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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 #281502
Title: Understanding species-dependant host response to Eimeria spp using comparative transcriptional analysis

Author
item Lillehoj, Hyun
item Kim, Duk Kyung

Submitted to: American Society of Parasitologists
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/24/2012
Publication Date: 7/15/2012
Citation: Lillehoj, H.S., Kim, D. 2012. Understanding species-dependant host response to Eimeria spp using comparative transcriptional analysis. American Society of Parasitologists. P23.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Understanding comparative host immune response to different species of Eimeria will lead to enhanced insights on the nature of pathology caused by various coccidian species. To accomplish this, we investigated relative expression levels of immune- and non-immune-related mRNAs in chicken intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes experimentally infected with 3 major species of coccidia, Eimeria acervulina, E. maxima, or E. tenella using a 9.6K cDNA microarray. Based on a cutoff of > 2.0-fold differential expression compared with uninfected controls, relatively equal numbers of transcripts were altered by the three Eimeria infections at 1, 2, and 3 days post-primary infection. By contrast, E. tenella elicited the greatest number of altered transcripts at 4, 5, and 6 days post-primary infection, and at all time points following secondary infection. When analyzed on the basis of up- or down-regulated transcript levels over the entire 6 day infection periods, approximately equal numbers of up-regulated transcripts were detected following E. tenella primary (1,469) and secondary (1,459) infections, with a greater number of down-regulated mRNAs following secondary (1,063) vs. primary (890) infection. On the contrary, relatively few mRNA were modulated following primary infection with E. acervulina (35 up, 160 down) or E. maxima (65 up, 148 down) compared with secondary infection (E. acervulina, 1,142 up, 1,289 down; E. maxima, 368 up, 1,349 down). With all three coccidia, biological pathway analysis identified the altered transcripts as belonging to the categories of "Disease and Disorder" and "Physiological System Development and Function". Sixteen intracellular signaling pathways were identified from the differentially expressed transcripts following Eimeria infection, with the greatest significance observed following E. acervulina infection. Taken together, this new information will expand our understanding of host-pathogen interactions in avian coccidiosis and contribute to the development of novel disease control strategies.