Combined approaches of position and expression genomics for the study of genes controlling meat quality in poultry

Abstract

Important changes in the ways of consumption of poultry (towards more cuts or elaborated products to the detriment of whole carcas-ses) have highlighted the importance of meat quality. Besides technological adaptations, research has been developed in order to improve the quality of the meat upstream, in particular by genetics. Additional approaches of positional (QTL research) and expressional (microarrays for gene expression profiling) genomics were intended to identify the genes involved in the quality of chicken meat. These studies take advantage of animal models, either experimental or commercial lines, which exhibit great differences in growth and meat quality. First original results were obtained for the chromosomal regions (or QTL) involved in the variation of post mortem pH fall, colour and drip loss in the breast meat of the chicken. Further studies are now aimed at identifying the underlying polymorphisms, or closely linked genetic markers, that could be used for selection. This future research will benefit from the progress made in genotyping technologies (with the access to high-density SNP markers in the chicken) as well as from the information revealed by microarray analyses on the genes and metabolic pathways contributing to chicken meat quality.