ASIAN-AUSTRALASIAN JOURNAL OF ANIMAL SCIENCES, cilt.29, sa.11, ss.1547-1554, 2016 (SCI-Expanded)
ABSTRACT: To assess genetic diversity and maternal origin of Turkish and Iranian native chicken breeds, we analyzed the mtDNA
D-loop sequences of 222 chickens from 2 Turkish (Denizli and Gerze) and 7 Iranian (White Marandi, Black Marandi, Naked Neck,
Common Breed, Lari, West Azarbaijan, and New Hampshire) native chicken breeds, together with the available reference sequences of
G. gallus gallus in GenBank. The haplotype diversity was estimated as 0.24±0.01 and 0.36±0.02 for Turkish and Iranian populations,
respectively. In total, 19 haplotypes were observed from 24 polymorphic sites in Turkish and Iranian native chicken populations. Two
different clades or haplogroups (A and E) were found in Turkish and Iranian chickens. Clade A haplotypes were found only in White
Marandi, Common Breed and New Hampshire populations. Clade E haplotypes, which are quite common, were observed in Turkish and
Iranian populations with 18 different haplotypes, of which Turkish and Iranian chickens, Clade E, haplotype 1 (TRIRE1) was a major
haplotype with the frequency of 81.5% (181/222) across all breeds. Compared to red jungle fowl, Turkish and Iranian chicken breeds are
closely related to each other. These results suggest that Turkish and Iranian chickens originated from the same region, the Indian
subcontinent. Our results will provide reliable basic information for mtDNA haplotypes of Turkish and Iranian chickens and for studying
the origin of domestic chickens. (Key Words: Turkish Native Chicken Breeds, Iranian Native Chicken Breeds, mtDNA D-loop,
Haplogroup, Maternal Origin)