Avian genetic resources for biological research

Research with a variety of genetic stocks has produced many important discoveries in the areas of genetics, virology, immunology, developmental biology, and animal agriculture. (see CRAWFORD 1990, for a review). These include the pioneering studies on Mendelian inheritance and sex determination of BATESON (1902), and BATESON and PUNNETT (1906, 1908). Not surprisingly, given its history of use in genetic studies, the first linkage map reported for any domestic animal species was that for the chicken published by HUTT (1936). The turkey has provided one of the few known vertebrate models for parthenogenesis (embryo formation in an unfertilized egg) (Box 5), and the wide range of metabolic and developmental mutations in chicken (Boxes 8, 13) and quail have allowed researchers to start investigating the molecular bases of these defects, and, eventually, to determine the normal function of the affected gene. In virology, chicken hosts were used by ROUS (1911) to identify the first tumor-causing virus, Rous sarcoma virus. Later, the genetics of host resistance to RNA viruses was elucidated (CRITTENDEN et al. 1963), and the Marek’s-like herpes virus found in turkeys was used in the first successful vaccination program against a tumor-causing virus in the chicken (OKAZAKI et al. 1970). More recently, BUMSTEAD and PALYGA (1992) described one of the first molecular genetic maps of a domestic animal using DNA markers (RFLPs), and the chicken genome map continues to be among the best developed of those for agricultural animals (LEVIN et al. 1994; CHENG et al. 1995; CROOIJMANS et al. 1996; CHENG 1997). It is by far the bestdeveloped map for any avian species or any species with ZW sex chromosome determination. In particular, the usefulness of the chicken genome map in cross-species comparisons was highlighted at the First International Workshop on Comparative Genome Organization (ANDERSSON ALTHOUGH MOST WIDELY KNOWN for their utility in the production of food (meat and eggs) and other commercial products (feathers, vaccines, fertilizer, etc.), chicken, Japanese quail and other domesticated avian species have long been a preferred experimental organism in applied and basic life sciences. Some features contributing to their popularity are: