Chicken host response to MDV infection. RNAseq of dendritic cells from chicken lines susceptible and resistant to Marek’s Disease Virus

Bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDCs) from inbred chicken lines 6(1) and 7(2) were infected with Marek’s Disease Virus (MDV) in vitro. These lines show differential resistance to MDV, with line 6(1) being more resistant and line 7(2) being more susceptible. Upon infection, control and infected BMDCs were sorted on 1 dpi. Three separate biological replicates for each group were used for RNA preparation and subsequent sequencing. Transcriptomic analysis was carried out to determine host response to MDV in each line and identify differentially expressed genes potentially involved in viral resistance.