Abstract：Bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP-4) plays an important role in animal bone growth and organism development. In this study, the methylation pattern of CpG island of bone morphogenetic protein 4(BMP4) gene promoter was detected using methylation-specific PCR(MSP), and compared and analyzed with carcass traits in four rabbit population of 80, New Zealand(NZ) rabbit(New Zealand Oryctolagus cuniculus), Fujian Yellow(FY) rabbit(Fujian Yellow O. cuniculus) and reciprocal cross between NZ and FY, 20 of each population. The results showed that cross populations on slaughter traits were higher than that of the average of FY rabbit and NZ rabbit, and they were lower than that of NZ rabbit but no significant(P>0.05) . It was very significant(P<0.01) between cross populations and FY rabbit on slaughter traits. Carcass traits were different in different methylation level in each group, but it showed no significant(P>0.05). Methylation level of NZ rabbit was significant compared with FY Rabbit and FY rabbit×NZ rabbit (P<0.05) and it showed no significant from one to each other rabbit populations(P>0.05) . Slaughter traits were different under different methylation level, but they did not match very well with methylation level and this might be cross by the methylation state of specific site. This study suggest a theoretical reference for explaining the relationship between methylation of BMP4 promoter region and heterosis and whether methylation of BMP4 promoter region can be a molecular marker or not.
