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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Animal Biosciences & Biotechnology Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #301627
Title: Mapping and genotypic analysis of NK-lysin gene in chicken

Author
item LEE, MI OK - Texas A&M University
item YANG, ENEE - Texas A&M University
item MORISSON, MIREILLE - Institut National De La Recherche Agronomique (INRA)
item HUANG, YONG-ZHEN - Northwest Agriculture And Forestry University
item CHEN, HAN - US Department Of Agriculture (USDA)
item MUIR, WILLIAM - Purdue University
item LAMONT, SUSAN - US Department Of Agriculture (USDA)
item Lillehoj, Hyun
item Lee, Sung
item WOMACK, JAMES - Texas A&M University

Submitted to: Immunogenetics
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/13/2014
Publication Date: 7/7/2017
Citation: Lee, M., Yang, E., Morisson, M., Huang, Y., Chen, H.S., Muir, W.M., Lamont, S.J., Lillehoj, H.S., Lee, S.H., Womack, J.E. 2017. Mapping and genotypic analysis of NK-lysin gene in chicken. Immunogenetics. 46:43.

Interpretive Summary: Chicken is a major source of protein in the world and it is important to carry out basic research to understand how different chicken genes which are important in host immunity function. In this paper, ARS scientists collaborated with scientists at other universities to study basic function of one of important immune genes of poultry. This gene encodes a protein called NK lysin and this paper showed that this protein plays an important role in host defense against a parasitic infection caused by coccidia. Furthermore, this paper describes for the first time the location of chicken NK lysin gene on one of the chicken chromosomes. This new finding will benefit poultry industry scientists who are involved in developing disease resistant chickens.

Technical Abstract: NK-lysin is a cationic anti-microbial peptide that plays a critical role in innate immunity against infectious pathogens. Chicken NK-lysin has been cloned and its antimicrobial and anticancer activity has been described but its location in the chicken genome prior this study was unknown. A 6000 rad radiation hybrid panel (ChickRH6) was used to map the NK-lysin gene to the distal end of chromosome 22. Two additional genes, the adipocyte enhancer-binding protein 1-like gene (AEBP1) and the DNA polymerase delta subunit 2-like (POLD1) gene, are located in same NW_003779909 contig, and were thus indirectly mapped to chromosome 22 also. We previously described a functionally significant single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) at the position 271 nucleotide of the NK-lysin coding sequence in two different chicken breeds. Here, we examined this SNP among a large number different inbred lines and heritage breeds. The A allele appears to be more common than the G allele in these heritage breeds and inbred lines.