Identification and characterization of factors involved in the resistance to Marek' s disease in chickens and wild waterfowls

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

To study the molecular mechanism(s) for the natural resistance to Marek' s disease (MD) in wild waterfowls and genetically resistant lines of chickens, the regulatory mechanisms of the expression of interferon y (IFNy), which plays an important role in the cell-mediated immunity against MD virus (MDV), were analyzed by using the conventional luciferase reporter assay system. The promoter activity was more strongly repressed in white-fronted geese than chickens when Meq, an MDV oncoprotein, was co-expressed. This result suggests that, in white-fronted geese, reduced expression of IFNy by Meq at early after MDV infection could result in the lower degree of T cell activation (activated T cells are targets for MDV) to reduce the chances for the birds to develop MD.