PRRS CAP HOST GENETICS: CHARACTERIZATION OF HOST FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO PRRS DISEASE RESISTANCE AND SUSCEPTIBILITY

Continued losses to the pig industry from porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) make it imperative to search for alternative PRRS control practices. This grant proposes to use state-of-the-art whole genome association analyses to identify the genetic determinants of resistance/susceptibility of commercial U.S. swine to PRRSV infection. We will address PRRS coordinated agricultural project (CAP2) Objective 3: Characterize host factors that contribute to PRRS disease resistance and susceptibility (host genetics). The primary samples to be tested will be those collected through the National Pork Board-funded PRRS Host Genomic Consortium (PHGC), a national effort to collect phenotypic data to assess the role of genetics in determining pig resistance to PRRSV infection and related pathology and growth effects. DNA samples from PHGC pigs will be genotyped with the newly developed 60K single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) chips. Obj.3.1. addresses research on immunity and vaccination using gene expression analyses to reveal new PRRS response pathways that can be targeted for vaccines, drugs, and biotherapeutics to prevent and treat PRRSV infections. Obj.3.2. will use whole genome association studies to reveal new genetic alleles associated with PRRS resistance/susceptibility. The extensive genomic (SNP) analyses will find allele variants that determine resistance/susceptibility of commercial U.S. swine to PRRSV infection.