Overview of chicken embryo genes related to sex differentiation

PeerJ. 2024 Mar 19:12:e17072. doi: 10.7717/peerj.17072. eCollection 2024.

Abstract

Sex determination in chickens at an early embryonic stage has been a longstanding challenge in poultry production due to the unique ZZ:ZW sex chromosome system and various influencing factors. This review has summarized the genes related to the sex differentiation of chicken early embryos (mainly Dmrt1, Sox9, Amh, Cyp19a1, Foxl2, Tle4z1, Jun, Hintw, Ube2i, Spin1z, Hmgcs1, Foxd1, Tox3, Ddx4, cHemgn and Serpinb11 in this article), and has found that these contributions enhance our understanding of the genetic basis of sex determination in chickens, while identifying potential gene targets for future research. This knowledge may inform and guide the development of sex screening technologies for hatching eggs and support advancements in gene-editing approaches for chicken embryos. Moreover, these insights offer hope for enhancing animal welfare and promoting conservation efforts in poultry production.

Keywords: Chicken embryo; Chicken genetics; Sex determination genes; Sex differentiation; Sex-related genes.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Chick Embryo
  • Chickens* / genetics
  • Sex Chromosomes
  • Sex Determination Processes / genetics
  • Sex Differentiation* / genetics

Grants and funding

This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.32002156), the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong (No.2019A1515110454), the Qingyuan City Qingcheng District Science and Technology Planning Project (2020A01, 2021SJXM011), and the Design and breeding of new broiler breeds of high-quality processing types (2023ZD04064). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.