The Relationship between MC1R Mutation and Plumage Color Variation in Pigeons

The polymorphisms of MC1R gene play a crucial role in coat color variation in mammals; however, the relationship is still unclear in pigeons. In this study, we sequenced 741 bp fragment of the MC1R for 39 individuals with five plumage color patterns (gray plumage, n = 12; black plumage, n = 9; white plumage, n = 3; spotted plumage, n = 12; red plumage, n = 3). A total of three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were detected, including G199A, G225A, and A466G, which subsequently determined four haplotypes (H1-H4). Among them, H1 is the predominant haplotype. Association analysis revealed that H1 and H3 were significantly associated with the black plumage trait (P < 0.05), while the H4 was significantly associated with gray plumage trait (P < 0.05). Furthermore, only diplotype H1H1 was significantly associated with black and gray traits of pigeons. Collectively, our study suggested an association between genetic variation of MC1R and plumage color in pigeon.