WITHDRAWN: Two Novel InDels within the 5’UTR of SIRT1 are Associated with Growth Traits in Chickens

Abstract

Background: SIRT1, a NAD+ dependent histone deacetylase, is involved in lipid metabolism, glucose metabolism, apoptosis, and insulin secretion. However, the function of the SIRT1 gene in chickens has not been elucidated. Results: In our study, we identified two novel InDels (c.-1552_-1553insCG and c.-450_-451delCG) in the 5’UTR of the chicken SIRT1 gene. After genotyping 1,141 chickens from 7 breeds, we found that the wild type genotypes for both sites were the most common. An association study using 860 chickens from a Gushi ×Anka F2 resource population showed that c.-1552_-1553insCG was significantly correlated with growth traits and serum lipid indicators. The insertion genotype was most highly associated with body weight in 0-, 2-, and 4-week old chickens, and with shank length and shank circumference in 4-week and 8-week old chickens. The wild type genotype at this site was most highly associated with serum lipid indicators. In contrast, c.-450_-451delCG was significantly correlated with muscle fiber diameter. We also analyzed SIRT1 gene expression in chickens with different InDel genotypes and found that SIRT1 expression in muscle and fat tissue was significantly higher with heterozygous genotypes at both sites, relative to expression in chickens with the corresponding homozygous genotypes. Finally, we analyzed the effects of different haplotypes on SIRT1 promoter activity. The results showed that promoter activity depends on haplotype, with haplotype HapII exhibiting the highest activity. Conclusion: We conclude that the SIRT1 gene is associated with chicken growth traits and that the two InDels influence SIRT1 promoter activity in chickens.