[Chicken genome project and its application in genetic research]

Chicken is an important model organism for studying all sorts of biological problems due to its unique biological features. Two strains of chicken, the egg-laying layer and meat-producing broiler, which were generated from selective breeding, come to be ideal models for understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying different phenotypes. The Chicken Genome Project provides a large amount of information for research using chicken as the model. This review summarizes the development of the Chicken Genome Project, as well as the strategies for researching the quantitative traits of different chicken strains using the information of the Chicken Genome. We also give a perspective of the developmental and genetic studies that can be conducted using the chicken as a model organism as well as using its genomic information.