MYOSTATIN GENE SEQUENCE AND ITS MORPHOMETRIC IMPLICATIONS IN HELMETED GUINEA FOWL BREEDS

ARIJE,, DAMILARE OLANIYI (2021) MYOSTATIN GENE SEQUENCE AND ITS MORPHOMETRIC IMPLICATIONS IN HELMETED GUINEA FOWL BREEDS. Masters thesis, Landmark University, Omu Aran, Kwara State.

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Abstract

Various methods and tools have been utilized to establish genetic variability in poultry production which remains a platform for genetic improvement of poultry species. Although, myostatin gene sequences of some poultry species have been fully sequenced on various exons, that of guinea fowl is yet to gain the needed attention making the guinea fowl database incomplete. The genetic enhancement of guinea fowls would increase the production potentials of the species as well as providing data on their genetic differences, which is critical for strategic breeding plans and genetic improvement. The study aimed to explore the polymorphisms of the gene encoding for myostatin in helmeted guinea fowl using Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms. Ten matured guinea fowls were randomly selected for DNA assay. A 640bp fragment of myostatin gene was amplified using genomic DNA extracted from the blood. Production traits of sixty birds of three plumages were measured using standard procedures. Blood samples were taken by wing venepuncture and the samples were subjected to DNA amplification and electrophoresis to determine genetic polymorphisms of the myostatin gene on several sites. Morphometric data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and oneway ANOVA. Body weight ranged from 1.35 to 2.67kg while head lengths were 4.00cm, 4.80cm, and 5.00cm for white, pearl, and exotic guinea fowls, respectively. Morphologically, exotic guinea fowl was superior in all production traits than their counterparts except for neck length. Averagely, pearl guinea fowls showed better performance than white guinea fowls. Nucleotide diversity among the guinea fowl sequence was 0.02887, which is quite low. This suggests that guinea fowl sequences are quite closely related, due to indiscriminate interbreeding among domestic guinea fowl that reduced nucleotide diversity. The study, therefore, recommends sequencing of the whole genome of helmeted guinea fowl, which is yet to be established. This will allow the improvement of the birds and the genetic database. Keywords: Myostatin, Polymorphism, Sequence, Morphometric, Helmeted Guinea Fowl.

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