A Review of the Development of Chicken Lines to Resolve Genes Determining Resistance to Diseases

Abstract

The resolution of genes that determine resistance to disease is described using chicken lines maintained at the Avian Disease and Oncology Laboratory (ADOL). This description includes a summary 1) of existing selected and inbred lines differing for resistance to viral-induced tumors, i.e., Marek's disease (MD) and lymphoid leukosis (LL), and of the use of inbred and line crosses to define relevant disease-resistant genes, e.g., TV, ALVE, B, R, LY4, TH1, BU1, and IGG1; 2) of the development of TVB*/ALVE congenic lines to establish the affects of endogenous virus (EV) expression on resistance to avian leukosis virus (ALV), and methods to detect ALVE expression; 3) of the development of B congenic lines to define the influence of the MHC on MD resistance and vaccinal immunity, for producing B antisera, and for evaluating DNA sequences of Class I and II genes; and 4) of the current development of 6C.7 recombinant congenic strains (RCS) to define the role of non-MHC genes influencing susceptibility to MD and LL tumors, immune competence, and epistatic effects of genes. The procedures of pedigree mating, to avoid or maintain inbreeding, and of blood-typing, to ensure genetic purity of the lines, are also described.

Mycobacteriosis in naturally infected ring-neck doves (Streptopelia risoria): investigation of the association between feather colour and susceptibility to infection, disease and lesions type

“…The white doves had a lower prevalence of infection, fewer infected organs affected and a different pattern of inflammation as compared with the coloured doves. These data are consistent with epidemiological and genetic studies showing immune response polymorphism to mycobacterial infections in humans and other mammals (Bellamy, 2005;Dorman et al, 2004;Barthel et al, 2000;Pan et al, 2005;Di Pietrantonio & Schurr, 2005) and in different strains of chickens (Hu et al, 1997;Bacon et al, 2000). Specific genes that have been associated with differing immune responses to mycobacterial infections include those that code for the major histocompatability receptors, cytokines, T-cell receptors, immunoglobulins and NRAMP1 (Zekarias et al, 2002).…”

Occurrence of subgroup J avian leukosis virus in Taiwan

“…Thus, the yield type might be more susceptible to ALV-J than the regular type. In layer chickens, a slow-feathering gene (K gene) is linked with EV21 (an endogenous ALV) (Bacon et al, 1988) and increases susceptibility to ALV infection (Bacon et al, 2000). The slow-feathering gene, related to breast meat yield, is only used for sexing in broiler chickens when sex separation is necessary for growing broilers in the US.…”

Genomic Variation between Genetic Lines of White Leghorns Differed in Resistance to Marek’s Disease

“…Chickens from lines 6 3 , 7 2 , and three of the RCS series (RCS-B, RCS-M, and RCS-S) were used as the DNA source for SNP fingerprinting, and chickens from the lines 6 3 and 7 2 were used as the RNA source for small RNA sequencing. The lines 6 3 and 7 2 carry MHC B*2 haplotype [43]. The RCS were developed from the lines 6 3 and 7 2 as previously described [31,40].…”