biostudies-literatureUnknown102(12)Ren XCockfighting is popular worldwide, dating back to 2,800 BC. Primarily, 5 modern Chinese gamecock breeds exist, located in the northeast (Luxi and Henan), west (Turpan), south (Xishuangbanna), and southeast (Zhangzhou) of China. However, whether Chinese gamecocks were derived from a single origin or multiple origins remains controversial. Therefore, this study used next-generation resequencing data to elucidate the origin of Chinese gamecocks by constructing genome-wide and SRY-box transcription factor 5 (SOX5) gene phylogenetic trees. Data from 161 chickens from 27 breeds, including 9 gamecock breeds, were included. Before constructing the SOX5 gene tree, we validated that the pea-comb phenotype mutation in all gamecock breeds was attributed to copy number variation in intron 1 of the SOX5Poultry science103068https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC10550403biostudies-literaturePhylogenetic analysis reveals multiple origins of Chinese gamecocks.PMC10550403Ren XLi HGuan ZWen JChen ZQu LZhang XYu FWang GZhang LWang HZhao XfalsePhylogenetic analysis reveals multiple origins of Chinese gamecocks.Cockfighting is popular worldwide, dating back to 2,800 BC. Primarily, 5 modern Chinese gamecock breeds exist, located in the northeast (Luxi and Henan), west (Turpan), south (Xishuangbanna), and southeast (Zhangzhou) of China. However, whether Chinese gamecocks were derived from a single origin or multiple origins remains controversial. Therefore, this study used next-generation resequencing data to elucidate the origin of Chinese gamecocks by constructing genome-wide and SRY-box transcription factor 5 (SOX5) gene phylogenetic trees. Data from 161 chickens from 27 breeds, including 9 gamecock breeds, were included. Before constructing the SOX5 gene tree, we validated that the pea-comb phenotype mutation in all gamecock breeds was attributed to copy number variation in intron 1 of the SOX52023-01-01T00:00:00Z2023 Aug2025-04-04T08:46:15.904Z2025-04-04T08:46:15.904ZS-EPMC105504033777829610.1016/j.psj.2023.103068