Cloning and Characterization of Duck (Anas platyrhynchos) MyoD1 Gene and Comparison with Other Vertebrates

Myogenic differentiation factors I (MyoD1) plays a key role in growth and muscle development and therefore is considered as a candidate gene for meat production. In order to get the sequence, we cloned the total coding region of duck MyoD1 gene in this study. The total CDS region of duck MyoD1 gene consists of 894 nucleotides and codes for 297 AA, including the bHLH domain. The similarity between duck and chicken is 93.7% at nucleotide level and 93.6% at protein level. There is higher similarity between duck and turkey, which is 93.8% at nucleotide level and 97% at protein level. Results showed that the MyoD1 gene is very conservative among different animal species and evolution of MyoD1 can well demonstrate the evolution of considered species. This work constructed the basis for further research on the molecular nature and the genetic markers for duck meat production and quality.