ARS | Publication request: Down-regulation of promoter methylation level of CD4 gene after MDV infection in MD-susceptible chicken line

Submitted to: BioMed Central (BMC) Proceedings
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: November 5, 2010
Publication Date: June 3, 2011
Citation: Luo, J., Yu, Y., Zhang, H., Tian, F., Chang, S., Cheng, H.H., Song, J. 2011. Down-regulation of promoter methylation level of CD4 gene after MDV infection in MD-susceptible chicken line. BioMed Central (BMC) Proceedings. 5(Suppl 4):57. Available: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1753-6561/5/S4/S7

Technical Abstract: Marek’s disease virus (MDV) is an oncovirus that induces lymphoid tumors in susceptible chickens, and may affect the epigenetic stability of the CD4 gene. The purpose of this study was to find how the effect of MDV infection on DNA methylation status of the CD4 gene differed between MD-resistant (L63) and –susceptible (L72) lines of chickens. Chickens from each line were divided into two groups. One was infected with MDV and the other was uninfected. Then, promoter DNA methylation levels of the CD4 gene were measured by pyrosequencing, and gene expression analysis was performed by quantitative PCR. The promoter methylation of the CD4 gene was down-regulated in L72 chickens by MDV infection. The methylation down-regulation of the CD4 promoter is negatively correlated with up-regulation of CD4 gene expression in the spleens of L72 chickens at 21 dpi. The methylation fluctuation and mRNA expression change of CD4 gene induced by MDV infection suggested the existence of a unique epigenetic mechanism in MD-susceptible chickens.