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CAHANER, AVIGDOR
Born: 1946, Rishpon (Israel);
Degrees: Ph.D. 1977, Hebrew Univ.;
Lect. 1979; Sen. Lect. 1986;
Assoc. Prof. 1992; Prof. 1997.
E-mail: cahaner@agri.huji.ac.il
Tel: 972-8-9489214
Mobile: +972 52 2608091
Fax: +972 8 9489432
Research Interests:
Quantitative genetics; theoretical and practical aspects of
genotype-by-environment (GxE) interactions in meat-type chickens
(broilers); breeding for sustainability by improving adaptation of
broilers
to sub-optimal conditions through genetic manipulation of metabolic,
physiological and immunological functions; utilization of DNA markers in
quantitative genetics studies and in practical breeding.
Keywords:
quantitative genetics; genotype-by-environment
interaction(GxE);
chickens; broilers; breeding; DNA markers; heat tolerance; ascites;
immune
response; fat deposition; water consumption; feed efficiency
Current Major Research Projects:
Heat tolerance: Inducing heat tolerance in broilers by genes
responsible
for reduced feather coverage (naked-neck) or for featherless chickens
(scaleless).
Ascites: Studying the genetic
control of resistance versus
susceptibility
to the ascites syndrome, and related effects on physiological parameters
and on economically important performance traits. Selecting broilers for
resistance to the ascites syndrome.
Meat yield and Quality: Genetic
variation in growth rate, body
confirmation, meat yield, and meat quality in broilers, and its
relationship to environmental stresses.
Immunocompetence:
Studying the genetic control of immune
responses in
young broilers by divergent selection and by DNA information:
Abstracts of three main Research Projects:
Inducing heat tolerance by the genes for naked neck (Na) and for
featherless (sc, scaleless)
Genetic tolerance to heat stress could result from reduced feather
coverage
of broilers. The naked neck gene reduces total feather coverage by 20%
to
40%. Under high ambient temperatures, naked neck broilers exhibited
higher
growth rate and meat yield than their normally feathered counterparts.
Field trials in Israel, Egypt, Turkey, Vietnam and India have
demonstrated
the practical advantage of the Na gene in hot climates. The scaleless
gene,
at the homozygous recessive stage (sc/sc), eliminates the development of
all feathers, thus producing completely naked chickens. This mutation,
found in a slow-growing egg-type stock, has been introduced into
fast-growing meat-type (broiler) stock, and its value to heat tolerance
and
the efficiency of broiler processing will be determined.
Genetics of resistance to the ascites syndrome and of related
early-prediction physiological predictors
By selecting families that exhibited very low or very high rate of
ascites,
resistant and susceptible genotypes were established, differing in a
single
dominant major gene. Genomic tools are used to identify the
sequence of
this gene and determine his function. Broilers of the distinctive
genotypes
are used to decipher the physiological background of ascites.
Performance
traits (growth rate, body weight, meat yield and quality) and
physiological
traits (electrocardiography, blood oximetry, etc.) are evaluated at
several
ages in a series of trials, in order to predict and fully understand the
consequences of selection for resistance to the ascites syndrome.
Genetic control of immune responses in young broilers by divergent
selection and by DNA information
Selection on early antibody response to vaccination by Escherichia coli
demonstrated the potential of breeding for immune response and disease
resistance in young broilers. The divergent lines have been found to
differ
in several other immune functions. The selected lines differ also in
frequency of DNA markers at the MHC and other genomic regions. Results
indicate the feasibility of direct selection or
marker-assisted-selection
(MAS) for higher immunocompetence and disease resistance in young
broilers.
Publications since 1997:
Yalcin, S., Settar, P., Ozkan, S. and Cahaner, A. (1997) Comparative
evaluation
of three commercial broiler stocks under hot vs. temperate climate.
Poultry
Sci., 76: 921b
Yalcin, S., Testik, A., Ozkan, S., Settar, P., Celen, F. and Cahaner,
A. (1997)
Performance of naked neck and normal broilers in hot, warm, and
temperate
climates. Poultry Sci., 76: 930b
Cahaner A., N. Yonash, R. Yunis, J. Hillel, D. Heller, M. G. Kaiser,
and S. J.
Lamont, 1997. QTL identification in a cross between lines selected
divergently
for high and low immune response to E. coli. Proc. 3rd Eur. Poultry
Breeders'
Roundtable, Prague (Czech Republic), pp. 92-105.
Beharav, A., A. Cahaner and M.J. Pinthus, 1998 . Genetic correlations
between
culm length, grain yield and seedling elongation within tall (rht1) and
semi-dwarf (Rht1) spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Eur. J. Agron.
9:35-40.
Shlosberg, A., M. Bellaiche, E. Berman, A. Ben David, N. Deeb, and A.
Cahaner,
1998. Comparative effects of added sodium chloride, ammonium chloride,
or
potassium bicarbonate in the drinking water of broilers, and feed
restriction,
on development of the ascites syndrome. Poultry Sci. 77:1287-1296.
Shlosberg, A., M. Bellaiche, E. Berman, S. Perek, N. Deeb, E. Neumark,
and A.
Cahaner, 1998. Relationship between broiler chicken haematocrit-selected
parents
and their progeny, with regard to haematocrit, mortality from ascites
and body
weight. Res. Vet. Sci. 64:105-109.
Cahaner, A., N. Deeb, R. Yunis, and Y. Lavi, 1998. Reduced stress
tolerance in
fast growing broilers. Proc. 10th European Poultry Conference, Jerusalem
(Israel), Vol. I, pp. 113-117.
Yahav, S., D. Lugar, A. cahaner, M. Dotan, M. Rusal, and S. Hurwitz,
1998.
Thermoregulation in naked neck chickens subjected to different ambient
temperatures. Br. Poult. Sci. 39:133-138.
Beharav, A., M.J. Pinthus, and A. Cahaner, 1998. Estimating
heritability of
familes derived from single plants at an advanced generation of
self-fertilizing
species: developing general formulas and estimating spring wheat
traits. Israel
J. Plant Sci. 46:209-212.
Yonash, N., M. G. Kaiser, E.D. Heller, A. Cahaner, and S.J. Lamont,
1999. Major
histocompatibility complex (MHC) related cDNA probes associated with
antibody
response in meat-type chickens. Anim. Genet. 30:92-101.
Deeb, N., and A. Cahaner, 1999. The effects of naked neck genotypes,
ambient
temperature, feeding status and their interactions on body temperature
and
performance of broilers. Poultry Sci. 78:1341-1346.
Settar, P., S. YalC'in, L. TC<rkmut, S. Ozkan, and A. Cahaner, 1999.
Season by
genotype interaction related to broiler growth rate and heat tolerance.
Poultry
Sci. 78:1353-1358.
Yunis, R., and A. Cahaner, 1999. The effects of the naked-neck (Na) and
frizzle
(F) genes on growth and meat yield of broilers, and their interactions
with
ambient temperatures and potential growth rate. Poultry Sci.
78:1347-1352.
Cahaner A., R. Yunis, Y. Lavi, and N. Deeb, 1999. Interactions between
single-genes, polygenes, genetic backgrounds and environments, and their
implication to broiler breeding and production. Proc. Eur. Poultry
Genetics
Symposium, Mariensee (Germany), pp. 50-58.
Yonash, N., E.D. Heller, J. Hillel, and A. Cahaner, 2000. Detection of
RFLP
markers associated with antibody response in meat-type chickens:
haplotype/genotype, single-band and multi-band analyses of RFLP in the
major
histocompatibility complex. J. Hered. 91:24-30.
Kaiser M.G., N. Yonash, H.H. Cheng, A. Cahaner, and S.J. Lamont, 2000.
Microsatellite polymorphism between and within broilers lines. Poultry
Sci.,
79:626-628.
Yunis, R., A. Ben-David, E.D. Heller, and A. Cahaner, 2000.
Immunocompetence and
viability under commercial conditions of broiler groups differing in
growth
rate
and in antibody response to Escherichia coli vaccine. Poultry Sci.
79:810-816.
Yonash, N., G. Leitner, A. Cahaner, and E.D. Heller, 2000. The dynamics
of
antibody response to Escherichia coli vaccination in meat-type chicks.
Poultry
Sci. 79:1418-1423
Yonash, N., H.H. Cheng, J. Hillel, E.D. Heller, and A. Cahaner, 2001.
DNA
microsatellites linked to quantitative trait loci affecting antibody
response
and survival rate in meat-type chickens. Poultry Sci. 80:22-28.
Roush, W.B., R.F. Wideman, A. Cahaner, N. Deeb,B and
T.L.Cravener, 2001.
Minimal number of chicken daily growth velocities for artificial neural
network
detection of pulmonary hypertension syndrome (PHS). Poultry Sci.
80:254-259.
Pitcovski, J., A. Cahaner, E.D. Heller, T. Zouri, B. Gutter, Y.
Gotfried and G.
Leitner, 2001. Immune response and resistance to infectious bursal
disease
virus
of chicken lines selected for high or low antibody response to
Escherichia
coli.
Poultry Sci. 80:879-884.
Deeb, N., and A. Cahaner, 2001. Genotype-by-environment interaction with
broiler
genotypes differing in growth rate. 1. The effects of high ambient
temperature
and naked-neck genotype on stocks differing in genetic background.
Poultry Sci.
80:695-702
Deeb, N., and A. Cahaner, 2001. Genotype-by-environment interaction with
broiler
genotypes differing in growth rate: 2. The effects of high ambient
temperature
on dwarf versus normal broilers. Poultry Sci. 80:541-548.
Yunis, R., A. Ben-David, E. D. Heller, and A. Cahaner, 2002. Antibody
responses
and morbidity following infection with infectious bronchitis virus and
challenge
with Escherichia coli, in lines divergently selected on antibody
response.
Poultry Sci. 81:149-159.
Yunis, R., E. D. Heller, and A. Cahaner, 2002. Genetic and phenotypic
correlation between antibody responses to Escherichia Coli, infectious
bursa
disease virus (IBDV), and Newcastle disease virus (NDV), in broiler
lines
selected on antibody response to Escherichia Coli. Poultry Sci.
81:302-308.
Atzmon, G., D. Cassuto, U. Lavi, A. Cahaner, G. Zeitlin, and J. Hillel,
2002.
DNA markers and crossbreeding scheme as means to select sires for
heterosis in
egg production of chickens. Animal Genetics 33:132-139.
Deeb, N. and A. Cahaner, 2002. Genotype-by-environment interaction with
broiler
genotypes differing in growth rate. 3. Growth rate and water
consumption of
broiler progeny from weight-selected versus non-selected parents under
normal
and high ambient temperatures. Poultry Sci. 81:293-301.
Yunis, R., E. D. Heller, J. Hillel, and A. Cahaner, 2002. Microsatellite
markers
associated with quantitative trait loci controlling antibody response to
Escherichia coli and Salmonella enteritidis in young broilers. Animal
Genetics
33:407-414.
Deeb, N., A. Shlosberg, and A. Cahaner, 2002. Genotype-by-environment
interaction with broiler genotypes differing in growth rate. 4.
Association
between responses to heat stress and to cold-induced ascites. Poultry
Sci.
81:1454-1462.
Cahaner, A., S. Druyan, and N. Deeb, 2003. Improving broiler meat
production, especially in hot climates, by genes that reduce or
eliminate
feather coverage. British Poultry Sci. 44 (Supplement):22-23.
Gur, A., Y. Semel, A. Cahaner, and N. Zamir, 2004. Real time QTL of
complex
phenotypes in tomato interspecific introgression lines. Trends in Plant
Science 9:107-109.
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