Blood protein polymorphisms in native chicken breeds in Yunnan province of China

Blood samples were collected from four native breeds (Chahua chicken, Xishuangbanna Game chicken, Wuding chicken, and Yangbi Huang chicken) in the Yunnan province of China, and their protein polymorphisms were analyzed by using electrophoresies. Out of 16 loci examined, polymorphisms were found in the following eight loci: plasma esterase, plasma amylase, plasma alkaline phosphatase, plasma albumin, plasma transferrin, plasma postalbumin, and hemoglobin. The other eight loci, erythrocyte lactate dehydrogenase, erythrocyte 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, erythrocyte phosphoglucomutase, erythrocyte phosphohexose isomerase, erythrocyte tetrazolium oxidase, erythrocyte malate dehydrogenase, erythrocyte esterase and hemoglobin, were monomorphic. The proportion of the polymorphic loci and the expected average heterozygosity were estimated as 0.438–0.500 and 0.141–0.174, respectively. A dendrogram was drawn according to the genetic distance, which was calculated by the Nei's genetic distance matrix, among four Chinese native breeds. The results indicated that Chahua, Wuding and Yangbi Huang chickens were genetically remote from Xishuangbanna Game chicken. Moreover, the genetic distance was calculated among the Sri Lankan, Bangladeshi and Nepalese native fowl populations, and another dendrogram was constructed. In the latter dendrogram, Chahua, Wuding and Yangbi Huang chickens were genetically closer to Sri Lankan and Bangladeshi native fowls than Xishuangbanna Game chicken.