Investigation of Polymorphism in Exon 2 of Prolactin Receptor Gene in Japanese Quail and Guinea Fowl

Prolactin (PRL) is known as the beginning and maintenance factor of broodiness in avian species. The prolactin receptor (PRLR) gen plays an important role in the process of PRL hormone signal transduction. In the present study, the polymorphism in exon 2 of PRLR gene in Japanese quail and guinea fowl were investigated. Blood samples were randomly obtained from 180 Japanese quail and 157 guinea fowl. After genomic DNA extraction polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was run for amplification of a DNA segment with 162bp. After determination of the single stranded conformation polymorphism (SSCP) of PCR product, the banding patterns were recognized using non denatured polyacrylamide gel and silver nitrate staining. Two alleles of A(0.939) and B(0.061) and two genotypes of AA(0.939) and BB(0.061), were identified in Japanese quail. The exon 2 region of PRLR gene was monoomorph among the guinea fowl samples. The Chi-square test showed significant deviation from Hardy- Weinberg equilibrium for this locus in Japanese quails. The results showed that PRLR gene polymorphism could be regarded as a marker for breeding program in the Japanese quail.