Genetic Studies of Serum Cholesterol Level in the Chicken

Abstract THERE is little doubt as to the importance of cholesterol in metabolism. Many reports are available in the literature concerning the biosynthesis of cholesterol and the effect of diet on cholesterol level. However, the influence of heredity in the regulation of serum cholesterol level has been studied only to a limited extent. Most of the information available on the influence of heredity on this trait has been obtained from studies with humans, in which the presence of a dominant gene has been suggested (Wilkinson et al., 1948; Schaefer et al., 1953; Piper and Orrild, 1956; Harris-Jones et al., 1957). There are very few reports on studies of this type with experimental animals. In a study of 4 strains of rats, Kohn (1950) reported that when a strain with high serum cholesterol was crossed with a strain with low serum cholesterol the F1 progeny had intermediate levels. Bumgardner (1955) reported a …