ARS | Publication request: Comparative Global Gene Expression Profiling Between rMd5- and rMd5deltaMeq-Infected Chickens: Host-Pathogen Interaction

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: September 1, 2010
Publication Date: October 18, 2010
Citation: Heidari, M., Xu, M., Zhang, H., Lee, L.F., Silva, R.F. 2010. Comparative global gene expression profiling between rMd5- and rMd5deltaMeq-infected chickens: host-pathogen interaction [abstract]. In: 5th International Workshop on the Molecular Pathogenesis of Marek's Disease Virus and 1st Symposium on Avian Herpesviruses, October 17-20, 2010, Athens, Georgia, p. 91.

Technical Abstract: Marek’s disease virus (MDV), an oncogenic alpha-herpesvirus, is the etiological agent of Marek’s disease (MD), a highly contagious lymphoproliferative disease of domestic chickens. MDV encodes a basic leucine zipper protein, meq (MDV Eco Q), which is homologous to the Jun/Fos family of transcription factors and is consistently expressed in all tumor and MDV-transformed cell lines. Data from our previous studies indicate that meq functions as an immunosuppressive oncoprotein in addition to the transformation of T cells and inhibition of apoptosis. In the present study, we conducted a comparative global gene expression profiling between rMd5- and rMd5deltaMeq-infected chickens using 4x44K chicken microarrays. One-week-old MD-susceptible chickens were inoculated with either rMd5 (oncogenic) or rMd5deltaMeq (non-oncogenic) and the spleen samples were collected 5 and 21 days post infection (dpi) for RNA isolation and microarray analysis. Array results displayed a significant differential pattern of viral and host transcriptome between the infected and control birds at either time point. The expression levels of more than 1468 genes were down-regulated, while the expression levels of at least 1820 genes were up-regulated at 5 dpi in the rMd5-infected birds. Despite the lack of meq oncogene, rMd5deltaMeq mutant virus induced down-regulation of more than 1550 genes and an increase in transcriptional activities of at least 1800 genes during the cytolytic infection. The differential gene expression induced by either recombinant constructs at 21 dpi was minimal in comparison to those at 5 dpi. Cytokines, chemokines, adhesion molecules, receptors and co-stimulatory molecules, and caspases were among the many MDV-induced differentially expressed genes.