PSVI-23 Comparative transcriptomic analysis of chicken immune organs post Marek’s disease virus infection at a latency phase.

Abstract Over the past decades, MDV has dramatically evolved virulently and remains a real threat to the world’s poultry industry. We performed a genome-wide gene expression analysis with samples extracted from spleen, thymus, and bursa tissues collected from an MD-resistant line (63) and a susceptible line (72) of chickens post-MDV infection to explore the MD resistance and susceptibility mechanism. Using a robust RNA sequencing approach, we identified genes and pathways associated with transcriptional response to MDV infection. The transcriptome analysis revealed a tissue-specific expression pattern among immune organs in response to MDV infection. At the pathway and network levels, MDV infection influenced cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction and cellular development in chickens’ resistant and susceptible lines. Meanwhile, we also observed different responses between the two genetic chicken lines: some pathways like Herpes simplex infection and Influenza A were found in the line 63 spleen tissues, whereas metabolic-related pathways and DNA replication could only be observed in the line 72 chickens. Our research renders new perceptions of the MD progression mechanism and beckons further gene function studies into MD resistance.