Effect of prolactin receptor gene polymorphisms on egg production in laying hens

Abstract EN

This study was conducted at Poultry farm and laboratory of Poultry Physiology (Animal Resources Department) / College of Agriculture / University of Baghdad from 26/9/2013 to 1/6/2014 to study the effect of prolactin receptor (PRLR) gene polymorphisms and their association with egg production in laying hens.

One hundred White Leghorn and sixty Hy-line Brown strains were used in this study and reared in individual cages.

Blood was collected from birds at 41 weeks of age.

The allele frequency and distribution percentage of polymorphism for PRLR gene was measured according to Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium.

The PRLR gene was isolated using PCR-RFLP technique and BamHI restriction enzyme.

Results showed that two alleles G and A and two genotypes wild type GG (homozygous), and mutant AA (homozygous) have been got.

The size of the target gene segment was 250bp.

No significant differences between GG and AA genotypes of PRLR gene on weekly egg production for Brown strain, exception, a significant (P < 0.05) effect in the fifth week as regards egg production between genotypes GG and AA for White strain.

The allele frequency of G and A alleles were 0.98, and 0.02 respectively for Brown strain, whereas in White strain the allele frequency of G and A alleles were 0.99 and 0.01 respectively for PRLR gene.

The distribution percentage of polymorphism of PRLR gene in Brown and White strain were 98.11and 1.89 % for GG and AA genotype respectively, whereas was 98.88 and 1.12 % for GG and AA genotype respectively in white strain, and the differences among percentages was significant (P<0.01).