Association study of polymorphisms inside the miR-1657 seed region with chicken growth and meat traits

1. Polymorphisms occurring in the seed region of microRNAs (miRNAs) could influence their target gene and lead to phenotypic variation. The purpose of the research was to explore the genetic effects of the rs14934924 (G > A) mutation resident in the conserved seed region of miR-1657 on growth and meat traits of the Gushi-Anka F2 resource population. 2. The NdeI polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method and association analysis were used to analyse the polymorphism. 3. The mutation was associated with body weight at 8 weeks of age, shank girth at 12 weeks of age, breast bone length at 12 weeks of age, pelvis breadth at 4 weeks of age and subcutaneous fat thickness (P < 0·05) and was associated with body weight at 4, 6, 10 and 12 weeks of age (P < 0·01). 4. Our results will be a useful resource for a subsequent study in miRNA function, and provide a basis for molecular techniques in chicken breeding.