An association between tyrosinase gene single nucleotide polymorphisms and melanin distribution in chicken

Abstract

AbstractTyrosinase (TYR) is a key enzyme of melanin biosynthesis. Single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis was applied to detect the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the upstream regulating region from -641 to -2125 bp of the TYR gene. Three SNPs were found in this region. Correlations were obtained between genotypes of the SNP sites and pigment traits in chicken parental and F2 generations of the Chinese Agricultural University (CAU) resource population. The chi-square test indicated that these mutations were significantly related to shank and body skin colours.