Genetic diversity of the melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R) gene and its association with slaughter traits in the Landes goose.

Melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R) plays a crucial part in regulating feeding behavior in humans and rodents. We detected two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs; c.108G → A and c.627C → T) in the goose MC4R gene and genotyped 94 Landes geese for association analysis with several carcass traits. Significant associations (P < 0.05) were obtained for c.108G → A with carcass weight, breast muscle percentage, and leg muscle percentage, and for c.627C → T with body weight, carcass weight, semi-eviscerated weight, and eviscerated weight. We re-constructed haplotypes based on the two SNPs and analyzed diplotypes in association with carcass traits, obtaining significant associations with several of the traits. These results suggest that polymorphisms in the MC4R gene could have effects on carcass traits in Landes geese. More study is required to confirm these results.