Award details

Identifcation of broody trait loci in the chicken.

Reference	BBS/E/R/03780648
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Professor Peter Sharp
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors
Institution	The Roslin Institute
Department	The Roslin Institute Department
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	401,906
Status	Completed
Type	Institute Project
Start date	01/04/1999
End date	31/03/2003
Duration	48 months

Abstract

In poultry, the White Leghorn breed, unlike most others breed of poultry, shows a loss of the avian form of parental behaviour:incubation of eggs. It is known that the broody trait is controlled by at least three genes, including two dominant autosomal genes with large effect. The lack of broody behaviour in the White Leghorn is of general interest to reproductive behavioural neurobiologists, and of practical significance to poultry breeders. Broodiness causes lost egg production in broilers,turkeys and waterfowl, and in hens kept for egg production in extensive husbandry systems. The availability of the non-broody White-Leghorn genotype offers an opportunity for chicken breeders to introgress White leghorn genes into their stocks to suppress broodiness. However, this option is not open to breeders of other types of poultry. Attempts by breeders to eliminate broodiness by conventional selection has had limited success. It has been concluded that the trait is moderately intractable to conventional selection procedures. Recent advances in the chicken genomics programme at Roslin opens up the possibility of eliminating the broody trait by marker- assisted selection. As a first step to achieving this objective, genomic loci associated with broody behaviour will be identified. This will be achieved using inbred lines of a broody genotpye, Silkie bantam (S) and a non-broody genotype, White Leghorn(WL). An F1 backcross population will be prepared using male F1 (male WL x female S) mated to female WL. The females from this population will be tested for broodines. Microsatellite markers available through the Institutes's chicken genome mapping programme, will be used to map loci which segregate with the trait.

Summary

unavailable

Committee	Closed Committee - Genes & Developmental Biology (GDB)
Research Topics	X – not assigned to a current Research Topic
Research Priority	X – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative	X - not in an Initiative
Funding Scheme	X – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme

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