Abstract
In this study, we cloned the coding sequence of chicken CRBP IV, quantified the mRNA expression in Erlang Mountainous Chickens, and investigated a polymorphism in this gene and its association with egg production traits among 349 individuals. The cloned fragment contained a 384 bp open reading frame, which encoded a predicted protein of 127 amino acids and was highly conserved among species. Expression of CRBP IV mRNA was detected in all eight tissues (small intestine, heart, liver, kidney, oviduct, ovary, pituitary, and hypothalamus) at different ages (12, 24, 32 and 45 w). High expression was found in small intestine, pituitary, kidney and liver, whereas it was low in the heart (p < 0.05). The CRBP IV mRNA levels changed with age in the various tissues, and were highly expressed in all tissues at 32 w, except for the heart. We identified one nucleotide substitution (c. 826T>C) in the second exon, which caused an amino acid change (p. S49L). Genotypes (TT, TC and CC) had significant effects on the age at first egg (AFE), total eggs for 300 days (TE300) and highest continuous laying days (HCLD). The CC genotype would be genetically advantageous to improve egg production traits due to earlier AFE, more TE300, and longer HCLD.
Highlights
Vitamin A and its active derivative are vital for proper embryonic development in vertebrates [1]
We showed that the Erlang mountainous chicken amino acids (AA) sequence showed 98.4% identity to Gallus gallus and 57.5%–74.8% identity to mammals (Table 1)
To determine if the cellular retinol-binding proteins (CRBPs) IV mRNA expression shows tissue- and development-specific expression, we investigated its expression in eight tissues from two different chicken lines at four ages (12 w, 24 w, 32 w and 45 w)
Summary
Vitamin A (retinol) and its active derivative (retinoic acid) are vital for proper embryonic development in vertebrates [1]. As a CRBP member, CRBP IV may play a role in absorption, transport, metabolism, and homeostasis of retinol and its derivatives. CRBP IV a good candidate gene for enhancing reproductive traits in chickens To test this hypothesis, we cloned and analyzed the entire coding region of the chicken CRBP IV gene, investigated the expression pattern of CRBP IV mRNA in various chicken tissues, and identified a genetic polymorphism and analyzed its association with chicken egg production traits
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