Development of a high density 600K SNP genotyping array for chicken.

Background: High density (HD) SNP genotyping arrays are an important tool for genetic analyses of animals and plants. Although the chicken is one of the most important farm animals, no HD array is yet available for high resolution genetic analysis of this species.

Results: We report here the development of a 600 K Affymetrix® Axiom® HD genotyping array designed using SNPs segregating in a wide variety of chicken populations.

Identification, cloning, and functional characterization of the IL-1 receptor antagonist in the chicken reveal important differences between the chicken and mammals.

The human IL-1 family contains 11 genes encoded at three separate loci. Nine, including IL-1R antagonist (IL-1RN), are present at a single locus on chromosome 2, whereas IL-18 and IL-33 lie on chromosomes 11 and 9, respectively. There are currently only two known orthologs in the chicken, IL-1β and IL-18, which are encoded on chromosomes 22 and 24, respectively.

A maximum likelihood QTL analysis reveals common genome regions controlling resistance to Salmonella colonization and carrier-state.

Background: The serovars Enteritidis and Typhimurium of the Gram-negative bacterium Salmonella enterica are significant causes of human food poisoning. Fowl carrying these bacteria often show no clinical disease, with detection only established post-mortem. Increased resistance to the carrier state in commercial poultry could be a way to improve food safety by reducing the spread of these bacteria in poultry flocks.

Systems analysis of immune responses in Marek's disease virus-infected chickens identifies a gene involved in susceptibility and highlights a possible novel pathogenicity mechanism.

Marek's disease virus (MDV) is a highly contagious oncogenic alphaherpesvirus that causes disease that is both a cancer model and a continuing threat to the world's poultry industry. This comprehensive gene expression study analyzes the host response to infection in both resistant and susceptible lines of chickens and inherent expression differences between the two lines following the infection of the host. A novel pathogenicity mechanism, involving the downregulation of genes containing HIC1 transcription factor binding sites as early as 4 days postinfection, was suggested from this analysis.