Abstract
Health recommendations for human diet include introducing products with a high content of monoand poly-unsaturated fatty acids (MUFA and PUFA, respectively). Omega 3 and 6, essential fatty acids, are not synthesized de novo and must be supplied to the body with food. The research carried out so far has shown that a high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids characterizes goose meat. Therefore, our study focused identifying the molecular background for the differences in gene polymorphism and gene expression between three Polish breeds. Based on the literature, we chose the ACSL1, ME1, and ELOVL6 genes, which have a proven effect on the formation of unsaturated fatty acids in goose liver.
We conducted our research on samples from the Kielecka, White Koluda® and Landes breeds. The real time PCR based on Taqman probes was conducted on RNA isolated from livers from 15 samples, 5 samples per breed. A sequencing proceeded on the DNA isolated from feathers collected from 26 individuals from each breed (total number of samples n = 78). In the White Koluda®, we identified two SNPs in ACSL1 gene g. 4 542 604 G>A and g. 4 542 623 C>A, in the Kielecka only one SNP Chr1.g. 4 542 604 G>A. The Landes breed remained monomorphic for all studied genes. The significant differences in gene expression between all the examined breeds were observed for ACSL1 gene and ME1. We assume these two genes can potentially reveal the genetic background for differences in fatty acid accumulation capacity and polyunsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis in the livers of White Koludzka®, Kielecka, and Landes geese.