Genome-wide association study reveals the genetic determinism of serum biochemical indicators in ducks

Background The serum is rich in nutrients and plays an essential role in electrolyte and acid–base balance, maintaining cellular homeostasis. In addition, serum parameters have been commonly used as essential biomarkers for clinical diagnosis. However, little is known about the genetic mechanism of the serum parameters in ducks. Results This study measured 18 serum parameters in 320 samples of the F 2 segregating population generated by Mallard × Pekin duck. The phenotypic correlations showed a high correlation between LDH, HBDH, AST, and ALT (0.59–0.99), and higher coefficients were also observed among TP, ALB, HDL-C, and CHO (0.46–0.87). And then, we performed the GWAS to reveal the genetic basis of the 18 serum biochemical parameters in ducks. Fourteen candidate protein-coding genes were identified with enzyme traits (AST, ALP, LDH, HBDH), and 3 protein-coding genes were associated with metabolism and protein-related serum parameters (UA, TG). Moreover, the expression levels of the above candidate protein-coding genes in different stages of breast muscle and different tissues were analyzed. Furthermore, the genes located within the high-LD region (r 2 > 0.4 and − log 10 ( P ) < 4) neighboring the significant locus also remained. Finally, 86 putative protein-coding genes were used for GO and KEGG enrichment analysis, the enzyme-linked receptor protein signaling pathway and ErbB signaling pathway deserve further focus. Conclusions The obtained results can contribute to new insights into blood metabolism and provide new genetic biomarkers for application in duck breeding programs.