Review on disease resistance genes in chicken: Implications for genetic improvement

Abstract

Diseases pose significant challenges to the chicken industry, which commonly employs preventive measures to combat them. However, recently, molecular breeding for disease resistance has presented an opportunity for sustainable chicken production. Disease resistance in chickens is a complex trait influenced by genetic factors, host-pathogen interactions, and environmental stressors. Poultry has shown genetic resistance to various pathogens, necessitating an understanding of the genetic basis of disease resistance in chickens. Recent molecular biology and genotyping technologies have facilitated the identification of disease-resistance genes and the development of marker-assisted and genomic selection strategies. This review synthesized the genes and gene regions that code for disease resistance explored so far in chickens and their potential applications in breeding programs to enhance the disease resistance of chickens. Promising candidate genes for disease resistance include myeloid leukaemia factor 2, Natural Resistance Associated Macrophage Proteins-1, interferon regulatory factor 1, myxovirus resistance 1, transferrin, and MHC class II antigen B-F minor heavy chain. These genetic markers can be incorporated into breeding programs to enhance disease resistance and overall productivity in chickens. However, it presents challenges in collecting sufficient genomic and phenotypic data from small populations of indigenous chicken ecotypes in developing countries.