Single nucleotide polymorphism in the LDHA gene as a potential marker for the racing performance of pigeons

Abstract

The objective of the present study was to investigate the relationship between the g.2582481G＞A, g.2583935G ＞A and g.2584057C＞T single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the lactate dehydrogenase A gene (LDHA) coding for lactate dehydrogenase isoform A and the racing performance of homing pigeons. As a measure of racing performance, we used the mean values of ace points won by individual birds during the whole season. The estimated heritability of the racing performance of pigeons was relatively low (h2=0. 0596; SE=0. 0249). The analysis performed for all race reports together showed that the factors such as gender, weather conditions at the start and at the end of the race affect the analyzed trait. Of the 3 single nucleotide polymorphisms, only the effect of the g.2582481G ＞A genotype on the performance of racing pigeons was significant. Statistical analysis indicated the difference in the value of ace points between the animals of GG and GA genotypes for the g.2582481G＞A SNP. The study showed that the genotype homozygous for g.2582481A is linked to the highest mean value of ace points. Consequently, the relationship between the genotype for g.2582481G＞A and the racing performance was shown.