Search for traces of selection by analyzing homozygous regions in a population of Chinese silk chicken breed

BACKGROUND: In China, the Chinese silkie chicken is designated as a breed of significant conservation priority, employed in both meat and poultry production, as well as in traditional Chinese medicine. The distinctive phenotypic traits, including hookless feathers, polydactyly, black skin, bones, and hyperpigmentation of connective tissue, have garnered the attention of both poultry breeders and scientific researchers, who utilize Chinese silk chickens as a model to investigate the genetic and evolutionary processes underlying genetic diversity. AIM: Study of selection traces in the genome of the Chinese silk chicken population in Russia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: For the purposes of this study, biological material was obtained from birds of the Russian population of Chinese silk chickens. Genotyping was conducted using the Illumina Chicken 60K SNP microarray. The analysis of genomic architecture included the study of homozygous regions with a frequency of occurrence above 75%. RESULTS: The study selected 24 candidate genes associated with plumage development (АLK, EDARADD), the backbone (WDR43, FBXO11), and those affecting body adaptive and immune capacity (EPCAM, PELI3, PLEK, LGALS8, RAB1B, RYR2), on egg (MDH1, SPRED2, MEIS1, ACTN2, PCNX2, BCL2L10, CYP19A1), and on meat (FOXN2, B3GNT2, MDH1, TMOD3, SLC35F3, NTPCR, PPP3R1, TSNAX) performance. CONCLUSIONS: These findings enhance our comprehension of the impact of selective breeding on the genetic makeup of the Chinese silk breed in Russia and contribute to the preservation of this distinctive breed.