The transcriptional changes in chicken intestines in response to C. perfringens infection

Authors: Li, Charles; Yan, Xianghe; Lillehoj, Hyun; LIHENG, LIU - US Department Of Agriculture (USDA)

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/27/2019
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: With the anticipated reduction and eventual withdrawal of antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) in agricultural animal production and increasing worldwide regulatory restrictions on the use of AGPs in food-producing animals, the development of alternatives to antibiotics (AAs) assumes a high priority. However, the withdrawal of AGPs in poultry production is found to be associated with poor performance and gut dysbiosis, and the increasing incidence of enteric infectious diseases such as necrotic enteritis (NE), one of top two priority enteric diseases for poultry industry. NE which are caused by anaerobic Clostridium perfringens (CP), is economically important diseases with total estimated economic losses over $6 billion worldwide. The molecular mechanism in host response to CP infection is not well elucidated. In this study, the host transcriptomic changes were investigated by RNA-seq post CP infections in intestinal tracts of broiler chickens. The chickens in CP group were infected by very virulent netB+tpel+ CP strain. At 24 hr post-infection, the intestinal mucosa and contents in jejunums were collected and total RNAs were extracted for RNA-seq analysis. Comparative transcriptome analysis on samples from these infected chickens identified 344 differentially expressed genes (DEG). Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment and KEGG pathways analysis demonstrated significant changes in protein synthesis, energy metabolism, and biosynthesis of metabolites. Major potential virulence factor transcripts elevated in infected chickens were also analyzed. This research will provide new insight into the host environment encountered by CP and the control mechanisms of CP, and will also produce an informative dataset for evaluation of regulatory responses driving pathogenesis and NE disease control in the future. With the anticipated reduction and eventual withdrawal of antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) in agricultural animal production and increasing worldwide regulatory restrictions on the use of AGPs in food-producing animals, the development of alternatives to antibiotics (AAs) assumes a high priority. However, the withdrawal of AGPs in poultry production is found to be associated with poor performance and gut dysbiosis, and the increasing incidence of enteric infectious diseases such as necrotic enteritis (NE), one of top two priority enteric diseases for poultry industry. NE which are caused by anaerobic Clostridium perfringens (CP), is economically important diseases with total estimated economic losses over $6 billion worldwide. The molecular mechanism in host response to CP infection is not well elucidated. In this study, the host transcriptomic changes were investigated by RNA-seq post CP infections in intestinal tracts of broiler chickens. The chickens in CP group were infected by very virulent netB+tpel+ CP strain. At 24 hr post-infection, the intestinal mucosa and contents in jejunums were collected and total RNAs were extracted for RNA-seq analysis. Comparative transcriptome analysis on samples from these infected chickens identified 344 differentially expressed genes (DEG). Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment and KEGG pathways analysis demonstrated significant changes in protein synthesis, energy metabolism, and biosynthesis of metabolites. Major potential virulence factor transcripts elevated in infected chickens were also analyzed. This research will provide new insight into the host environment encountered by CP and the control mechanisms of CP, and will also produce an informative dataset for evaluation of regulatory responses driving pathogenesis and NE disease control in the future.