Location: Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory
Project Number: 8042-32000-116-001-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: May 1, 2023
End Date: Apr 30, 2024
Objective:
Establish an international collaboration to understand the genetic and epigenetic bases of host resistance to parasite infections in sheep.
To identify and characterize genetic loci and epigenetic events that contribute to host resistance to parasitic infections in small ruminants for applied breeding for resilience and resistance via collaborative research between ARS and Australia Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).
Approach:
ARS desires to acquire access to genetic materials and research support from the Cooperator at CSIRO to further agricultural research supporting the independent interests of both parties. This Agreement serves as an order for research support from Cooperator in FY 23 with an option for renewal.
1. Cooperator at CSIRO will collect ear punches, blood and fecal samples from 100 lambs for the genetic analysis in the sheep populations bred for parasite resistance.
2. Cooperator will conduct experimental infections in a subset of 40 lambs during the first grazing seasons to perform phenotyping of the traits related to parasite resistance.
3. Cooperator will perform fecal egg counts and animal parentage test using genomic DNA for select animals.
4. ARS investigator will perform in-depth analyses using high-throughput sequencing and advanced bioinformatic algorithms to identify genomic loci, DNA methylation patterns, and epigenetic modification events involved in the development of parasite resistance.
The ARS scientist will participate in the challenge infection and sample collection (Experiment#2), conduct genomic DNA and total RNA extraction, high-throughput genomic studies and sequencing, and advanced bioinformatic analyses, including DNA methylation and epigenetics, to characterize genomic loci and epigenetic events that contribute to host resistance to parasitic nematode infections in small ruminants.
