Genetic diversity in five Iranian native chicken populations estimated by microsatellite markers.

Iranian chicken genetic resources are characterized by a long history and a vast diversity. This study represents the first results from the selection and evaluation of five polymorphic microsatellite markers for the genetic assessment of five native chicken populations located in the northwestern (West Azerbaijan), northern (Mazandaran), central (Isfahan, Yazd), and southern (Fars) provinces of Iran. The number of alleles ranged from three to six per microsatellite locus. All populations were characterized by a high degree of genetic diversity, with the lowest heterozygosity found in the Isfahan population (62%) and the greatest in the populations from West Azerbaijan and Mazandaran (79%). The largest Nei's unbiased genetic distance was found between the Isfahan and Fars populations (0.696) and the smallest between the Mazandaran and Yazd populations (0.097). The Isfahan population was found to be the most genetically distant among all populations studied. These results serve as an initial step in the plan for genetic characterization and conservation of Iranian native chickens.