论文标题：An intercross population study reveals genes associated with body size and plumage color in ducks

期刊：

作者：Zhengkui Zhou et al

发表时间：2018/07/17

数字识别码：10.1038/s41467-018-04868-4

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《自然-通讯》发表的一项分析An intercross population study reveals genes associated with body size and plumage color in ducks发现了与北京鸭白羽和体型较大相关的基因突变。这一发现揭示了北京鸭经过几百年选择形成的一些性状的遗传基础。

北京鸭实验室里的F2杂交鸭。图片来源：Dr. Yu Jiang

公元前500年绿头鸭在明升中国中部被驯化，后形成了各种不同的地方鸭品种。其中，北京鸭就是几百年高强度人工选择的结果。不过，研究人员此前并未发现与北京鸭白羽和生长速度快等优良性状相关的基因改变。

圣地亚哥动物园里的绿头鸭。图片来源：Dr. Yu Jiang

明升中国农业app院的侯水生、西北农林科技大学的姜雨和同事对40只绿头鸭、来自12个不同品种的36只地方鸭 （包括绍兴鸭和高邮鸭）和30只北京鸭的基因组进行了比对分析，发现选择信号后，研究人员再将绿头鸭与北京鸭进行杂交，繁殖了1026只家鸭。

通过对这些杂交鸭的研究，作者确定了北京鸭白羽、体型较大、饲料转化率较高相关的两个基因突变。研究人员发现，一种与白羽相关的名为MITF的基因发生了突变，另外一个独立的突变可能造成了出生后IGF2BP1基因的持续表达，以及最终的产肉量增加。

和北京鸭体型大小相关的基因分析。图片来源：Zhou等

摘要：Comparative population genomics offers an opportunity to discover the signatures of artificial selection during animal domestication, however, their function cannot be directly revealed. We discover the selection signatures using genome-wide comparisons among 40 mallards, 36 indigenous-breed ducks, and 30 Pekin ducks. Then, the phenotypes are fine-mapped based on resequencing of 1026 ducks from an F2 segregating population generated by wild × domestic crosses. Interestingly, the two key economic traits of Pekin duck are associated with two selective sweeps with fixed mutations. A novel intronic insertion most possibly leads to a splicing change in MITF accounted for white duck down feathers. And a putative long-distance regulatory mutation causes continuous expression of the IGF2BP1 gene after birth which increases body size by 15% and feed efficiency by 6%. This study provides new insights into genotype–phenotype associations in animal research and constitutes a promising resource on economically important genes in fowl.

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（来源：明升手机版(明升中国)）