Whole-genome resequencing reveals melanin deposition candidate genes of Luning chicken.

Background: Melanin in the black-bone chicken's body is considered the material basis for its medicinal effects and is an economically important trait. Therefore, improving the melanin content is a crucial focus in the breeding process of black-bone chickens. Luning chickens are black-bone chickens, with black beaks, skin, and meat. To investigate the genetic diversity and molecular mechanisms of melanin deposition in Luning chickens, we conducted whole-genome resequencing to analyze their breeding history and identify candidate genes influencing their black phenotype, along with transcriptome sequencing of dorsal skin tissues of male Luning chickens.

Results: Population structure analysis revealed that Luning chickens tend to cluster independently and are closely related to Tibetan chickens. Runs of homozygosity analysis suggested potential inbreeding in the Luning chicken and Tibetan chicken population. By combining genetic differentiation index (Fst) and nucleotide diversity (θπ) ratios, we pinpointed selected regions associated with melanin deposition. Gene annotation identified 540 genes with the highest Fst value in LOC101750371 and LOC121108313, located on the 68.24-68.58 Mb interval of chromosome Z. Combining genomic and transcriptomic data, we identified ATP5E, EDN3, and LOC101750371 as candidate genes influencing skin color traits in black-bone chickens.

Conclusions: This study characterized the evolutionary history of Luning chickens and preliminarily excavated candidate genes influencing the genetic mechanism of pigmentation in black-bone chickens, providing valuable insights for the study of animal melanin deposition.