title: The PIT1 gene polymorphisms were associated with chicken growth traits.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  With crucial roles on the differentiation of anterior pituitary and the regulation of the prolactin (PRL), growth hormone (GH) and thyroid-stimulating hormone-beta (TSH-beta) genes, the chicken PIT1 gene is regarded as a key candidate gene for production traits. In this study, five reported polymorphisms (MR1-MR5) of the PIT1 gene were genotyped in a full sib F2 resource population to evaluate their effects on growth, carcass and fatty traits in chickens.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Marker-trait association analyses showed that, MR1 was significantly associated with shank diameters (SD) at 84 days (P < 0.05), hatch weight (HW) and shank length (SL) at 84 days (P < 0.01), MR2 was significantly associated with BW at 28, 42 days and average daily gain (ADG) at 0-4 weeks (P < 0.05), and MR3 was significantly associated with ADG at 4-8 weeks (P < 0.05). MR4 was associated with SL at 63, 77, 84 days and BW at 84 days (P < 0.05), as well as SD at 77 days (P < 0.01). Significant association was also found of MR5 with BW at 21, 35 days and SD at 63 days (P < 0.05), BW at 28 days and ADG at 0-4 weeks (P < 0.01). Both T allele of MR4 and C allele of MR5 were advantageous for chicken growth. The PIT1 haplotypes were significantly associated with HW (P = 0.0252), BW at 28 days (P = 0.0390) and SD at 56 days (P = 0.0400). No significant association of single SNP and haplotypes with chicken carcass and fatty traits was found (P > 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study found that polymorphisms of PIT1 gene and their haplotypes were associated with chicken growth traits and not with carcass and fatty traits.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, Guangdong, China. nqinghua@scau.edu.cn
authors.forename: Qinghua
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Nie
authors.forename: Meixia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Zhangmin
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Ziping
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Guohuang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Wensen
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Bi
authors.forename: Canjian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xiquan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002645:Chickens / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development*; D005260:Female; D005819:Genetic Markers; D005838:Genotype; D006239:Haplotypes; D008297:Male; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D019655:Quantitative Trait, Heritable; D050817:Transcription Factor Pit-1 / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D005819:Genetic Markers; D050817:Transcription Factor Pit-1