI and MUG breeds, which shared a candidate genomic region on chromosome 1. Due to this similarity, MERI and MUG were analyzed together as a meta-population, observing significant SNPs in the <i>LEMD3</i> and <i>HMGA2</i> genes, which were previously reported as being responsible for dwarfism in different species. In conclusion, MERI and MUG breeds seem to share a genetic basis of dwarfism, which differentiates them from the small PPP breed.
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spelling doaj.art-a156ec5d41b64650b5705fcf6c1baaed2023-11-17T11:17:18ZengMDPI AGGenes2073-44252023-03-0114363310.3390/genes14030633Genomics of Dwarfism in Italian Local Chicken BreedsFrancesco Perini0Filippo Cendron1Zhou Wu2Natalia Sevane3Zhiqiang Li4Chunhua Huang5Jacqueline Smith6Emiliano Lasagna7Martino Cassandro8Mauro Penasa9Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Perugia, 06121 Perugia, ItalyDepartment of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padova, 35020 Legnaro, ItalyThe Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Midlothian EH25 9RG, UKDepartment of Animal Production, Veterinary Faculty, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Avenida Puerta de Hierro, 28040 Madrid, SpainDepartment of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Perugia, 06121 Perugia, ItalyDepartment of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Perugia, 06121 Perugia, ItalyThe Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Midlothian EH25 9RG, UKDepartment of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Perugia, 06121 Perugia, ItalyDepartment of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padova, 35020 Legnaro, ItalyDepartment of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padova, 35020 Legnaro, ItalyThe identification of the dwarf phenotype in chicken is based on body weight, height, and shank length, leaving the differentiation between dwarf and small breeds ambiguous. The aims of the present study were to characterize the sequence variations associated with the dwarf phenotype in three Italian chicken breeds and to investigate the genes associated with their phenotype. Five hundred and forty-one chickens from 23 local breeds (from 20 to 24 animals per breed) were sampled. All animals were genotyped with the 600 K chicken SNP array. Three breeds were described as “dwarf”, namely, Mericanel della Brianza (MERI), Mugellese (MUG), and Pepoi (PPP). We compared MERI, MUG, and PPP with the four heaviest breeds in the dataset by performing genome-wide association studies. Results showed significant SNPs associated with dwarfism in the MERI and MUG breeds, which shared a candidate genomic region on chromosome 1. Due to this similarity, MERI and MUG were analyzed together as a meta-population, observing significant SNPs in the <i>LEMD3</i> and <i>HMGA2</i> genes, which were previously reported as being responsible for dwarfism in different species. In conclusion, MERI and MUG breeds seem to share a genetic basis of dwarfism, which differentiates them from the small PPP breed.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4425/14/3/633genomic regionindigenous breedchickenSNPGWAS
spellingShingle Francesco Perini
Filippo Cendron
Zhou Wu
Natalia Sevane
Zhiqiang Li
Chunhua Huang
Jacqueline Smith
Emiliano Lasagna
Martino Cassandro
Mauro Penasa
Genomics of Dwarfism in Italian Local Chicken Breeds
Genes
genomic region
indigenous breed
chicken
SNP
GWAS
title Genomics of Dwarfism in Italian Local Chicken Breeds
title_full Genomics of Dwarfism in Italian Local Chicken Breeds
title_fullStr Genomics of Dwarfism in Italian Local Chicken Breeds
title_full_unstemmed Genomics of Dwarfism in Italian Local Chicken Breeds
title_short Genomics of Dwarfism in Italian Local Chicken Breeds
title_sort genomics of dwarfism in italian local chicken breeds
topic genomic region
indigenous breed
chicken
SNP
GWAS
url https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4425/14/3/633
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