Identification of Novel Genetic Loci Involved in Testis Traits of the Jiangxi Local Breed Based on GWAS Analyses

作者：Jinge Ma, Ke Huang, Bahareldin Ali Abdalla, Xinwei Xiong, Yanping Wu, Zhangfeng Wang, Jiguo Xu · 发表于：Genes · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.3390/genes16060637 · 被引用次数：5 · 研究领域：Hypothalamic control of reproductive hormones、Sperm and Testicular Function、Genomics and Chromatin Dynamics

Background: The testis, a critical reproductive organ in male animals, is responsible for sperm production and androgen secretion. Testis weight often correlates with reproductive performance, yet the genetic factors influencing testicular traits in chickens remain unclear. Methods: Previous genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified key genes affecting testicular traits in Kangle Yellow chickens, along with the associated regulatory pathways and Gene Ontology (GO) terms, through bioinformatic analyses. In this study, we utilized the existing literature, full-length transcriptome data, and proteome analyses to select key candidate genes. Results: We identified 13 associated markers for chicken testicular traits with 262 candidate genes. Nine candidate genes were found to regulate chicken testicular traits referred to integrated analysis, including CDH3, ZFPM1, CFAP52, ST6GAL1, IGF2BP2, SPG7, CDT1, NFAT5, and OPRK1. Physical interactions among these genes were also observed, implicating mechanisms such as cell adhesion molecules and neuroactive ligand–receptor interaction. Conclusions: These findings provide a genetic basis for improving testicular traits in Chinese native chicken breeds.