哈萨克羊是新疆古老的绵羊品种，是经过长期自然选择和人工选育形成的地方良种，具有抗病力强的种质特征。我们前期研究结果表明：哈萨克羊及其与萨福克羊杂交后代免疫指标、抗病力及羔羊存活率显著高于萨福克羊，推测哈萨克羊存在品种特异的免疫相关基因。但针对绵羊一般抗病力的分子遗传机理研究很少。本项目以哈萨克和萨福克初生羔羊为实验材料，利用RNA-Seq（RNA sequencing）技术分析绵羊品种间脾脏转录组，通过生物信息学比较分析，发现与哈萨克羊免疫反应相关的、其转录水平发生显著变化的基因，利用cDNA末端快速扩增技术（RACE）克隆候选基因的全长cDNA，通过实时荧光定量PCR（Real-time PCR）技术分析基因表达谱、基因过表达和抑制表达（RNAi）进行候选基因的功能验证，获得哈萨克羊免疫相关基因，从而明确哈萨克羊抗病力强的分子机理，为免疫的分子调控以及绵羊抗病分子育种提供理论基础。

The Kazakh sheep is an ancient breed with disease resistance characteristics in Xinjiang, which was bred by long-term natural and artificial selection. Our previous study found that the immune indices, general resistance to disease and lamb survival of Kazakh sheep and hybrid progeny were significantly higher than those of Suffolk sheep. So we speculated that the specific immune-related genes were existed in Kazakh sheep. However, molecular genetic studies of general resistance to disease are less in sheep. Newborn lambs of Kazakh and Suffolk will be used as experimental materials. The de novo assembly of transcriptomes from spleens will be carried out between Kazakh and Suffolk sheep by RNA-Seq (RNA sequencing) technology and bioinformation. By contrasting the differentially expressed mRNA, some real target gene of immune response in Kazakh sheep will be determined. The full-length cDNA of candidate genes will be cloned by rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE). The immune-related genes of Kazakh sheep will be verified by Real-time PCR for the measurement of gene expression profiles, gene overexpression and RNA interference (RNAi).The study is in order to reveal the molecular mechanism of disease resistance in Kazakh sheep，and lays the basis for molecular regulation of immune and carrying out molecular breeding of disease resistance in sheep.