Association of SNPs in the HNF4α Gene with Growth Performance of Korean Native Chickens

The hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 alpha (HNF4α) gene is related to lipid transport, including abdominal fat and growth, in chickens. Interestingly, the A543G SNP within the HNF4α gene has previously been reported to be associated with body weight in both broilers and Korean native chickens (KNCs). However, its exact position within the HNF4 is not yet reported. This study aimed to identify the position of the A543G SNP and to identify additional SNPs that can be used as genetic markers in KNCs. A total of 128 KNCs were used for the sequencing and analysis of these genetic associations. As a result, A543G SNP was located in intron 4 of the HNF4α gene; it is reported as rs731246957 in the NCBI database. Fourteen SNPs were detected in the sequenced portion of the HNF4α gene; three of these, rs731246957, rs736159604 and new SNP, intron 6 (249), were significantly related with growth in the chickens. In this study, the TT genotype of rs731246957, previously reported as A543G SNP, the GG genotype of rs736159604 and GT of new SNP have are highly associated with body weight from birth to 40 weeks of age in KNCs (P<0.01). These results suggest that rs736159604, rs731246957 and intron 6 (249) SNPs within the HNF4α gene could function as growth-related markers in the selective breeding of KNCs. (