Application of functional genomic information to develop efficient EST-SSRs for the chicken (Gallus gallus)
Many years of domestication and breeding have given rise to the wide range of chicken breeds that exist today; however, an increasing number of local chicken breeds are under threat of extinction. A comprehensive characterization of chicken markers (especially type I markers) is needed to monitor and conserve genetic diversity in this species. The explosion of genomics and functional genomics information in recent years has opened new possibilities for the generation of molecular markers.