THIS PROJECT FOCUSES ON ASCITES WHICH AFFECTS BROILER-TYPE CHICKENS. ALTHOUGH ASCITES CAN BE CONTROLLED THROUGH MANAGEMENT PRACTICES, ASCITES REMAINS A WORLD-WIDE PROBLEM IN THE BROILER INDUSTRY RESULTING IN LOSSES IN THE RANGE OF $100 MILLION ANNUALLY. FROM OUR PREVIOUS NIFA FUNDING WE HAVE IDENTIFIED 31 GENE REGIONS, THROUGH HIGH-THROUGHPUT GENOME SEQUENCING, THAT SHOW ASSOCIATION WITH THE DISEASE IN OUR BROILER ASCITES RESEARCH LINE. NONE OF THESE REGIONS HAD BEEN FOUND PREVIOUSLY USING SEVERAL ALTERNATIVES. TWO OF THESE REGIONS HAVE ALREADY BEEN VALIDATED IN A LARGER COLLECTION OF SAMPLES. WE RECENTLY PUBLISHED THE ANALYSIS OF THE FIRST REGION. THIS ALL INDICATES THAT IT MAY BE POSSIBLE USING A SUBSET OF THESE 31 REGIONS TO SELECTIVE BREED CHICKENS TO GREATLY REDUCE THE INCIDENCE OF ASCITES IN BROILER CHICKENS.THE SCIENTIFIC OBJECTIVES OF THIS PROJECT ARE TO EXAMINE THE ENTIRE COLLECTION OF 31 REGIONS TO DETERMINE WHICH REGIONS ARE THE MOST USEFUL FOR BREEDING AGAINST ASCITES. AIM1 IS TO VALIDATE THE ASSOCIATION OF THE 31 GENOMIC REGIONS WITH ASCITES PHENOTYPE IN THREE DISTINCT POPULATIONS OF BROILERS. AIM 2 IS TO USE THE BEST FOUR REGIONS FROM AIM 1 TO PERFORM MARKER ASSISTED SELECTION FOR TWO GENERATIONS IN OUR BROILER RESEARCH LINE TO MEASURE THE RESULTS OF SELECTION ON ASCITES DISEASE INCIDENCE AND IDENTIFY ANY CORRELATED CHANGES IN IMPORTANT BROILER PRODUCTION TRAITS. AIM 1 WILL FURTHER VALIDATE THE UTILITY OF WHOLE GENOME RESEQUENCING FOR COMPLEX GENETIC TRAITS, SUCH AS GENETIC DISEASES, IN FARM ANIMALS. AIM 2 WILL BE DEMONSTRATE THE UTILITY OF MARKER ASSISTED SELECTION FOR RESISTANCE TO ASCITES AND IDENTIFY WHAT THE RELATIVE COST WOULD BE FOR THAT SELECTION. THIS INFORMATION WILL NOT ONLY BE INFORMATIVE FOR THE BROILER BREEDING INDUSTRY BUT WILL PROVIDE A MODEL FOR APPROACHES FOR GENETIC DISEASES IN OTHER DOMESTIC SPECIES.