Genome Sequencing for Research Chicken Lines Maintained in Arkansas

Various chicken experimental lines, important to the Arkansas poultry industry and as models for genetic and physiological diseases in human, have been established and maintained at the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station in Fayetteville. Those commercially, biomedically valuable chicken lines include: 1) ascites resistant (RES) vs susceptible (SUS) lines; 2) Arkansas Rous sarcoma Progressor (AP) vs Regressors (AR) lines; 3) dark vs light muscle color lines (DMC vs LMC) plus parental Random (RAN) population; 4) autoimmune/autoinflammatory disorder susceptible Smyth line (SL) vs the parental Brown line (BL). RES vs SUS and AP vs AR lines are important in disease resistance standpoints for both poultry industry and public health in human society; DMC vs LMC is critical for meat quality in agricultural profitability, while SL vs BL is an excellent model for the study of human autoimmune disorders and to study the interplay of genetic susceptibility, immune system, and environmental factors in the expression of post-natal, non-contagious diseases in poultry and humans. Nucleotide sequences for genomes of all chicken lines listed above were sequenced by massively parallel next generation sequencing technology. Millions of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified and most reliable genetic markers were applied to larger population to determine capability as genetic biomarkers in disease challenge settings. Several SNP markers were characterized to become genetic biomarkers to be used for both disease incidence and marker assisted selection. This research was supported by Arkansas Biosciences Institute.