RESUMEN
Objectives: Domestic pigeons (Columba livia domestica) have diverse plumage pigmentations. Melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) gene variation has been correlated with color traits. The association between MC1R and plumage coloration in African domestic pigeons is yet to be investigated. Materials and Methods: Herein, we report the relationships between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in MC1R and plumage of 35 domestic pigeons from Nigeria with 4 different plumage phenotypes plus 37 published MC1R sequences from France (n = 14) and Russia (n = 11). Results: We obtained 14 SNP sites among 72 individuals. Missense mutations C206T (Ser69Leu) and G253A (Val85Met) were observed in 16 and 8 Nigerian pigeons, respectively. The chi-squared test (p < 0.05) for C206T, G253A, and A520G has the advantage of homozygous genotypes CC, GG, and AA, respectively. The association of C206T loci showed the advantage of CC genotype in ash-red, spread, and white pigeons, and TT in blue-bar, spread, and white feather pigeons. For G253A and A520G loci, GG and AA were dominant in all plumages except for genotype AA in G253A, which was prominent in ash-red, spread, and white plumages. The three SNPs were assigned to seven haplotypes. The median-joining network revealed 20 haplotypes, including 5 in Nigeria and 2 shared. Conclusion: This study provides an insight into the association of MC1R variation and plumage diversity in Nigerian domestic pigeons. However, due to the limitation of the current data, we could not make further conclusions; this necessitates the need for more genomics studies on Nigerian pigeons.
RESUMEN
The effect of dietary supplementation of Crassocephalum crepidioides leaf powder (CCLP) in comparison with oxytetracycline and butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) on growth, caecal microbiota, immune status, blood chemistry, carcass traits, meat quality, and oxidative stability in broiler chickens was evaluated. Two hundred and eighty 1-day-old Arbor acre chicks were randomly assigned to a basal diet containing either no additive (control, CON), 400 ppm oxytetracycline + 150 ppm BHA (ANTIBIOX), 1000 ppm CCLP (CCLP-1), or 2000 ppm CCLP (CCLP-2) for 42 days. Each dietary group had seven replicates with ten birds per replicate. Supplemented birds had higher (P < 0.05) feed efficiency, hemoglobin, and hematocrit compared with the CON birds. Diet did not affect feed intake, body weight gain, splenic interleukin-1ß, interleukin-6, interleukin-10, and serum IgM. The CCLP-2 birds had lower (P < 0.05) serum total and LDL cholesterol than did birds fed other treatments. Salmonella spp. and Escherichia coli counts and serum IgG were higher in the CON birds than in the supplemented birds. The ANTIBIOX birds had lower (P < 0.05) Lactobacillus spp. count, and higher (P < 0.05) E. coli count compared with the CCLP-supplemented birds. Carcass, muscle pH, and cook loss were not affected by diet. The CON breast meat had higher drip loss and lower redness than did the breast meat of the supplemented birds. Carbonyl content and TBARS value in the thigh and breast meat of the supplemented birds were lower (P < 0.05) than those of the CON birds. These results infer that CCLP exhibited antioxidant and antimicrobial properties that were comparable to those of BHA and oxytetracycline in the diet of broiler chickens.
