Identification of candidate genes associated with feather follicle traits in chickens

Clicks: 6
ID: 339188
2026
Free PDF
Article Quality & Performance Metrics
Overall Quality
Not rated
Combines reader engagement with the AI quality analysis. This article has not been analysed, so there is no overall score — reader engagement is measured and shown alongside.
AI Quality Assessment
Not analyzed
Readership in this journal
Emerging

Ranked #852 of 856 articles by views in italian journal of animal science

Most read Least read

Bar heights use a square-root scale. Only the 120 most-read articles are drawn; the journal has 856 in total.

Mint this article as an NFT
Not yet minted

Create a permanent, verifiable on-chain record of this article on the Scimatic Network. The NFT is held in your Journament account, and you can withdraw it to your own wallet at any time.

5 SUSD one-off · no wallet required
Sign in to mint
Abstract
The size and density of feather follicles are important appearance quality traits for slaughtered broilers. In China, consumers generally prefer broilers with smooth skin and fine follicles, yet the genetic and molecular basis of these traits remains poorly understood. In this study, we characterized feather and feather follicle traits in 589 yellow-feathered chickens at 100 days of age and investigated candidate genes and SNPs associated with feather follicle size. Skin microscopy combined with image analysis provided a practical approach for quantifying follicle size. The size of feather follicles, the weight, length, and diameter of feathers were significantly higher in males than in females (P < 0.05), indicating clear sexual dimorphism. Feather follicle traits also showed greater variation than feather traits, which may limit the efficiency of direct selection. Correlation analysis showed a higher genetic association between dorsal feather length and follicle size of dorsopelvic tract, suggesting the potential for indirect selection of feather follicle size. RNA sequencing of large and small feather follicle tissues identified 1,273 differentially expressed genes. These differentially expressed genes were primarily enriched in the Wnt, MAPK, calcium, and TGF-β signaling pathways. Further analysis identified several HOX family genes, including HOXC10, HOXD11, HOXB3 and HOXD12, which may play crucial roles in feather follicle development. The tissue expression profile indicates that the HOXB3 gene is highly expressed in skin tissue. Polymorphism analysis of HOXB3 identified 3 SNPs significantly associated with feather follicle size (P < 0.05). These findings provide a practical method for follicle-size measurement and identify candidate pathways, genes, and SNP markers for the genetic improvement of feather follicle traits in chickens.
Reference Key
openalex_W7225416347 Use this key to autocite in the manuscript while using SciMatic Manuscript Manager or Thesis Manager
Authors Changbin Zhao, Dajian Li, Ming Pan, Ze Zhang, Xiquan Zhang, Dexiang Zhang, Hongmei Li
Are you one of these authors? Claim your profile
Journal italian journal of animal science
Year 2026
DOI
10.1093/jas/skag291
URL
https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skag291
Keywords Keywords not found

Citations

No citations found. To add a citation, contact the admin at info@scimatic.org

Comments

No comments yet. Be the first to comment on this article.