Quantitative trait loci and candidate genes for the economic traits in meat-type chicken

Abstract

Recent progress has been achieved in the identification of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and candidate genes, and they have been found to be very important for the production of chickens with more desirable meat characteristics. The major economic traits of chicken meat production were divided into two major categories, namely growth and carcass condition. In this paper, the QTL locations and candidate genes for the above mentioned traits are reviewed. The results presented here will provide guidelines for the selection of high quality and highly productive chickens through the marker assisted selection (MAS), which should be extensively used by poultry breeders and companies.