Innate immune sensing of viral DNA by avian macrophages

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Chickens are a globally important food source and hence require protection from infectious diseases. The poultry industry in the UK alone is responsible for the production of more than one million tonnes of chicken meat and billions of eggs every year for consumption. This vast scale of farming necessitates that we understand which diseases pose a threat to the health of these chickens and how we can counter those threats. The use of vaccines is one a primary method used to help protect chickens from infections such as Newcastle disease, infectious bronchitis, fowlpox and Marek's disease. In order to effectively improve current vaccines or design new ones against emerging and zoonotic infections it is important to understand the fundamental mechanisms by which the chicken immune system works and how it interacts with pathogens. Such studies can lead not only to improvements in vaccine design but also to a greater understanding of immunology and virology as a whole. Indeed, the study of avian immunology and virology has lead to several important advances in both fields. In this study we aim to advance our understanding of how chicken cells detect the presence of DNA in the wrong place inside the cell. Such a mis-localisation can be a sign of infection or damage that triggers an alarm called the innate immune system to send signals into the infected or damaged tissue that something is wrong. This system is critical to fight off infections and to drive vaccination responses so understanding how it works will help in the fight against diseases such as Marek's that affect global chicken populations.