[en] [en] BACKGROUND: Plumage coloration is a distinctive trait in ducks, and the Liancheng duck, characterized by its white plumage and black beak and webbed feet, serves as an excellent subject for such studies. However, academic comprehension of the genetic mechanisms underlying duck plumage coloration remains limited. To this end, the Liancheng duck genome (GCA_039998735.1) was hereby de novo assembled using HiFi reads, and F2 segregating populations were generated from Liancheng and Pekin ducks. The aim was to identify the genetic mechanism of white plumage in Liancheng ducks.
RESULTS: In this study, 1.29 Gb Liancheng duck genome was de novo assembled, involving a contig N50 of 12.17 Mb and a scaffold N50 of 83.98 Mb. Beyond the epistatic effect of the MITF gene, genome-wide association study analysis pinpointed a 0.8-Mb genomic region encompassing the PMEL gene. This gene encoded a protein specific to pigment cells and was essential for the formation of fibrillar sheets within melanosomes, the organelles responsible for pigmentation. Additionally, linkage disequilibrium analysis revealed 2 candidate single-nucleotide polymorphisms (Chr33: 5,303,994A>G; 5,303,997A>G) that might alter PMEL transcription, potentially influencing plumage coloration in Liancheng ducks.
CONCLUSIONS: Our study has assembled a high-quality genome for the Liancheng duck and has presented compelling evidence that the white plumage characteristic of this breed is attributable to the PMEL gene. Overall, these findings offer significant insights and direction for future studies and breeding programs aimed at understanding and manipulating avian plumage coloration.
Disciplines :
Animal production & animal husbandry Biochemistry, biophysics & molecular biology
Author, co-author :
Wang, Zhen ; Université de Liège - ULiège > TERRA Research Centre ; State Key Laboratory of Animal Biotech Breeding, Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
Guo, Zhanbao; State Key Laboratory of Animal Biotech Breeding, Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
Liu, Hongfei ; State Key Laboratory of Animal Biotech Breeding, Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
Liu, Tong; State Key Laboratory of Animal Biotech Breeding, Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
Liu, Dapeng ; State Key Laboratory of Animal Biotech Breeding, Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
Yu, Simeng ; State Key Laboratory of Animal Biotech Breeding, Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
Tang, Hehe; State Key Laboratory of Animal Biotech Breeding, Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
Zhang, He; State Key Laboratory of Animal Biotech Breeding, Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
Mou, Qiming; State Key Laboratory of Animal Biotech Breeding, Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
Zhang, Bo ; State Key Laboratory of Animal Biotech Breeding, Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
Cao, Junting ; State Key Laboratory of Animal Biotech Breeding, Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
Schroyen, Martine ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département GxABT > Animal Sciences (AS)
Hou, Shuisheng; State Key Laboratory of Animal Biotech Breeding, Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
Zhou, Zhengkui ; State Key Laboratory of Animal Biotech Breeding, Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
This work was supported by grants from the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars (32325047), the Innovation Program of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS\u2013SCAB-202302), the China Agriculture Research System of MOF and MARA (CARS-42-05), and the National Key R&D Program of China (2022YFF1000102). The authors were grateful to Shandong Rongda Agricultural Development Co., Ltd for their help in this sample collection.
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