Location: Food Safety and Enteric Pathogens Research
Project Number: 5030-31320-004-023-R
Project Type: Reimbursable Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Feb 1, 2018
End Date: Jan 31, 2020
Objective:
Goal of the proposal comprehensive functional genome annotation of porcine biological states, with an emphasis on tissues/biological states that are most directly connected to annotating markers associated with important phenotypes.
Specific Aim:
1. Complete functional annotation of healthy adult porcine tissues relevant to phenotypes important for genetic improvement.
2. Determine the extent to which allele-specific expression and imprinting contribute to the functioning of the genome during fetal development.
3. Identify the functional components of the immune response as a resource for improving resilience in pigs
Approach:
NADC - ARS investigator role is to isolate immune cell populations from the blood and tissues of pigs. Isolated immune cells will be preserved for downstream transcriptional and epigenetics assays. Cells to be analyzed include 8 immune cell populations from the blood (which will be sorted using both magnetic and fluorescence based cell sorting techniques), PBMC, alveolar, and liver macrophages stimulated for 2 and 24 hours, and preserved single cell suspensions of bone marrow, thymus, spleen and lymph node from pigs.
