Genomic Investigation of the Effect of Physiological Stress on Host Response to Dengue, SEB and Plague among Army Ranger Trainees

Abstract

Gene expression analysis as measured by microarray technology offers a better insight into genes that are sensitive towards stressor conditions and biothreat agents. In this study, we compared the gene expression profiles of whole blood samples from US Army Ranger School cadets both for baseline gene profile analysis in individuals under highly stressful training and for in vitro analysis of their cellular response to various biological warfare agents: plague, dengue and staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB). The whole blood samples were collected from cadets before their nine weeks training and immediately after the training ended. These samples were exposed to the three different pathogens in vitro assays to analyze pathogen- and stress-induced regulation of gene expression profiles, which were obtained by cDNA glass arrays, containing about 9,000 human gene spots. Statistically significant genes that showed the effect of stress on host responses to the pathogens were determined using ANOVA following Benjamini correction. Some of these varying genes are involved in stress response, immune response, and transcription processes. These studies are fundamental for understanding the responses of human immune cells to the combined effect of stress and a variety of stimuli. We are grateful to our funding agent, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA).