The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of
single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of the
melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R)
gene on plumage coloration in
mule ducks.
PCR-high-resolution
melting analysis (
PCR-HRM) and
DNA sequencing were used to identify the SNP variability of the MC1R
gene in
white common
ducks. Three non-synonymous SNP (MC1R
gene exon 1, c.52G>A, c.376G>A, and c.409G>A) were identified in
white Tsaiya
ducks. Mating test (
white Tsaiya
ducks ×
white Muscovy drakes) in combination with
polymerase chain reaction-
restriction fragment length polymorphism (
PCR-
RFLP) was performed to investigate the effect of non-synonymous SNP of different maternal lines on plumage coloration in
mule ducks. Genotyping results from 58
white Tsaiya
ducks revealed the significant
associations between
genetic variations (c.52G>A, c.376A>G, and c.409G>A) and plumage
color in two maternal
populations. After genotyping of 266
mule ducks, these three non-synonymous SNP identified in
white Tsaiya
ducks were significantly associated with plumage
color of
mule ducks. Therefore, the polymorphisms of MC1R
gene at c.52G>A, c.376A>G, and c.409G>A in
white Tsaiya
duck could be used in marker-assisted selection to improve the plumage
color of
mule ducks.(AU)