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Animals
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Advances in Genetic Analysis of Important Traits in Poultry
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Advances in Genetic Analysis of Important Traits in Poultry

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Poultry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2026 | Viewed by 1182

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Minli Yu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
Interests: poultry breeding; follicle development; skeletal muscle development; meat quality regulation; epigenetic regulation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue focuses on the latest advancements in genetic research, aiming to understand and improve important traits in poultry, including growth, reproduction, disease resistance, and product quality. With the rapid development of genomic technologies such as single-cell RNA sequencing, genome-wide association studies (GWASs), and CRISPR-based gene editing, significant progress has been made in identifying key genes, regulatory pathways, and molecular mechanisms underlying these traits. This Special Issue invites original research articles, reviews, and methodological studies that explore the genetic basis of poultry traits, the application of genomic tools in breeding programs, and the integration of multi-omics approaches to enhance poultry production and welfare. By highlighting cutting-edge research, this Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive resource for scientists, breeders, and industry stakeholders to advance genetic improvement strategies and address challenges in sustainable poultry farming.

Dr. Minli Yu
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • poultry
  • breeding
  • economic traits
  • genetics
  • multi-omics integration
  • reproductive performance

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 4762 KiB  
Article
Precise Editing of chNHE1 Gene via CRISPR/Cas9 Generates ALV-J-Resistant Chicken Primordial Germ Cell
by Xinyi Zhou, Ruyu Liao, Min Tan, Yu Zhang, Haiwei Wang, Keshan Zhang, Qigui Wang and Xi Lan
Animals 2025, 15(14), 2018; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15142018 - 9 Jul 2025
Viewed by 64
Abstract
Avian leukosis virus subgroup J (ALV-J), an α-retrovirus, mediates infection by binding to the host-specific receptor chNHE1 (chicken sodium–hydrogen exchanger type 1), leading to immunosuppression and tumorigenesis, which severely threatens the sustainable development of the poultry industry. Studies have shown that the tryptophan [...] Read more.
Avian leukosis virus subgroup J (ALV-J), an α-retrovirus, mediates infection by binding to the host-specific receptor chNHE1 (chicken sodium–hydrogen exchanger type 1), leading to immunosuppression and tumorigenesis, which severely threatens the sustainable development of the poultry industry. Studies have shown that the tryptophan residue at position 38 (W38) of the chNHE1 protein is the critical site for ALV-J infection. In this study, we employed the CRISPR/Cas9 system to construct a lentiviral vector targeting the W38 site of chNHE1, transfected it into chicken primordial germ cells (PGCs), and validated its antiviral efficacy through ALV-J infection assays, successfully establishing an in vitro gene-editing system for chicken PGCs. The constructed dual lentiviral vector efficiently targeted the W38 site. PGCs isolated from 5.5- to 7-day-old chicken embryos were suitable for in vitro gene editing. Stable fluorescence expression was observed within 24–72 h post-transfection, confirming high transfection efficiency. ALV-J challenge tests demonstrated that no viral env gene expression was detected in transfected PGCs at 48 h or 72 h post-infection, while high env expression was observed in control groups. After 7 days of infection, p27 antigen ELISA tests were negative in transfected groups but positive in controls, indicating that W38-deleted PGCs exhibited strong resistance to ALV-J. This study successfully generated ALV-J-resistant gene-edited PGCs using CRISPR/Cas9 technology, providing a novel strategy for disease-resistant poultry breeding and advancing avian gene-editing applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Genetic Analysis of Important Traits in Poultry)
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15 pages, 1622 KiB  
Article
Chicken Primordial Germ Cell Surface Marker
by Tamara J. Gough, Terry G. Wise, Matthew P. Bruce, Timothy J. Doran, Daniel S. Layton and Andrew G. D. Bean
Animals 2025, 15(13), 1868; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15131868 - 24 Jun 2025
Viewed by 229
Abstract
The creation of transgenic chickens holds significant promise for the agricultural and biotechnological sectors, offering potential improvements in disease resistance and production efficiency. The preferred method for generating gene-edited chickens involves the genetic manipulation of primordial germ cells (PGCs), making the identification and [...] Read more.
The creation of transgenic chickens holds significant promise for the agricultural and biotechnological sectors, offering potential improvements in disease resistance and production efficiency. The preferred method for generating gene-edited chickens involves the genetic manipulation of primordial germ cells (PGCs), making the identification and isolation of these cells a growing focus of research. PGCs are the precursors to sperm and oocytes, responsible for transmitting genetic material to the next generation. In humans, PGCs are characterized by their large size, round nuclei, and refractive lipids in the cytoplasm, and can be identified using periodic acid–Schiff (PAS) staining and the surface marker stage-specific embryonic antigen 1 (SSEA1). Similarly, chicken PGCs express SSEA1, but their most specific marker is the chicken vasa homologue (CVH), the avian equivalent of the RNA-binding factor gene vasa. However, SSEA1, along with other known surface markers, does not bind to all PGCs or lacks specificity, while CVH, although highly specific to PGCs, is intracellular and unsuitable for isolating viable cells. This study aims to develop an antibody targeting a PGC surface marker with the same specificity as CVH. Despite the importance of identifying surface markers for PGC characterization, to date, such reagents are limited. To address this, whole chicken PGCs were injected into mice, leading to the generation of a panel of monoclonal antibodies. One antibody was found to bind cultured chicken PGCs and showed reduced expression upon differentiation with retinoic acid, indicating its specificity to PGCs. Immunoprecipitation followed by mass spectrometry identified the antigen as myosin heavy chain-like (MYH9) protein. The antibody, αMYH9, was further characterized and shown to bind circulating PGCs and embryonic gonadal PGCs (Hamburger Hamilton (H-H) stage 30, embryonic day 6.5–7). Whilst our primary aim was to determine the binding to PGCs, further investigation is required to determine potential binding to somatic cells. In conclusion, this study provides the characterization of a surface marker for chicken PGCs, with significant implications for advancements in avian genetic preservation, agriculture, and biotechnology. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Genetic Analysis of Important Traits in Poultry)
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13 pages, 3346 KiB  
Article
Integrative Transcriptomic and Metabolomic Analysis of Muscle and Liver Reveals Key Molecular Pathways Influencing Growth Traits in Zhedong White Geese
by Kai Shi, Xiao Zhou, Jiuli Dai, Yuefeng Gao, Linna Gao, Yangyang Shen and Shufang Chen
Animals 2025, 15(9), 1341; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15091341 - 6 May 2025
Viewed by 562
Abstract
Geese (Anser cygnoides) are popular worldwide with consumers for their unique meat quality, egg production, foie gras, and goose down; however, the key genes that influence geese growth remain elusive. To explore the mechanism of geese growth, a total of 500 [...] Read more.
Geese (Anser cygnoides) are popular worldwide with consumers for their unique meat quality, egg production, foie gras, and goose down; however, the key genes that influence geese growth remain elusive. To explore the mechanism of geese growth, a total of 500 Zhedong White geese were raised; four high-weight (HW) and four low-weight (LW) male geese were selected to collect carcass traits and for further transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis. The body weight and average daily gain of HW geese were significantly higher than those of the LW geese (p-value < 0.05), and the yields of the liver, gizzard, glandular stomach, and pancreas showed no significant difference between the HW and the LW group (p-value > 0.05). Compared with the LW geese, 19 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) (i.e., COL11A2, COL22A1, and TF) were detected in the breast muscle from the HW geese, which were involved in the PPAR signaling pathway, adipocytokine signaling pathway, fatty acid biosynthesis, and ferroptosis. A total of 59 differential accumulation metabolites (DAMs), which influence the pathways of glutathione metabolism and vitamin B6 metabolism, were detected in the breast muscle between the HW and LW geese. In the liver, 106 DEGs (i.e., THSD4, CREB3L3, and CNST) and 202 DAMs were found in the livers of the HW and LW groups, respectively. DEGs regulated the pathways of the TGF-beta signaling pathway, pyruvate metabolism, and adipocytokine signaling pathway; DAMs were involved in pyrimidine metabolism, nitrogen metabolism, and phenylalanine metabolism. Correlation analysis between the top DEGs and DAMs revealed that in the breast muscle, the expression levels of COL11A2 and COL22A1 were positively correlated with the content of S-(2-Hydroxy-3-buten-1-yl)glutathione. In the liver, the expression of THSD4 was positively correlated with the content of 2-Hydroxyhexadecanoic acid. In addition, one DEG (LOC106049048) and four DAMs (mogrol, brassidic acid, flabelline, and L-Leucyl-L-alanine) were shared in the breast muscle and liver. These important results contribute to improving the knowledge of goose growth and exploring the effective molecular markers that could be adopted for Zhedong White goose breeding. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Genetic Analysis of Important Traits in Poultry)
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