Distinct transcriptomic response to Newcastle disease virus infection during heat stress in chicken tracheal epithelial tissue

Perot Saelao,Ying Wang,Ganrea Chanthavixay,Jack C M Dekkers,Huaijun Zhou,Rodrigo A Gallardo,Susan J Lamont,Terra Kelly,Vivian Yu

doi:10.1038/s41598-021-86795-x

Abstract

Newcastle disease (ND) has a great impact on poultry health and welfare with its most virulent (velogenic) strain. In addition, issues exacerbated by the increase in global temperatures necessitates a greater understanding of the host immune response when facing a combination of biotic and abiotic stress factors in poultry production. Previous investigations have revealed that the host immune response is tissue-specific. The goal of this study was to identify genes and/or signaling pathways associated with immune response to NDV (Newcastle disease virus) in the trachea, an essential organ where NDV replicate after the infection, by profiling the tissue specific transcriptome response in two genetically distinct inbred chicken lines when exposed to both abiotic and biotic stressors. Fayoumis appear to be able to respond more effectively (lower viral titer, higher antibody levels, immune gene up-regulation) and earlier than Leghorns. Our results suggest NDV infection in Fayoumis appears to elicit proinflammatory processes, and pathways such as the inhibition of cell viability, cell proliferation of lymphocytes, and transactivation of RNA, more rapidly than in Leghorns. These differences in immune response converge at later timepoints which may indicate that Leghorns eventually regulate its immune response to infection. The profiling of the gene expression response in the trachea adds to our understanding of the chicken host response to NDV infection and heat stress on a whole genome level and provides potential candidate genes and signaling pathways for further investigation into the characterization of the time-specific and pathway specific responses in Fayoumis and Leghorns.

Highlights

IntroductionNewcastle disease (ND) has a great impact on poultry health and welfare with its most virulent (velogenic) strain
Newcastle disease (ND) has a great impact on poultry health and welfare with its most virulent strain
Viral transcripts extracted from the tracheal transcriptome sequences of Newcastle disease virus (NDV)-infected individuals from both lines were aligned to the NDV La Sota strain genome

Summary

Introduction

Newcastle disease (ND) has a great impact on poultry health and welfare with its most virulent (velogenic) strain. The goal of this study was to identify genes and/or signaling pathways associated with immune response to NDV (Newcastle disease virus) in the trachea, an essential organ where NDV replicate after the infection, by profiling the tissue specific transcriptome response in two genetically distinct inbred chicken lines when exposed to both abiotic and biotic stressors. Limited access to vaccine and a lack of proper infrastructure in low-income nations limits the protection that vaccines can offer to prevent ND outbreaks These limitations highlight the growing need for a better understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms of how hosts respond to NDV infection, especially in the respiratory system where NDV replicates, in order to develop novel therapeutic strategies and improve current prophylactics against NDV. Airway epithelial cells are one of the primary sites of NDV replication and the transport of NDV infected epithelial cells is a significant driver of viral antigen presentation to antigen presenting c ells[10]

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