Genomic selection for the improvement of antibody response to Newcastle disease and avian influenza virus in chickens.
Newcastle disease (ND) and avian influenza (AI) are the most feared diseases in the poultry industry worldwide. They can cause flock mortality up to 100%, resulting in a catastrophic economic loss. This is the first study to investigate the feasibility of genomic selection for antibody response to Newcastle disease virus (Ab-NDV) and antibody response to Avian Influenza virus (Ab-AIV) in chickens. The data were collected from a crossbred population. Breeding values for Ab-NDV and Ab-AIV were estimated using a pedigree-based best linear unbiased prediction model (BLUP) and a genomic best linear unbiased prediction model (GBLUP). Single-trait and multiple-trait analyses were implemented. According to the analysis using the pedigree-based model, the heritability for Ab-NDV estimated from the single-trait and multiple-trait models was 0.478 and 0.487, respectively. The heritability for Ab-AIV estimated from the two models was 0.301 and 0.291, respectively. The estimated genetic correlation between the two traits was 0.438. A four-fold cross-validation was used to assess the accuracy of the estimated breeding values (EBV) in the two validation scenarios. In the family sample scenario each half-sib family is randomly allocated to one of four subsets and in the random sample scenario the individuals are randomly divided into four subsets. In the family sample scenario, compared with the pedigree-based model, the accuracy of the genomic prediction increased from 0.086 to 0.237 for Ab-NDV and from 0.080 to 0.347 for Ab-AIV. In the random sample scenario, the accuracy was improved from 0.389 to 0.427 for Ab-NDV and from 0.281 to 0.367 for Ab-AIV. The multiple-trait GBLUP model led to a slightly higher accuracy of genomic prediction for both traits. These results indicate that genomic selection for antibody response to ND and AI in chickens is promising.
College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Yaan, China; Institute of Animal Science, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, China; Center for Quantitative Genetics and Genomics, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Tjele, Denmark; State Key Laboratory of Livestock and Poultry Breeding, Guangzhou, China.
Tianfei
T
Liu
Institute of Animal Science, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, China; State Key Laboratory of Livestock and Poultry Breeding, Guangzhou, China.
Hao
H
Qu
Institute of Animal Science, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, China; State Key Laboratory of Livestock and Poultry Breeding, Guangzhou, China.
Chenglong
C
Luo
College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Yaan, China.
Xuewei
X
Li
Institute of Animal Science, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, China; State Key Laboratory of Livestock and Poultry Breeding, Guangzhou, China.
Dingming
D
Shu
Center for Quantitative Genetics and Genomics, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Tjele, Denmark.
Mogens Sandø
MS
Lund
Center for Quantitative Genetics and Genomics, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Tjele, Denmark.
Guosheng
G
Su
D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation / Q000235:genetics*; D002645:Chickens; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D014644:Genetic Variation; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D009980:Influenza A virus / Q000276:immunology*; D005585:Influenza in Birds / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D008954:Models, Biological; D009521:Newcastle Disease / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D009522:Newcastle disease virus / Q000276:immunology*; D019655:Quantitative Trait, Heritable; D012641:Selection, Genetic