Pêche et production animale

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Association of Chicken Fatty Acid Desaturase 1 and 2 Gene Single- Nucleotide Polymorphisms with the Fatty Acid Composition of Thigh Meat in Japanese Hinai-dori Crossbred Chickens

Rikimaru K, Egawa Y, Yamaguchi S and Takahashi H

Hinai-jidori chicken, a cross between Hinai-dori (a breed native to Akita Prefecture, Japan) sires and Rhode Island Red dams, is a popular chicken brand in Japan. We previously reported that a high arachidonic acid (ARA) content is a characteristic feature of Hinai-jidori chicken and demonstrated that chicken meat with higher ARA contents had a much better taste perception than that with low ARA contents using Hinai-jidori and broiler chickens. To investigate the genes affecting fatty acid profiles, including ARA, in Hinai-jidori chicken, we genotyped polymorphisms of the fatty acid desaturase 1 and 2 (FADS1 and FADS2) genes and investigated their association with the fatty acid profile in Hinai-jidori meat. 5′-flanking regions, all the exons, and 3′-untranslated regions of the FADS1 and FADS2 genes in three chicken breeds, i.e., Hinai-dori, Rhode Island Red, and White Plymouth Rock, were amplified via PCR, after which their nucleotides were sequenced and SNPs were identified. Of the 71 and 46 SNPs found in the FADS1 and FADS2 genes, respectively, two SNPs were chosen from each gene, and their associations with fatty acid profiles of Hinai-jidori meat were analyzed. Hinai-jidori female chickens hatched on the same day and reared under identical environmental conditions for the same duration were used in this study. In each SNP of FADS1 and FADS2, the ARA and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) compositions were significantly higher in the G than in the A allele, respectively. Moreover, an association of FADS1 and FADS2 haplotypes with the fatty acid composition was observed. For example, the ARA and DHA composition of the G-G-haplotype were significantly higher than those of the A-A-haplotype. Thus, we concluded that SNPs in the FADS1 and FADS2 gene cluster are useful to increase ARA and DHA, and can be used to develop strategies for improving the taste of Hinai-jidori chicken.