家养动物祖先经过人为驯化，演化出适应人类环境的多姿多态的品系，这种表型多样性的遗传基础和进化动力一直是人类探索的问题。基因是通过与其它基因作用行使其功能的。对于一个性状，人工选择是偏向作用于多个基因还是单个基因,或者是少数基因? 人工选择又是如何通过影响相互作用的基因去塑造特定的性状？ 本项目以家鸡为研究对象，从基因组水平检测控制数量性状（体重、产蛋量、基因表达水平）的SNPs之间发生的epistasis作用，探索人工选择作用如何作用于相互作用的SNPs，进而影响数量性状；从转录组水平构建基因表达模块，检测表达模块所受人工选择作用，探索人工选择在转录组水平如何作用于相互作用的基因。本项目我们将阐述人工选择如何作用于相互作用SNPs和基因去影响表型进化，力争在人工选择领域提出有影响力的进化理论。

Ancestors of domesticated animals have evolved to variety of lines for adapting to the human environment through domestication. The genetic basis and evolutionary force of the phenotypic diversity among domesticated animals has always been studied. Gene functions by interacting with other genes. Does artificial selection tend to operate multi-genes for the evolution of a certain trait? Or single gene? Or few genes? How does artificial selection shape the formation of specific traits by influencing the interacting genes? Genome wide detection of epistatic SNPs which influence the quantitative traits (body weight, egg production, gene expression levels) will be performed in the project, which helps to explore how artificial selection acts on the interacting SNPs, thereby affects the quantitative traits. Gene expression module will be constructed, and detected for the signature of artificial selection, to explore how artificial selection acts on the interaction of genes at the transcriptome level. We will elaborate how artificial selection influences the epistatic SNPs and gene interactions to influence the evolution of phenotypic, and strive to point out an influential theory in the field of artificial selection.

在本项目支持下， 我们获得大量家鸡基因组和转录组数据。发现藏鸡有两个独立的群体，并鉴定出钙离子信号通路在藏鸡高原适应中的重要作用。利用比较群体基因组数据揭示了正选择作用而非选择压力放松导致家鸡视觉退化， 并发现一个未报到的视觉关键基因VIT在家鸡驯化过程中受到人工选择作用。在小型鸡中，鉴定出4个家鸡体型进化的驯化基因。发表SCI论文3篇，其中2篇影响因子大于9分，1篇被杂志选为封面。