Genetic Analysis of Haimen Chicken Populations Using Decamer Random Markers

Through a screening and selection approach method, decamer random markers were used in a technique called random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) assay with 252 genomic DNAs isolated from four major Haimen chicken populations: Rugao (62), Jiangchun (62), Wan-Nan (63) and Cshiqishi (65). A total of 3-score decamer random primers (S241-S260, S1081-S1100 and S1341-S1360) were employed in the preliminary RAPD-polymerase chain reaction (RAPD-PCR) assay with 50 random template DNA samples from all the populations. Four (6.67%) of the primers that produced obvious polymorphic patterns, interpretable and reproducible bands were selected and used with both the individual DNAs from each population and with pooled DNA samples of the four populations in subsequent analyses. The selected primers produced a total of 131 fragments with molecular size ranging from 835 to 4,972 base pairs (bp) when used with the individual DNAs; 105 (80.15%) of these fragments were polymorphic. With the pooled DNAs, 47 stable and characteristic bands with molecular size ranging from 840 to 4,983 bp, of which 23 (48.94%) polymorphic, were also generated. The band-sharing coefficient (BSC) calculated for the individuals in the population and among populations of bulked samples was between 0.8247 (Rugao) and 0.9500 (Cshiqishi); for pairwise populations, it was between 0.7273 (Rugao vs. Wan-Nan) and 0.9367 (Jiangchun vs. Cshiqishi) chicken populations. Using the BSC for individual and pairwise populations, the Nei's standard genetic distances between the chicken populations were determined and ranged from 0.0043 (Jiangchun vs. Cshiqishi) to 0.1375 (Rugao vs. Cshiqishi). The reconstructed dendrogram linked the Jiangchun and Cshiqishi chickens as closely related populations, followed by Wan-Nan, while the Rugao was the most genetically distant among the populations.