title: Determination of the zygosity of ev21-K in late-feathering male White Leghorns using the polymerase chain reaction.
abstract: The dominant sex-linked late-feathering (LF) gene, K, is of commercial importance for sex determination at hatch. Knowledge of the zygosity of sequences associated with K would enable breeders to more efficiently select homozygous grandparent LF males on the maternal side of the standard feather-sex cross because all of their progeny would be LF, whereas only half of the progeny from heterozygous grandparent males would be LF. A specific, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay is described that distinguishes White Leghorn K/K males from K/k+ males and obviates the need to raise all LF grandparent males to sexual maturity. Because the Z chromosome of some LF broiler breeders have, in addition to the endogenous virus gene, ev21, the wild type allele, which is termed the unoccupied repeat b (URb), this approach may not be applicable to some broiler lines.
authors.affiliation: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Avian Disease and Oncology Laboratory, East Lansing, Michigan 48823.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Iraqi
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D000483:Alleles; D000822:Animal Husbandry; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002645:Chickens / Q000235:genetics*; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005799:Genes, Dominant; D006579:Heterozygote; D006720:Homozygote; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012091:Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D012732:Sex Determination Analysis
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers