African Journal of
Biotechnology

  • Abbreviation: Afr. J. Biotechnol.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 1684-5315
  • DOI: 10.5897/AJB
  • Start Year: 2002
  • Published Articles: 12496

Full Length Research Paper

Identification of a single nucleotide polymorphism of the pituitary-specific transcriptional factor 1 (Pit 1) gene and its association with body composition trait in Iranian commercial broiler line

Zahra Rodbari1, Masoud Alipanah1, Hamid Reza Seyedabadi2* and Cyrus Amirinia2  
1Department of Animal Science, Zabol University, Iran. 2Department of Animal Biotechnology, Animal Science Research Institute of Iran, Karaj, Iran.
Email: [email protected]

  •  Accepted: 24 June 2011
  •  Published: 05 October 2011

Abstract

Pit-1 is a pituitary-specific transcriptional factor that has been shown to play a critical role both in cell differentiation during organogenesis of the anterior pituitary and as a transcriptional activator for pituitary gene transcription. This study was designed to investigate the associations of Pit-1 gene polymorphism on chicken body growth and body composition traits. Genomic DNA was extracted from 120 chickens from Iranian commercial broiler line. Two polymorphisms of the Pit-1 gene were found with restriction fragment length polymorphisms. The association between these polymorphisms with chicken growth and body composition traits were analyzed using single marker analysis. Polymorphisms in Pit-1 gene were significantly (P<0.1) associated with body growth and body composition traits. Thisstudy suggests that Pit-1 gene could be a candidate locus or linked to major gene(s) that affects growth and body composition traits in the chicken.

 

Key words: Iranian broiler lines, growth and body composition traits, pituitary-specific transcription factor gene (Pit 1), polymorphism, polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP).