Abstract
Chicken body weight(BW)is a critical trait in breeding.Although genetic variants associated with BW have been investigated by genome-wide association studies(GWAS),the contributions of causal variants and their molecular mechanisms remain largely unclear in chickens.In this study,we construct a compre-hensive genetic atlas of chicken BW by integrative analysis of 30 age points and 5 quantitative trait loci(QTL)across 27 tissues.We find that chicken growth is a cumulative non-linear process,which can be divided into three distinct stages.Our GWAS analysis reveals that BW-related genetic variations show ordered patterns in these three stages.Genetic variations in chromosome 1 may regulate the overall growth process,likely by modulating the hypothalamus-specific expression of SLC25A30 and retina-specific expression of NEK3.Moreover,genetic variations in chromosome 4 and chromosome 27 may play dominant roles in regulating BW during Stage 2(8-22 weeks)and Stage 3(23-72 weeks),respectively.In summary,our study presents a comprehensive genetic atlas regulating developmental stage-specific changes in chicken BW,thus providing important resources for genomic selection in breeding programs.
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