ASSOCIATION OF THE INTERLEUKIN-2 GENE POLYMORPHISM WITH EGG PERFORMANCE IN A NATIVE TURKEY POPULATION

Interleukin-2 (IL2) is a powerful growth factor for a variety of cell types, including T-cells, and therefore plays a crucial role in immune system's functioning. Polymorphism of the Interleukin-2 gene in west Azerbaijan native turkey was investigated using PCR and single-stranded conformation polymorphism technique (SSCP). Genomic DNA of 185 turkey samples was isolated from whole blood. A 523-bp IL2 second exon with part of the third intron segment was amplified by standard PCR, using locus-specific primers. Three SSCP patterns, representing three different genotypes, were identified. The frequencies of the genotypes were 13.83%, 8.51% and 77.66 % for AA, BB and AB, respectively. Allele frequencies were 52.65% and 47.35 % for A and B respectively. Observed heterozygosity was 0.6196. There was a significant deviation from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium for this locus. Relationships between molecular polymorphism in the second exon with part of the third intron regions of Interleukin-2 and number of eggs, average weight of eggs (g) and weight of egg mass production (g) were investigated. The results showed that the AA genotype was associated with the number of eggs and Weight of egg mass production (g) (P <= 0.01). No correlation between the second exon and part of the third intron Interleukin-2 variants with the average weight of eggs was found (g). We expect that this gene could be a candidate for the genetic improvement of some economic traits in turkey breeding programs