Fayoumi Chickens Research Articles

HSP70 And HSP90β Genes Polymorphism And Its Association With Thermotolerance In Fayoumi And Leghorn Chicken Breeds

This study was intended to studying polymorphisms of HSP70 and HSP90β genes and its possible association with heat resistance in Fayoumi and Leghorn chickens. Chickens of each breed were classified phenotypically to heat susceptible and heat resistant groups based on chicken behavior during heat stress period. PCR-RFLP technique was used to genotype HSP70 and HSP90β genes polymorphisms. Digestion of an amplified 360 bp of HSP70 gene with EaeI restriction enzyme resulted in three genotypes, E1E1, E1E2 and E2E2. Results analysis indicated that there were no significant differences of different genotypes between heat susceptible and heat resistant Fayoumi chickens. In Leghorn chickens the genotype E2E2 was found in almost heat susceptible chickens with frequency of 0.75% and can be used as a marker for heat susceptibility while, E1E1 genotype occurs with frequency of 0.6 % in heat resistant chickens and can be used as heat resistance marker. Digestion of HSP90β gene amplified 498 bp with MspI restriction enzyme resulted in one genotype M1M1 in both heat susceptible and heat resistant Fayoumi chickens. Also, all leghorn resistant chickens showed M1M1 genotype. While, the genotype frequency in Leghorn susceptible chickens were 0.7 M1M1 and 0.3 M1M2. Accordingly, the HSP90β heterozygous M1M2 genotype can be used as marker assisted selection for culling of heat susceptible birds.

Conserved, breed-dependent, and subline-dependent innate immune responses of Fayoumi and Leghorn chicken embryos to Newcastle disease virus infection

Newcastle disease virus (NDV) is a threat to the global poultry industry, but particularly for smallholder farmers in low- and middle-income countries. Previous reports suggest that some breeds of chickens are less susceptible to NDV infection, however, the mechanisms contributing to this are unknown. We here examined the comparative transcriptional responses of innate immune genes to NDV infection in inbred sublines of the Fayoumi and Leghorn breeds known to differ in their relative susceptibility to infection as well as at the microchromosome bearing the major histocompatability complex (MHC) locus. The analysis identified a set of five core genes, Mx1, IRF1, IRF7, STAT1, and SOCS1, that are up-regulated regardless of subline. Several genes were differentially expressed in a breed- or subline-dependent manner. The breed-dependent response involved TLR3, NOS2, LITAF, and IFIH1 in the Fayoumi versus IL8, CAMP, and CCL4 in the Leghorn. Further analysis identified subline-dependent differences in the pro-inflammatory response within the Fayoumi breed that are likely influenced by the MHC. These results have identified conserved, breed-dependent, and subline-dependent innate immune responses to NDV infection in chickens, and provide a strong framework for the future characterization of the specific roles of genes and pathways that influence the susceptibility of chickens to NDV infection.

Variation in the Transcripts Level of HSP70 and HSP90 in Fayoumi and Leghorn Chickens Breeds in Response to Acute Heat Stress

Abstract: The variation in the environmental temperature will generally impose stress upon the organism, which may result in the evolution of adaptive genetic mechanisms to cope with temperature extremes in nature. This study aimed to estimate changes of HSF1, HSF3, HSP70 and HSP90 genes mRNA expression in stress-sensitive tissues of 2 chicken breeds (Fayoumi and Leghorn) during acute heat stress and chronic heat stress. The experiment was designed for 6 groups: control or thermoneutral group (TN), thermoneutral + acetic acid group (TN+AA), acute heat stress group (AHS), acute heat stress and acetic acid supplementation group (AHS+AA), chronic heat stress group (CHS) and chronic heat stress + acetic acid supplementation group (CHS+AA). Samples were collected from brain and liver to measure the transcriptional mRNA expression level of HSP70, HSP90β, HSF1 and HSF3. The results were revealed that Fayoumi chickens is more resistant to acute heat stress than Leghorn chickens through increasing expression of HSP70, HSP90β and HSF1 in brain and Liver tissues. Moreover, using acetic acid provides protection at time of heat stress. Fayoumi chickens is more resistant to acute heat stress than Leghorn chickens through increasing expression of HSP70 and HSP90β. acetic acid supplementation is more protective against acute heat

Differential expression of intestinal nutrient transporters and host defense peptides in Eimeria maxima-infected Fayoumi and Ross chickens

Fayoumi chickens are believed to be more disease resistant compared to commercial broiler chickens. The objective of this study was to compare mRNA expression of intestinal nutrient transporters, digestive enzymes, and host defense peptides (HDP) between Eimeria maxima-challenged Fayoumi and Ross broiler chickens. At 21 d of age, Ross broilers and Fayoumi lines M5.1 and M15.2 were challenged with 1,000 E. maxima oocysts. Control birds were not challenged. Duodenum, jejunum, and ileum were sampled (n = 6) at 7 d post challenge. Gene expression was analyzed using relative quantification PCR. Data were analyzed by ANOVA and significance level was set at P < 0.05. There was numerical, but not statistically significant, differential weight gain depression for Ross (15%) and Fayoumi lines M5.1 (21%) and M15.2 (22%) and significant line-specific changes in gene expression. For nutrient transporters, there was downregulation of mRNA for the brush border membrane, amino acid transporters b0,+AT/rBAT, BoAT, and EAAT3 in different segments of the small intestine of Ross and both lines of Fayoumi chickens, indicating that E. maxima challenge likely caused a decrease in nutrient uptake. For HDP, there was downregulation of avian beta defensin (AvBD) 1, 6, 10, 12, and 13 mRNA in the jejunum of the 2 Fayoumi lines, but no change in the Ross broilers. In the duodenum, there was upregulation of AvBD10 mRNA in the Ross and both Fayoumi lines and additionally upregulation of AvBD11, 12, and 13 mRNA in only Fayoumi line M15.2. Liver expressed antimicrobial peptide 2 (LEAP2) mRNA was downregulated in the duodenum and jejunum of Ross and Fayoumi line M5.1 but not in Fayoumi line M15.2. The homeostatic, non-challenged levels of AvBD mRNA were greater in Fayoumi line M15.2 than Ross and Fayoumi line M5.1 in the duodenum and ileum. This study demonstrates tissue- and genetic line-specific transcriptional responses to E. maxima, highlights novel potential candidate genes for response to coccidiosis, and confirms a role for several previously reported genes in response to coccidiosis.

Impact of different light colors in behavior, welfare parameters and growth performance of Fayoumi broiler chickens strain

Light is considered one of the most managerial factors affecting poultry well-being. Therefore, the current study was conducted to investigate the effects of different light colors in behaviour, welfare and growth performance of Fayoumi chickens. A total of 300 one-day old chicks of Fayoumi broiler breed were weighed and randomly divided into 4 environmentally controlled chambers with different artificial light color (yellow, red, green and blue) until the end of the experimental period (12 weeks); each was divided into five replicate brooders (15 birds for each replicate). A scanning technique was used to report the chicken’s behaviors. Moreover, the plumage condition, foot and toe hyperkeratosis, foot and toe lesions (foot pad dermatitis) and growth performance were evaluated. Light colors had significant (P &lt; 0.05) effects of the impose of different light colors in all kinds of behavior of Fayoumi chickens. It was found that eating frequency was the highest in blue light. Preening, dust bathing and drinking frequencies were the highest in green light. Birds reared in red light were more active, as expressed by greater walking, flying, head movement, litter scratching, body shaking, wing flapping, wing/leg stretching, feather pecking and aggression. While, birds in blue light were calmest, evidenced by more intense sleeping, sitting and idling behaviors. In spite of the fact that the light colors had no significant effect on plumage condition, health status of the foot and toe and growth performance, those parameters were better in birds kept in blue light than other light colors. We conclude that the blue light colour may improve the birds’ welfare.

Antibiogram and genetic diversity of Salmonella enterica with zoonotic potential isolated from morbid native chickens and pigeons in Egypt.

This study investigated the possible role of Fayoumi chickens and pigeons in the transmission of multidrug resistant (MDR) Salmonella with zoonotic potential. Morbid Fayoumi chickens (70) and pigeons (30) were examined to detect the prevalence and antibiotic resistance of Salmonella and to detect and sequence sodC-1 gene as a zoonotic and phylogenetic marker. Salmonella isolates were detected in 14·3 and 20% of the examined Fayoumi chickens and pigeons, respectively. Salomonella subspecies salamae (43·8%) and S. subspecies enterica serovar Bukuru (31·3%) were the most prevalent isolates. All tested Salmonella isolates were MDR to at least five classes of antibiotics. S. salamae and S. Bukuru isolates that carried blaTEM , qnrS, aadA2 and floR genes expressed phenotypic resistance to cefotaxime, ciprofloxacin, streptomycin and chloramphenicol, respectively. The aacC gene was detected in one of each S. salamae and S. Bukuru isolate, although only the S. Bukuru isolate showed phenotypic resistance to gentamicin. The sequence analysis of the sodC-1 gene from Salmonella isolates showed clear inter- and intra-subspecies phylogenetic segregation. Fayoumi chickens and pigeons could act as reservoirs of MDR Salmonella. This study highlights the possible emergence of Salmonella subspecies salamae with zoonotic potential.

Transcriptome Analysis in Spleen Reveals Differential Regulation of Response to Newcastle Disease Virus in Two Chicken Lines

Enhancing genetic resistance of chickens to Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV) provides a promising way to improve poultry health, and to alleviate poverty and food insecurity in developing countries. In this study, two inbred chicken lines with different responses to NDV, Fayoumi and Leghorn, were challenged with LaSota NDV strain at 21 days of age. Through transcriptome analysis, gene expression in spleen at 2 and 6 days post-inoculation was compared between NDV-infected and control groups, as well as between chicken lines. At a false discovery rate <0.05, Fayoumi chickens, which are relatively more resistant to NDV, showed fewer differentially expressed genes (DEGs) than Leghorn chickens. Several interferon-stimulated genes were identified as important DEGs regulating immune response to NDV in chicken. Pathways predicted by IPA analysis, such as "EIF-signaling", "actin cytoskeleton organization nitric oxide production" and "coagulation system" may contribute to resistance to NDV in Fayoumi chickens. The identified DEGs and predicted pathways may contribute to differential responses to NDV between the two chicken lines and provide potential targets for breeding chickens that are more resistant to NDV.

Effect of in Ovo Injection of MyoPro Gene on Growth Parameter in Fayoumi Chicken

Effect of in Ovo Injection of MyoPro Gene on Growth Parameter in Fayoumi Chicken

THE EFFECT OF SOME LIGHT TREATMENTS (TYPE AND PROGRAM) ON PRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE AND SOME MEAT CONSTITUTES OF FAYOUMI CHICKENS. 1. DURING PRE PRODUCTION PERIOD

his work was conceded to study, the effect of some light treatments (type and program) on productive performance and some meat constituents of Fayoumi chickens during summer season under hot climatic conditions of Upper Egypt. Three hundred and sixty chicks, fifteen weeks old; were randomly divided into six experimental groups (6 groups, each group was divided into three replicates/ 20 birds each).Group 1, the chicks were exposed to continuous common light program (12h light: 12h dark/day) (with intensity 10 luxes) and was considered as a control (C); Group 2 (T1), the chicks were exposed to intermittent common light program (6h light:6h dark) each 12h. of day; Group 3 (T2), the chicks were exposed to biomittent common light program (30 minutes light: 30minutes dark) of each hour of day; Group 4 (T3), the chicks were exposed to continuous flash light program (12h light: 12h dark/day); Group 5 (T4), the chicks were exposed to intermittent flash light program (6h light:6h dark) each 12h. of day; Group 6 (T5), the chicks were exposed to biomittent flash light program (30 minutes light: 30minutes dark) of each hour of day. Chicks were reared under the same managerial, feeding and hygienic conditions throughout the experimental period. During of the experiment body weight (BW), body weight gains (BWG), feed consumption (FC), feed conversion (FCR), carcass characteristics and meat analysis were estimated. Flashed light groups caused elevation of body weight, body weight gains and feed intake significantly compared to control, while there wasn't significant difference between groups for feed conversion ratio. Flash lighting programs improved carcass characteristics compared with those exposed on common lighting groups. Flash lighting program increased moisture percentage and reduced fat percentage in meat (P<0.05). It can be concluded that applying the flash light regime tend to improve all measurements studied without any side effect on Fayoumi chickens during growing period.

Effect of Egg Size on Hatchability and Subsequent Growth Performance of Fayoumi Chicken

The study was conducted to determine effect of egg-weight on hatchability and subsequent growth performance of Fayoumi breeds. A total of 576 eggs were purposively selected and arranged into three groups of small, medium and large sizes each with 192 eggs. Each egg group was randomly sub-divided into three replicates of 64 eggs in a CRD. Eggs were incubated for 21 days and chicks hatched on the same day were counted and individually weighed. Chicks were intensively raised on deep litter system for eight weeks on same diet, but kept separately according to their initial treatment of eggs. Data was analyzed by GLM of SAS and separated for means by Duncan’s multiple-range test. The study result revealed that egg size had effect on hatchability and strongly influenced all parameters measured during the brooding periods. It has significant effect on day-old weight, body weight, final weight gain, final feed conversion and mortality. Chicken producers may opt for medium-sized eggs principally for the purpose of better hatchability and feed conversion ratio whereas large sized eggs for better hatchling weight, weight gain and survivability. It is also recommended that future work may also address the effect of egg size on the same parameters at grower or pullet stage performance and specific diseases which cause paramount chick mortality should be identified.

Unique genetic responses revealed in RNA-seq of the spleen of chickens stimulated with lipopolysaccharide and short-term heat.

Climate change and disease have large negative impacts on poultry production, but little is known about the interactions of responses to these stressors in chickens. Fayoumi (heat and disease resistant) and broiler (heat and disease susceptible) chicken lines were stimulated at 22 days of age, using a 2x2x2 factorial design including: breed (Fayoumi or broiler), inflammatory stimulus (lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or saline), and temperature (35°C or 25°C). Transcriptional changes in spleens were analyzed using RNA-sequencing on the Illumina HiSeq 2500. Thirty-two individual cDNA libraries were sequenced (four per treatment) and an average of 22 million reads were generated per library. Stimulation with LPS induced more differentially expressed genes (DEG, log2 fold change ≥ 2 and FDR ≤ 0.05) in the broiler (N = 283) than the Fayoumi (N = 85), whereas heat treatment resulted in fewer DEG in broiler (N = 22) compared to Fayoumi (N = 107). The double stimulus of LPS+heat induced the largest numbers of changes in gene expression, for which broiler had 567 DEG and Fayoumi had 1471 DEG of which 399 were shared between breeds. Further analysis of DEG revealed pathways impacted by these stressors such as Remodelling of Epithelial Adherens Junctions due to heat stress, Granulocyte Adhesion and Diapedesis due to LPS, and Hepatic Fibrosis/Hepatic Stellate Cell Activation due to LPS+heat. The genes and pathways identified provide deeper understanding of the response to the applied stressors and may serve as biomarkers for genetic selection for heat and disease tolerant chickens.

Distribution and differential expression of microRNAs in the intestinal mucosal layer of necrotic enteritis induced Fayoumi chickens.

ObjectiveDespite an increasing number of investigations into the pathophysiology of necrotic enteritis (NE) disease, etiology of NE-associated diseases, and gene expression profiling of NE-affected tissues, the microRNA (miRNA) profiles of NE-affected poultry have been poorly studied. The aim of this study was to induce NE disease in the genetically disparate Fayoumi chicken lines, and to perform non-coding RNA sequencing in the intestinal mucosal layer.MethodsNE disease was induced in the Fayoumi chicken lines (M5.1 and M15.2), and non-coding RNA sequencing was performed in the intestinal mucosal layer of both NE-affected and uninfected chickens to examine the differential expression of miRNAs. Next, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (real-time qPCR) was performed to further examine four miRNAs that showed the highest fold differences. Finally, bioinformatics analyses were performed to examine the four miRNAs target genes involvement in the signaling pathways, and to examine their interaction.ResultsAccording to non-coding RNA sequencing, total 50 upregulated miRNAs and 26 downregulated miRNAs were detected in the NE-induced M5.1 chickens. While 32 upregulated miRNAs and 11 downregulated miRNAs were detected in the NE-induced M15.2 chickens. Results of real-time qPCR analysis on the four miRNAs (gga-miR-9-5p, gga-miR-20b-5p, gga-miR-196-5p, and gga-let-7d) were mostly correlated with the results of RNAseq. Overall, gga-miR-20b-5p was significantly downregulated in the NE-induced M5.1 chickens and this was associated with the upregulation of its top-ranking target gene, mitogen-activated protein kinase, kinase 2. Further bioinformatics analyses revealed that 45 of the gene targets of gga-miR-20b-5p were involved in signal transduction and immune system-related pathways, and 35 of these targets were predicted to interact with each other.ConclusionOur study is a novel report of miRNA expression in Fayoumi chickens, and could be very useful in understanding the role of differentially expressed miRNAs in a NE disease model.

Analysis of Differentially Expressed Genes in Necrotic Enteritis-infected Fayoumi Chickens using RNA Sequencing.

We identified and evaluated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) by RNA-Sequencing (RNA-Seq) in the intestinal mucosa of two Fayoumi chicken lines, M5.1 and M15.2, that are affected by necrotic enteritis (NE); these chicken lines share the same genetic background but have different major histocompatibility complexes. RNA-Seq generated over 49 and 40 million reads for lines M5.1 and M15.2, respectively. The alignment of these sequences with the Gallus gallus genome database revealed the expression of more than 14,500 genes in two lines, among which 581, 1270, and 1140 DEGs were detected when lines M15.2 and M5.1 were compared with the control and compared between each other. The analysis of all DEGs using the gene ontology database revealed annotations for 111 biological processes, 32 cellular components, and 17 molecular functions, and KEEG pathway mapping indicated that the DEGs were primarily involved in immunity, responses to various stimuli, and signal transduction. In addition, we analyzed 183 innate immune genes that were differentially expressed in NE-induced chicken lines, including 46 CD molecular genes, 89 immune-related genes, and 13 β-defensin genes with 3 lineage-specific duplications. Taken together, the transcriptional profiles showed that line M5.1 was more resistant to NE than line M15.2 and that differential gene expression patterns were associated with host genetic differences in resistance to NE. qRT-PCR and RNA-Seq analyses showed that all the genes examined had similar responses to NE (correlation coefficient R=0.84 to 0.88, p<0.01) in both lines. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that describes NE-induced DEGs using RNA-seq in two lines with different levels of susceptibility to NE. These results will lead to increased insights on NE disease resistance mechanisms and the role of host genes in the control of the host immune response.

Management Practices and Feed Supplements on the Growth of Two Chicken Breeds (Gallus Domesticus L.) under Smallholders’ Farm Conditions: Case of Rajshahi

The present study assessed the management practices and feed supplements on growth performance of two common chicken breeds viz., Fayoumi (an exotic) and Sonali (a crossbred) in 10 Upozillas or Police Stations of Rajshahi District. For the collection of experimental data every week, a government, 10 private and 10 backyard smallholders’ poultry farms were selected, and the investigation was conducted from January to December 2015. Fourteen such major management practices as feeding, vaccination, bio-safety measures, disposal of wastes and dead bodies were considered to rank the farms from excellent (score 5) to unacceptable (score 1) scales. All the parameters showed significant variation (P&lt;0.05) except room heating, source of water, bio-safety measures, contacts with veterinarians, disposal of excreta, access of wild animals and disease management. The second half of the survey witnessed a relatively better management practices in all farm types. Results on feed supplements and growth performance of both sexes of Fayoumi and Sonali chickens up to 8 weeks with four dietary treatment groups viz., T1 (control), T2 (control + 12500 IU vitamin A (VitA)/kg feed), T3 [control + essential amino acids (EAAs)] and T4 (control + 12500 IU VitA/kg feed + EAAs) were promising. Feed conversion ratios (FCR), survivability (SB%) and carcass characteristics (CC) exhibited treatment effects (P&lt;0.001) but no breed effect with respect to FCR. Conversely, gender effect showed significant variation for all the CC (P&lt;0.05) except for breast meat. In contrast, dressing yield, drumstick meat and thigh meat had no treatment effects. It appeared from the present results that strict bio-safety oriented management practices, coupled with the selection of fast growing and heavy laying breeds of chickens and feed supplements at recommended doses could ensure sustainability as well as profitability of the emerging poultry farms in the study area. &#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D;

Single nucleotide variant discovery of highly inbred Leghorn and Fayoumi chicken breeds using pooled whole genome resequencing data reveals insights into phenotype differences.

BackgroundAnalyses of sequence variants of two distinct and highly inbred chicken lines allowed characterization of genomic variation that may be associated with phenotypic differences between breeds. These lines were the Leghorn, the major contributing breed to commercial white-egg production lines, and the Fayoumi, representative of an outbred indigenous and robust breed. Unique within- and between-line genetic diversity was used to define the genetic differences of the two breeds through the use of variant discovery and functional annotation.ResultsDownstream fixation test (F ST) analysis and subsequent gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis elucidated major differences between the two lines. The genes with high F ST values for both breeds were used to identify enriched gene ontology terms. Over-enriched GO annotations were uncovered for functions indicative of breed-related traits of pathogen resistance and reproductive ability for Fayoumi and Leghorn, respectively.ConclusionsVariant analysis elucidated GO functions indicative of breed-predominant phenotypes related to genomic variation in the lines, showing a possible link between the genetic variants and breed traits.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-016-3147-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

A comparative study on quality, proximate composition and cholesterol content of eggs and meat in Fayoumi and commercial White Leghorn chickens

AbstractThe present study was conducted at Poultry Research Institute, Rawalpindi (Pakistan) with the objective of evaluating egg quality, proximate composition and cholesterol content of eggs and meat in Fayoumi (FAY) and commercial (Nick chick) White Leghorn (WLH) breeds of chickens. For this purpose, 64 adult (40 weeks-old) laying hens, 32 each of FAY and WLH breeds were maintained on littered floor in two separate pens under optimal management conditions. The birds were fed ad libitum a balanced layers ration. They had free access to clean and fresh drinking water and were kept under 16 h daily lighting schedule. Egg quality parameters, proximate composition and cholesterol content of eggs were studied for 6 weeks by randomly collecting 3 eggs daily from each breed. Thigh and breast meat samples were obtained from randomly selecting two birds from each breed by slaughtering them at the termination of experiment for determination of proximate composition and cholesterol content. The results show signif...

Comparing the immune responses of two genetically B-complex disparate Fayoumi chicken lines to Eimeria tenella

The present study was conducted to compare the susceptibility of congenic Fayoumi lines to Eimeria tenella infection and to assess genetic differences in Eimeria egression.Chickens were orally inoculated with 5 × 104 sporulated E. tenella oocysts and challenged with 5 × 106 oocysts on the 10th day after the primary infection.The Fayoumi M5.1 line exhibited higher levels of body weight gain, less oocyst shedding and higher percentages of B and CD4+/CD8+ T cells than the M15.2 chickens.These results demonstrate that M5.1 line is more resistant to E. tenella infection than M15.2 line. Furthermore, the percentage of sporozoite egress from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was higher in the M5.1 line.The results of this study suggest that enhanced resistance of Fayoumi M5.1 to E. tenella infection may involve heightened cell-mediated and adaptive immunity, resulting in reduced intracellular development of Eimeria parasites.

Genomic Regions associated with Necrotic Enteritis Resistance in Fayoumi and White Leghorn Chickens

In this study, we used two breeds of chicken to identify genomic regions corresponding to necrotic enteritis (NE) resistance. We scanned the genomes of a resistant and susceptible line of Fayoumi and White Leghorn chickens (20 birds/line) using a chicken 60 K Illumina SNP panel. A total of 235 loci with divergently fixed alleles were identified across the genome in both breeds; particularly, several clusters of multiple loci with fixed alleles were found in five narrow regions. Moreover, consensus 15-SNP haplotypes that were shared by the resistant lines of both breeds were identified on chromosomes 3, 7 and 9. Genes responsible for NE resistance were identified in chicken lines selected for resistance and susceptibility. Annotation of the regions spanning clustered divergently fixed regions revealed a set of interesting candidate genes such as phosphoinositide-3-kinase, regulatory subunit 5, p101 (PIK3R5) and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor 1 (ITPR1), which participate in immune response. Consensus haplotypes were found in regions containing possibly relevant genes, such as myostatin and myosin, which play important roles in muscle development. Thus, genome scans of divergent selection in multiple chicken lines and breeds can be used to identify genomic regions associated with NE resistance.

Association of Single Nucleotide Polymorphism in Bone Morphogenetic Protein Receptor 1B (BMPR-1B) Gene with Growth Traits in Chicken

Growth traits are under the control of multiple genes. Understanding the genetic information of related genes is helpful for the selection and breeding course through marker assisted selection. The aim of the current study was to investigate the association of A287G SNP in BMPR-1B gene with growth traits in chicken. A single nucleotide polymorphism was identified in 240 individuals using the PCR-RFLP technique and confirmed by sequencing. The allelic and genotypic frequencies were compared, using the Chisquared test. Associations between the genotype of each polymorphism and the traits were analyzed using the General Linear Model of statistical software SAS. Three genotypes (AA, AG and GG) were detected in Fayoumi and Rhold Island Red chicken. Sequencing revealed one mutation (287 A→G) in the genotype AA in comparison to the genotype GG. The A287G SNP of BMPR-1B gene was associated significantly with body weight at 2 nd (P=0.022), 3 rd (P=0.034), 4 th (P=0.011), 5 th (P=0.035), 6 th (P=0.001), 7 th (P=0.008) and 8 th (P=0.016) week of age. In conclusion, BMPR-1B gene may be associated with body weight in chicken and may be considered in Marker Assisted Selection program to improve chicken growth performance.

Genetically Disparate Fayoumi Chicken Lines Show Different Response to Avian Necrotic Enteritis

Necrotic enteritis (NE) has reemerged as a significant problem as a result of growing restrictions of antibiotics in agricultural animal production and increasing concerns over antibiotic resistance in human pathogens. To enhance our understanding of host-pathogen immunobiology in NE, transcriptional analysis was conducted to compare changes in NE-induced intestinal transcripts and to identify immune-related genes whose expression are associated with NE disease resistance using two genetically disparate Fayoumi chicken lines, M5.1 and M15.2. NE was induced by co-infection of Eimeria maxima and Clostridium perfringens using an established disease model and two major NE-induced clinical signs, body weight loss and intestinal lesions, were measured in two inbred Fayoumi chicken lines, M5.1 and M15.2. In the clinical criteria, line M5.1 chickens were more resistant to NE compared to line 15.2 birds. Although they have the same genetic background, these two chicken lines are genetically disparate at their major histocompatibility complex (MHC) and this difference was reflected in the differential expression patterns of several inflammatory genes such as suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3), interleukin 8 (IL8), nuclear factor of kappa light polypeptide gene enhancer in B cells inhibitor, zeta (NFKBIZ), serpin peptidase inhibitor, clade F (alpha- 2 antiplasmin, pigment epithelium derived factor), member 1 (SERPINF1), and gap junction protein, alpha 1, 43kDa (GJA1) between NE-afflicted and uninfected chickens. These results will lead to increased insights on the NE disease resistance mechanisms and the role of host genes controlling host immune response to C. perfringens.