Transcription analysis of the response of chicken bursa of Fabricius to avian leukosis virus subgroup J strain JS09GY3.

Abstract Background Avian leukosis virus subgroup J (ALV-J) causes tumours and immunosuppression in chickens. The host-ALV interactions at the transcriptional level are unknown. In this study, gene expression profiling was performed to analyse the bursa response induced by ALV-J strain JS09GY3 in chickens. Results A total of 594 gene transcripts displaying differential expression during ALV-J infection were identified. These differentially expressed genes are involved in binding, biological regulation, metabolic processes ( MYF6 and FABP3 ), response to stimulus ( F13A1 and CNGA3 ) and immune system processes ( LY86 , CATHL2 , CCL4 , and OASL ), and several differentially expressed genes (e.g., ETV7 , MMP9 , and NOV ) are involved in tumourigenesis. Eight differentially expressed genes were confirmed by quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR). Based on pathway analysis, the notable signalling pathways mainly included cytokine–cytokine receptor interaction, the JAK-STAT signalling pathway and the RIG-1-like receptor signalling pathway. Conclusions The gene expression profile obtained in this study may aid a better understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of ALV-J infection in chickens.