Genetic characterisation of a recovered Italian chicken breed: the Millefiori Piemontese

The recent rediscovering of the Millefiori Piemontese breed, previously considered as extinct, has led to its genetic characterisation: establishing the basis for its recovery and preservation. This study describes the morpho-biometric traits and compares the genetic variability of the Millefiori Pi...

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Main Authors: Nadia Stoppani, Eleonora Erika Cappone, Dominga Soglia, Margherita Profiti, Sandra Maione, Achille Schiavone, Stefano Sartore
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2024-12-01
Series:Italian Journal of Animal Science
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Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1828051X.2024.2408469
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author Nadia Stoppani
Eleonora Erika Cappone
Dominga Soglia
Margherita Profiti
Sandra Maione
Achille Schiavone
Stefano Sartore
author_facet Nadia Stoppani
Eleonora Erika Cappone
Dominga Soglia
Margherita Profiti
Sandra Maione
Achille Schiavone
Stefano Sartore
author_sort Nadia Stoppani
collection DOAJ
description The recent rediscovering of the Millefiori Piemontese breed, previously considered as extinct, has led to its genetic characterisation: establishing the basis for its recovery and preservation. This study describes the morpho-biometric traits and compares the genetic variability of the Millefiori Piemontese breed with that of other local chicken breeds using 26 microsatellite markers. A subset of 14 markers was used to compare the genetic variation of the Millefiori Piemontese breed with that of two other Piedmontese chicken breeds (Bionda Piemontese and Bianca di Saluzzo) as well as 17 Italian and 2 commercial hybrids, whose genetic variability has already been investigated. The present study confirmed the sexual dimorphism and assessed the genetic variability of the Millefiori Piemontese in terms of number of alleles/locus (Na = 4), the effective number of alleles (Nea = 3), observed (Ho = 0.56) and expected heterozygosity (He = 0.53), self-coancestry (IB = 0.65), potential extinction risk (ERI = 2), and its contribution to the Italian poultry biodiversity (GDT = −0.60). The results indicate that, despite its small population size (Ne = 56), the Millefiori Piemontese population exhibits significant genetic diversity, making it a valuable resource for breeding programs focused on preserving the breed and safeguarding its biodiversity. This study is the first to investigate the genetic variability of the Millefiori Piemontese breed and compare it with other local poultry breeds. The findings highlight the genetic uniqueness of the Millefiori breed and its significant contribution to the biodiversity of chickens in Piedmont and Italy, emphasising the importance of its conservation.
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spelling doaj-art-2f8255f4e6ec48dba6f76429dd0d7de72025-01-02T11:34:22ZengTaylor & Francis GroupItalian Journal of Animal Science1594-40771828-051X2024-12-012311456146810.1080/1828051X.2024.24084692408469Genetic characterisation of a recovered Italian chicken breed: the Millefiori PiemonteseNadia Stoppani0Eleonora Erika Cappone1Dominga Soglia2Margherita Profiti3Sandra Maione4Achille Schiavone5Stefano Sartore6Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of TorinoDepartment of Veterinary Sciences, University of TorinoDepartment of Veterinary Sciences, University of TorinoDepartment of Veterinary Sciences, University of TorinoDepartment of Veterinary Sciences, University of TorinoDepartment of Veterinary Sciences, University of TorinoDepartment of Veterinary Sciences, University of TorinoThe recent rediscovering of the Millefiori Piemontese breed, previously considered as extinct, has led to its genetic characterisation: establishing the basis for its recovery and preservation. This study describes the morpho-biometric traits and compares the genetic variability of the Millefiori Piemontese breed with that of other local chicken breeds using 26 microsatellite markers. A subset of 14 markers was used to compare the genetic variation of the Millefiori Piemontese breed with that of two other Piedmontese chicken breeds (Bionda Piemontese and Bianca di Saluzzo) as well as 17 Italian and 2 commercial hybrids, whose genetic variability has already been investigated. The present study confirmed the sexual dimorphism and assessed the genetic variability of the Millefiori Piemontese in terms of number of alleles/locus (Na = 4), the effective number of alleles (Nea = 3), observed (Ho = 0.56) and expected heterozygosity (He = 0.53), self-coancestry (IB = 0.65), potential extinction risk (ERI = 2), and its contribution to the Italian poultry biodiversity (GDT = −0.60). The results indicate that, despite its small population size (Ne = 56), the Millefiori Piemontese population exhibits significant genetic diversity, making it a valuable resource for breeding programs focused on preserving the breed and safeguarding its biodiversity. This study is the first to investigate the genetic variability of the Millefiori Piemontese breed and compare it with other local poultry breeds. The findings highlight the genetic uniqueness of the Millefiori breed and its significant contribution to the biodiversity of chickens in Piedmont and Italy, emphasising the importance of its conservation.http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1828051X.2024.2408469genetic variabilitymicrosatellite markerssmall populationlocal chicken breed
spellingShingle Nadia Stoppani
Eleonora Erika Cappone
Dominga Soglia
Margherita Profiti
Sandra Maione
Achille Schiavone
Stefano Sartore
Genetic characterisation of a recovered Italian chicken breed: the Millefiori Piemontese
Italian Journal of Animal Science
genetic variability
microsatellite markers
small population
local chicken breed
title Genetic characterisation of a recovered Italian chicken breed: the Millefiori Piemontese
title_full Genetic characterisation of a recovered Italian chicken breed: the Millefiori Piemontese
title_fullStr Genetic characterisation of a recovered Italian chicken breed: the Millefiori Piemontese
title_full_unstemmed Genetic characterisation of a recovered Italian chicken breed: the Millefiori Piemontese
title_short Genetic characterisation of a recovered Italian chicken breed: the Millefiori Piemontese
title_sort genetic characterisation of a recovered italian chicken breed the millefiori piemontese
topic genetic variability
microsatellite markers
small population
local chicken breed
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1828051X.2024.2408469
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