Abstract
BackgroundMarek’s disease (MD) is a highly contagious pathogenic and oncogenic disease primarily affecting chickens. However, the mechanisms of genetic resistance for MD are complex and not fully understood. MD-resistant line 63 and MD-susceptible line 72 are two highly inbred progenitor lines of White Leghorn. Recombinant Congenic Strains (RCS) were developed from these two lines, which show varied susceptibility to MD.ResultsWe investigated genetic structure and genomic signatures across the genome, including the line 63 and line 72, six RCSs, and two reciprocally crossed flocks between the lines 63 and 72 (F1 63 × 72 and F1 72 × 63) using Affymetrix® Axiom® HD 600 K genotyping array. We observed 18 chickens from RCS lines were specifically clustered into resistance sub-groups distributed around line 63. Additionally, homozygosity analysis was employed to explore potential genetic components related to MD resistance, while runs of homozygosity (ROH) are regions of the genome where the identical haplotypes are inherited from each parent. We found several genes including SIK, SOX1, LIG4, SIK1 and TNFSF13B were contained in ROH region identified in resistant group (line 63 and RCS), and these genes have been reported that are contribute to immunology and survival. Based on FST based population differential analysis, we also identified important genes related to cell death and anti-apoptosis, including AKT1, API5, CDH13, CFDP and USP15, which could be involved in divergent selection during inbreeding process.ConclusionsOur findings offer valuable insights for understanding the genetic mechanism of resistance to MD and the identified genes could be considered as candidate biomarkers in further evaluation.
Highlights
Marek’s disease (MD) is a highly contagious pathogenic and oncogenic disease primarily affecting chickens
Our findings offer valuable insights for understanding the genetic mechanism of resistance to MD and the identified genes could be considered as candidate biomarkers in further evaluation
We investigated the genetic characteristics of MD resistance and susceptibility using high-density SNP array in inbred chicken lines
Summary
Marek’s disease (MD) is a highly contagious pathogenic and oncogenic disease primarily affecting chickens. Marek’s disease (MD) is a T cell lymphoma induced by the widespread and readily transmissible Marek’s disease virus (MDV) [1]. MD is one of the main chronic infectious diseases threatening the poultry. MDV transforms mainly CD4+ T cells and causes various clinical syndromes in chicken tissues, which include peripheral nerves, gonad, iris, muscle, viscera, and skin [2]. MDV is shed and transmitted between birds via epithelial cells of the feather follicle, dander, chicken house dust, feces and saliva. Vaccines were developed to control the disease but are not sterilizing allowing the virus to replicate and spread. In the last few decades, field strains of the virus have evolved resulting in new subtypes that the vaccines may not completely control [3]. MDV has proven to be a valuable comparative biomedical model organism for understanding the principles of human disease [4] and MD is a natural model for
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
