International Journal of Molecular Zoology, 2025, Vol.15, No.1, 20-28 http://animalscipublisher.com/index.php/ijmz 26 gray feathers. Although wild geese (generally regarded as the ancestors of domestic geese) are usually grey-feathered, both white-feathered and grey-feathered types have been retained in domestic goose populations through targeted breeding (Wen et al., 2021). 8.2 Molecular findings In the whole-genome scans of white-feathered and grey-feathered domestic geese in this case study, it was found that 346 genes showed significant genetic differences between these two feather colors. A locus in the intron region of the KIT gene is most closely related to feather color, especially an 18-base deletion mutation, which shows a very strong correlation in white-feathered geese. Although the relationship between KIT mutations and feather color changes has been widely studied in mammals, Wen et al. (2021) was the first to confirm a clear link between the KITgene and feather color in birds, which is of great significance to Chinese domestic geese. 8.3 Breeding and conservation implications Confirming the key role of the KITgene in the regulation of white and gray feathers provides important molecular evidence for domestic goose breeding. Breeders can utilize the differences in KIT loci through genetic marker-assisted selection (MAS) to selectively and retain individuals with white or gray feathers in a targeted manner, helping to improve and stabilize the feather color of goose flocks (Wen et al., 2021). Understanding the genetic basis of feather color also helps protect the genetic diversity of domestic geese and provides scientific support for the sustainable management of white-feathered and gray-feathered populations. 9 Challenges and Future Perspectives 9.1 Major bottlenecks in current research The molecular mechanism of feather color changes is not yet fully understood. Although candidate genes such as KIT, EDNRB2 and TYRP1 have been regarded as the main influencing factors, many genes that may be involved in regulation have not been identified or have not undergone functional verification (Xu et al., 2022; Yang et al., 2022; 2024). Most current studies focus on a few varieties or groups, which limits the generalization of research results and may also miss some important genetic diversity (Ren et al., 2021; Wen et al., 2021; Wen et al., 2023. High-quality genomic assembly and multi-omics data are still relatively scarce, which also makes it difficult to establish a complete explanatory path from genetic variations to actual feather color expression (Sello et al., 2019; Zhou et al., 2024). Xu et al. (2022) and Wen et al. (2023) hold that feather color inheritance itself is very complex and may involve multiple mechanisms such as sex-linked inheritance, autosomal inheritance, and upper sex interaction. These mechanisms have not been fully clarified yet, which also brings greater difficulties to actual breeding and genetic prediction. 9.2 Breakthrough directions for the future Sello et al. (2019) and Zhou et al. (2024) suggest that future research should focus on integrating high-resolution genomic, transcriptomic and epigenomic data to more comprehensively identify the genes and regulatory elements related to feather color. Zhou et al. (2024) proposed that as chromosomal level genomic assembly and multi-omics analysis of species like the Hungarian white goose continue to advance, researchers will have the opportunity to delve deeper into new regulatory mechanisms such as the interaction between miRNA and mRNA, and verify these findings through functional experiments. Expanding the research to more domestic goose breeds and wild relatives is helpful for discovering the genetic basis behind the changes in feather color and understanding the relationship between feather color and environmental adaptation. Comparative genomics can reveal the parallel evolution and specific mechanisms among different species (Sello et al., 2019; Ren et al., 2021; Yang et al., 2022). Yang et al. (2024) and Zhou et al. (2024) demonstrated that the specific functions of candidate genes and the molecular pathways they are involved in can be more clearly confirmed through gene editing and in vitro functional verification. Yang et al. (2024) indicates that if these genetic research achievements can be combined with actual breeding efforts, the development of molecular breeding strategies for feather color-related traits is expected to accelerate.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjQ4ODYzNA==