Recently, a research team led by Dr. Wen Jie from Institute of Animal Science of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (IAS-CAAS) announced the identification of 14 new functional genes for chicken meat quality.

Wen and his research team marked as the first to apply the high density chicken Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms SNP array and Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) in chicken meat quality. A total of 14 genes associated with intramuscular fat content in breast muscle (IMFBr), meat color, abdominal fat weight (AbFW), and abdominal fat percentage (AbFP), were identified and realized to be prospective candidate gene for meat quality traits. This identification came up after more than ten years hard work of the research team.

 

It is equally important to know that meat quality in chickens is an important trait, especially on pH, meat color, drip loss, tenderness and intramuscular fat (IMF) content. The selection of broiler chickens initially focused on increasing growth performance and improving body composition, also led to indirect and often deleterious effects on meat quality traits, particularly excessive deposition of abdominal fat (AbF) and the formation of which represents inefficient use of feed. The elucidation of the molecular mechanisms underlying meat quality traits in chickens will have both biological and economic consequences. However, the new genes discovered provide new insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying meat quality traits in chickens.

For more details go on BMC Genomics (http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2164/14/458) and/or
PLoS ONE (http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0061172).