Genetic Effects of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor and Its Receptor 2 on Feather Maturity in Three Chicken Breeds

The study evaluated the genetic effects of VEGF and its receptor VEGFR-2 on feather maturity in three chicken breeds: Qingyuan partridge, Guangxi sanhuang, and Princess chickens. Using SSCP-PCR and qPCR, researchers identified four SNPs in the VEGFR-2 gene, with exon10-A69G significantly associated with feather maturity. Princess chickens with the EF genotype had higher feather maturity scores. Higher expression levels of VEGF and VEGFR-2 were found in the immature feather group of Qingyuan partridge chickens, particularly in the skin. The study concluded that these genes play critical roles in feather maturity, and exon10-A69G and genotype EF in Princess chickens could be used as genetic markers to enhance breeding efficiency.