The Relationship Between Body Weight and Growth Hormone Gene Polymorphism in Indigenous Turkeys of Nigeria

The candidate gene approach is a valuable tool for improving breeding programs, particularly in poultry, by identifying traits for enhanced production performance. This study investigates the growth hormone (GH) gene as a potential determinant of body weight in Nigerian indigenous turkeys. DNA was extracted from 60 twelve-week-old turkeys using blood samples, and a 466bp DNA fragment was amplified via PCR with primers designed from chicken sequences. The PCR product underwent Msp1 restriction enzyme digestion and was visualized on a 1.5% agarose gel. Genotypes associated with body weight were assessed using a General Linear Model. The GH/Msp1 locus revealed Two alleles (A and G) and three genotypes (AA, AG, and GG), with allele G being predominant. Genotype AG had the highest frequency (0.55), followed by AA (0.42), and GG had the lowest frequency (0.03). However, the least square means analysis showed that the polymorphism in the GH gene of the studied population was not significantly associated with body weight (p> 0.05). Nonetheless, the polymorphic nature of the GH gene in Nigerian turkeys suggests potential for further exploration in quantitative traits.