养鸡业中常用的快慢羽自别雌雄因慢羽鸡含有内源性禽白血病病毒（avian leukemia virus, ALV）基因座ev21，而使其生长及抗病性能受到不利影响，这是否由于长链非编码RNA（long non-coding RNA, lncRNA）介导的宿主天然免疫出现差异引起值得研究。本项目拟从宿主角度出发，通过无特定病原鸡原代巨噬细胞的分离培养与攻毒，鉴定巨噬细胞识别ALV-J的模式识别受体、相关细胞因子表达及天然免疫信号通路关键蛋白的表达来分析宿主抗病毒天然免疫和病毒免疫逃逸机制；以转录组测序分析快慢羽鸡天然免疫反应的差异，并找到参与鸡天然免疫反应的lncRNA，研究其调控天然免疫反应的机制。旨在阐明lncRNA介导的快慢羽鸡抗ALV-J天然免疫反应差异的分子机制。这对解决近年来J亚群禽白血病普遍流行给我国的养禽业造成的严重经济损失，培育健康蛋鸡、肉鸡品种均有积极意义。

Fast (FF) and slow feathering (SF) auto-sexing was applied widely in poultry industry, however, most of the SF lines that harbored endogenous virus-21 gene (ev21) show the reduced production and slightly weaker disease resistance than FF lines. It is worth studying whether the host innate immune mediated by long non coding RNA (lncRNA) caused such differences between SF and FF chicken lines. From the perspective of the host, this project intends to study the molecular mechanism of antiviral innate immunity and immune evasion through cultivating the primary monocyte-derived macrophages of the Specific pathogen free (SPF) chickens infected with subgroup J avian leukosis viruses (ALV-J), and to identify which pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) of macrophages would be involved in sensing ALV-J and leading to subsequent key protein of innate immune signaling pathways and cytokines and type I interferon expression. The differential innate immune responses in ALV-J infected FF and SF chickens will be studied by transcriptomic approach through next generation sequencing, lncRNA involved in chicken innate immune responses will be identified, and the regulatory mechanism involved in host antiviral innate immune response will be studied in detailed and validated with genome-wide association study and in vitro reporter gene assay. This project would elucidate the molecular mechanisms of the differences anti-ALV-J innate immune responses between SF and FF chickens. It is beneficial to overcome severe economic losses caused by the widespread of ALV-J and to genetic improvement of layers and broilers.