Polymorphism of the SCNN1g Gene and its Association with Eggshell Quality

Eggshell quality is the main trait to assess egg quality. Marker assisted selection can be used to improve this trait. During eggshell formation, a mass of inorganic minerals is deposited. The Sodium Channel (SCNN1) gene family plays an essential role in cation transportation and SCNN1g is a member of this gene family. The objective of this study was to estimate the frequency of SCNN1g gene variants and to find its associations with eggshell quality in Hy-Line breed. 100 hens were randomly selected and their eggs and blood samples were collected. DNA was extracted and purified using the phenol-chloroform method and genotyped using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis. GLM procedure of SAS software was used to evaluate the association of SCNN1g gene polymorphism with egg weight, specific gravity, eggshell strength, eggshell weight, and eggshell thickness. Based on the polymorphism of SCNN1g gene, three genotypes were observed including AA, AG, and GG with frequencies of 0.26, 0.57, and 0.17, respectively. Genotype only had a significant effect on eggshell strength (P < 0.05). Other traits were not significantly influenced by genotypes of this gene. Therefore, introducing this gene in marker-assisted selection programs may improve eggshell strength of Hy-Line breed.