ANALYSIS OF AVIAN INNATE IMMUNE RESPONSES BY FUNCTIONAL GENOMICS: SELECTION OF DISEASE RESISTANT CHICKENS BY GENE EXPRESSION PROFILING

Using immunogenetic tools developed in our lab, identify the range of innate immune responsiveness in genetic lines of chickens. These tools will be used for the identification and removal of outlying responders by screening individual birds within a line. Thus, birds will be selected to optimize the within line immune responsiveness. Establish gene profiling of heterophils from the genetic lines by suppressive subtractive hybridization and RT-PCR. Based on the sequences cloned, DNA microarrays will be generated for use in future high-throughput screening. Utilizing chicken DNA microarrays, we will conduct high throughput screening of heterophils from (a) individual birds within existing lines and (b) lines currently under development. Using these tools, industry will be able to select birds with the desired immunological gene profile for use in future breeding programs.