[Advance in association studies of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) gene polymorphisms with traits of resistance against infectious disease in chickens]

Abstract

Chicken is a main poultry in China. Molecular breeding for disease resistance plays an important role in the control of diseases, especially infectious diseases. Choice of genes for disease resistance is the key technology of molecular breeding. The MHC is of great interest to poultry breeding scientists for its extraordinary polymorphism and close relation with traits of resistance against infectious diseases. The article gives a detailed introduction about the association of MHC gene polymorphisms with traits of resistance against infectious diseases in chickens and looks towards the future of application of MHC in molecular breeding of chicken for disease resistance.