Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 6, 2026

Chicken Recombinant Limbs Assay to Understand Morphogenesis, Patterning, and Early Steps in Cell Differentiation
Published on: January 12, 2022
Association of Janus kinase 2 polymorphisms with growth and reproduction traits in chickens
1Department of Animal Genetics and Breeding, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
Abstract:
Growth and reproduction are 2 economically important traits in the poultry industry. Janus kinase 2 (JAK) participates in the JAK2/signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 growth hormone signaling pathway, which plays important roles in the processes of growth and reproduction. The present study was designed to investigate the association of JAK2 SNP and haplotypes with growth as well as with reproductive traits in chickens. Fourteen JAK2 SNP were identified by pooled DNA sequencing, and 5 of these were genotyped for 768 Beijing You hens by using a matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry assay. For 5 growth traits, BW at 17 wk of age was significantly associated with JAK2 C28109928T and A28135099G (P < 0.05). The 2 SNP were strongly related to BW at first egg, egg weight at first egg, and egg weight at 36 wk of age (P < 0.05). The SNP JAK2 C28122751T was found to be associated with BW at first egg and egg weight at 36 wk of age (P = 0.041 and P = 0.046, respectively), whereas JAK2 G28132240C was related to egg number at 40 wk of age (P < 0.01). Further haplotype analyses showed that 4 haplotypes checked in the population had no distinct influence on growth traits but were associated with 7 reproductive traits, namely, age at first egg; BW at first egg; egg weight at first egg; egg weight at 36 wk of age; and egg numbers at 32, 36, and 40 wk of age (P < 0.05). The results indicated that the JAK2 polymorphisms could be potential molecular markers to improve laying performance and growth traits in chickens.
Related Concept Videos
The JAK-STAT Signaling Pathway
Complementation Tests
Organisms heterozygous for different mutations are crossed pairwise in all combinations. If present on different genes, the mutations can complement each other by providing the missing...
Background and Environment Affect Phenotype
An example of how genetic background affects phenotype can be seen in horses. The Extension gene in horses is responsible for their coat color. A wild-type gene (EE) produces black pigment in the coat, while a mutant gene (ee) produces red pigment. A...
Epistasis Analysis
Polygenic Traits
Pleiotropy

