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Chickens exhibit extensive genetic diversity and are distributed worldwide. Different chicken breeds have evolved to thrive in diverse environmental conditions. However, research on the genetic mechanisms underlying chicken adaptation to extreme environments, such as tropical, frigid and drought-prone regions, remains limited. In this study, we conducted whole-genome sequencing of 240 individuals from six native chicken breeds in Xinjiang, China, as well as 4 publicly available chicken breeds inhabiting regions with varying annual precipitations, temperatures, and altitudes. Our analysis revealed several genetic variants among the examined breeds. Furthermore, we investigated the genetic diversity and population structure of breeds residing in extreme drought and temperature environments by comparing them. Notably, native chicken breeds exhibited different genetic diversity and population structures. Moreover, we identified candidate genes associated with chicken adaptability to the environment, such as CORO2A, CTNNA3, AGMO, GRID2, BBOX1, COL3A1, INSR, SOX5, MAP2 and PLPPR1. Additionally, pathways such as lysosome, cysteine and methionine metabolism, glycosaminoglycan degradation, and Wnt signaling may be play crucial roles in regulating chicken adaptation to drought environments. Overall, these findings contribute to our understanding of the genetic mechanisms governing chicken adaptation to extreme environments, and also offer insights for enhancing the resilience of chicken breeds to different climatic conditions.
Zhang et al. (Wed,) studied this question.