Sex Identification of Feather Color in Geese and the Expression of Melanin in Embryonic Dorsal Skin Feather Follicles
2022
Xiaohui Xu | Sihui Wang | Ziqiang Feng | Yupu Song | Yuxuan Zhou | Ichraf Mabrouk | Heng Cao | Xiangman Hu | Haojia Li | Yongfeng Sun
In production practice, we have found that the gray and black down on the backs of the Holdobaggy goslings is usually darker in females than in males. Melanin is the key pigment affecting the color of poultry plumage. Therefore, to determine whether the darkness of the dorsal plumage of the Holdobaggy goslings is related to sex, we study the melanin in the feather follicles of the dorsal skin during the embryonic period. The feather follicle structure and melanin distribution on the dorsal surface of the goose embryo is observed by HE staining and melanin-specific staining. The melanin content in the feather follicles of the dorsal skin of goslings is determined by ELISA. The results showed that the melanin content is higher in female geese than in males (<i>p</i> < 0.05). In addition, we also analyze the mRNA and protein expression levels of melanin-related genes (<i>TYRP1</i> and <i>ASIP</i>) by quantitative real-time PCR and Western blotting analysis. The results show that the mRNA expression level of <i>TYRP1</i> is significantly higher in the females’ dorsal skin feather follicles (<i>p</i> < 0.05), while the mRNA expression level of <i>ASIP</i> is significantly higher in the dorsal skin feather follicles of male geese (<i>p</i> < 0.05). In conclusion, the difference between males and females in the color of the black feathers on the dorsal track of the Holdobaggy goslings is verified, and it is feasible to identify the sex by the initial plumage color.
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