›› 2012, Vol. 39 ›› Issue (12): 45-50.

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Research Progress on Genes Controlling Plumage Color in Chicken

GUO Jun1, QU Liang1, WANG Ke-hua1, HE Xing-long2   

  1. 1. Institute of Poultry Sciences,Chinese Academy of Agriculture Sciences,Yangzhou 225125,China;
    2. Guangdong Ocean University,Zhanjiang 524088,China
  • Received:2012-05-31 Online:2012-12-20 Published:2012-12-19

Abstract: With the advances of genome-wide association study,comparative genomics and QTL mapping,great progress had been made in identifying genes related to plumage color in chickens. Seven genes that led to specific plumage colors in chickens had been identified,such as MC1R,CDKN2A,SLC45A2,PMEL17,SOX10,melanophilin and tyrosinase gene. Although some plumage color related genes needed further study,such as columbian color,recessive black and pencilling gene,molecular biology technology had shown the tremendous power for pigmentation gene mapping and genetics analysis. The feather color genotype revealed that feather color genetics were a complicated process,which involved a single gene function was obtained or the loss,also involved multiple genes interacted with each other. Feather color was an important economic character,the feather color formation mechanism and related genes location were summarized in this review.

Key words: chicken; plumage color; sex-linked inheritance; gene mutation; breeding

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