Analyses of muscular dystrophy and Con A deficiency traits in testcross progeny of chickens.
Hereditary muscular dystrophic chickens of the Storrs strain possess two genetic disorders, muscular dystrophy (MD) and a deficient concanavalin A (Con A), a T-cell mitogen, mediated splenic lymphocyte blastogenic response. A possible amelioration of the MD phenotype in MD chickens expressing normal Con A was postulated on the basis of progeny segregating for these two traits in F2 genetic analyses. To test this possibility, testcross progeny were examined for segregation of MD and Con A deficiency traits, and for the degree of muscle destruction and Con A deficiency. The data show both traits to be inherited independently as autosomal recessive traits, and do not support any phenotypic modifications occurring in chickens expressing MD with normal Con A. In the testcross progeny, the Con A deficiency disorder is equally deficient in normal and MD progeny, and the degree of muscle destruction as measured by serum creatine phosphokinase levels is equally great in MD chickens with or without the Con A deficiency trait. The reduced numbers of MD chickens in the testcross progeny can be accounted for by chance and probably reflect losses during in ovo development.
D000818:Animals; D002645:Chickens / Q000235:genetics*; D003208:Concanavalin A / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D003402:Creatine Kinase / Q000097:blood; D003433:Crosses, Genetic; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D009137:Muscular Dystrophy, Animal / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics*
D003208:Concanavalin A; D003402:Creatine Kinase