Detection and Utility of Genetic Variation in Chinese Local Chicken Breeds

Abstract

China has a wide variety of indigenous chicken breeds. Most of these local chicken varieties have valuable genetic features. These resources could provide valuable breeding material for the poultry industry in China and even for the rest of the world. Assessment of genetic differences of these important chicken genetic resources is an important prerequisite to establish efficient conservation and utilization. Up to now, several types of genetic variations have been identified across genomes, and the area of genetic variation in the chicken genome seems to be a rapidly growing research topic in China. These research data can also provide additional evidence for our understanding of chicken genome variation, developing molecular markers, and elucidating the association between genetic variations and phenotypes in the future. This chapter reviews the research progress of molecular genetic variation in Chinese native chicken breeds in recent years.