Genetic analysis of DRD1 gene in the population of West Azerbaijan native chicken

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of the dopamine D1 receptor gene on egg production traits and body weight in West Azerbaijani native chicken by PCR-SSCP. 180 blood samples were taken from native chickens in a poultry breeding station in West Azerbaijan, Iran. DNA was extracted from blood samples using the salting-out procedure. Specific primers were designed for PCR amplification of the 283 base segment of the dopamine D1 receptor gene. In order to demonstration of gene polymorphism, Single-stranded conformation polymorphism followed by sequencing was performed. Four samples from each banding pattern were sent for sequencing. We detected three genotypes in DRD1 gene. The frequencies of three genotypes were 0.42 (AA), 0.49 (AG), and 0.09 (GG), respectively. This finding indicates that the dopamine D1 receptor gene was polymorphic and could be a candidate locus or linked to a major gene that influences reproductive traits in chickens.