Abstract
Pituitary Specific transcription factor 1 (PIT-1) gene is one of the POU gene family and play key roles in the regulation of muscle development which is important for body weight in chickens. This study was carried out to detect the polymorphism of PIT-1 gene and study its association with body weight in Fulani and Yoruba ecotype of Nigerian indigenous chickens. A total of 100 day-old chicks comprising of fifty chicks of Fulani and Yoruba ecotypes were used for this study. These chicks were genotyped using PCR-RFLP technique and their growth rate was also measured throughout the study. Our results showed two alleles A and B controlling genotypes AA and AB which were significantly associated with bodyweight of the chickens. Interestingly, we found out that AA genotype had the highest frequency of 0.64 and 0.76 compared with AB genotype which had a frequency of 0.36 and 0.24 in the Fulani and Yoruba ecotype respectively. Furthermore, the PIT-1 genotypes (AA and AB) were significantly associated (p < 0.05) with body weight at week 4 and week 12 in Fulani and Yoruba ecotype chicken respectively. PIT-1 gene was polymorphic in Fulani and Yoruba ecotypes of Nigeria Indigenous Chickens.
Highlights
Indigenous chickens in developing countries like Nigeria serve as one of the major sources of animal protein for the growing population
Pituitary Specific transcription factor 1 (PIT-1) gene is one of the POU gene family and play key roles in the regulation of muscle development which is important for body weight in chickens
This study was carried out to detect the polymorphism of PIT-1 gene and study its association with body weight in Fulani and Yoruba ecotype of Nigerian indigenous chickens
Summary
Indigenous chickens in developing countries like Nigeria serve as one of the major sources of animal protein for the growing population. Nigeria Indigenous chicken can be grouped into two major categories on the basis of body size and body weight as heavy (Fulani ecotype) and light (Yoruba ecotype) [2] These birds are reared extensively, which make them to be scavengers as they are self-reliant and hardy, capable of withstanding the abuses of harsh climate, minimal management, and inadequate nutrition [1]. It plays a role in transcription factor for growth hormone, prolactin and transforming growth factor-β genes that play the most pivotal role in controlling growth in chickens [7] It is involved in the development of the anterior pituitary gland and silencing adrenarche [8], and inducing differentiation of hepatic progenitor cells into prolactin-producing cells [9]. We investigated the tendency of using the PIT-1 gene polymorphic types as a major gene for growth in Fulani and Yoruba ecotype chickens
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