Association of a Pre-miR-1453 Polymorphism with Growth Traits and Serum Biochemical Parameters in an F2 Chicken Population

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) serve as pivotal post-transcriptional modulators of gene expression that govern animal growth and development processes. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) located within the pre-miR-1453 precursor and growth traits, carcass traits, body size traits, and serum biochemical parameters in an F2 chicken resource population derived from Gushi and Anka crosses (n = 860). Genotyping of the rs16159272 polymorphism (+31 bp C > T) was performed using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, and population genetic parameters, secondary structure prediction, and association analyses were conducted. The results showed that the SNP was moderately polymorphic (PIC = 0.3174) and significantly associated with hatch weight (p < 0.01; CT > TT > CC), as well as body weight at 2 and 4 weeks of age (p < 0.05; TT > CT > CC), but not with carcass or body size traits (p > 0.05). For serum biochemical parameters, total protein, cholinesterase, and creatine phosphokinase showed extremely significant differences across genotypes (p < 0.01), whereas albumin, globulin, and lactate dehydrogenase showed significant differences (p < 0.05). Structural prediction revealed that the C > T mutation increased the minimum free energy by 3.8 kcal/mol, reducing the stability of the pre-miR-1453 stem-loop. Target gene prediction and enrichment analysis indicated that pre-miR-1453 may participate in the regulation of chicken growth and serum biochemical parameters through pathways related to neuron development, cytoskeletal dynamics, and energy metabolism. These findings suggest that the pre-miR-1453 rs16159272 polymorphism could act as a candidate genetic indicator for marker-aided breeding in poultry.