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Title: BARC STATION REPORT FOR NC1004 PROJECT: GENETIC AND FUNCTIONAL GENOMIC APPROACHES TO IMPROVE PRODUCTION AND QUALITY OF PORK.

Author
item Lunney, Joan

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Experiment Station
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/6/2004
Publication Date: 1/10/2004
Citation: Lunney, J.K. 2004. Barc station report for nc1004 project: genetic and functional genomic approaches to improve production and quality of pork. http://lgu.umd.edu/lgu_v2/homepages/outline.cfm?trackID=2055

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Technical abstract: USDA, ARS, BARC, APDL contributed to the NC1004 Project: Genetic and Functional Genomic Approaches to Improve Production and Quality of Pork; For objective 2: Discover genetic mechanisms controlling animal health in pork production. BARC scientists, and members of the international SLA nomenclature committee, developed new molecular nomenclature and phylogenies for swine Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) or Swine Leukocyte Antigen (SLA) class I genes and haplotypes. Based on Bayesian analysis established SLA class I gene phylogeny to determine SLA class I loci assignements. BARC APDL scientists, with BHNRC collaborators, have expanded development of real-time gene expression assays for >200 genes for real-time fluorogenic (Applied Biosystems 7700 TaqMan) analyses. These identify markers known to influence pig health and to control vaccine and disease immunity. They established utility of sets of markers for determining T helper 1 (Th1) and Th2 immunity patterns in parasite infected pigs; infection of pigs with Toxoplasma gondii, induced Th1, interferon-gamma (IFNG) dominated immunity whereas infection of pigs with Ascaris suum caused interleukin-4 (IL4), IL5, IL13 dominated, Th2 immunity. They expanded the panel of Th1 upstream regulatory factors as well as cell subset indicators. Assays for panels of innate immune markers, e.g., NRAMP, Toll-like receptors (TLRs), IL1 have also been developed. Future uses will target gene expression patterns for help in understanding protective immunity for swine respiratory infections, e.g., bacterial infections such as Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae, and viral infections, such as porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) or swine influenza (SIV).