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Title: Putative evidence that genes outside the MHC have a significant influence on efficacy of Marek's disease vaccine

Author
item Zhang, Huanmin
item Dunn, John
item Witter, Richard
item Heidari, Mohammad
item Bacon, Larry
item CUI, YUEHUA - MICHIGAN STATE UNIV
item SONG, JIUZHOU - UNIV OF MARYLAND
item Cheng, Hans

Submitted to: Plant and Animal Genome VX Conference Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/26/2006
Publication Date: 1/13/2007
Citation: Zhang, H.M., Dunn, J.R., Witter, R.L., Heidari, M., Bacon, L.D., Cui, Y., Song, J., Cheng, H.H. 2007. Putative evidence that genes outside the MHC have a significant influence on efficacy of Marek's disease vaccine [abstract]. Plant and Animal Genome VX Conference Abstracts. Paper #107. p. 128.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The mechanism of Marek’s disease virus (MDV) pathogenesis and vaccine protection is poorly understood. Since the great success using the very first vaccine in defeating Marek’s disease (MD) in the 1970s, the research community has been focusing on development of more sophisticated vaccines, such as bivalent, trivalent, polyvalent, and now recombinant DNA MD vaccines. However, vaccinated chickens become infected and subsequently shed MDV. Consequently the use of new vaccines derived from more virulent viruses, in turn, might accelerate the virulence of emerging MDV. Furthermore, MD vaccines appeared to lose their protection efficacy over time with regularity. To better deal with this paradox, host genetic roles ought to be carefully examined and fully considered. Our early studies showed that chicken MHC B-haplotypes influence MD vaccine protection efficiency. Our recent studies have used chickens from a series of 19 recombinant congenic strains (RCS), which share a common MHC type but differ by 1.2-5% of the genome based on a genome-wide SNP fingerprint. The differences in MD tumor incidences between vaccinated and non-vaccinated groups for each of the 19 RCS varied in directions and magnitudes. These results provide putative evidence that some non-MHC chicken genes play an important role in response to MD vaccination.