Effect of Newcastle disease virus and heat stress on the chicken splenic transcriptome

In this study, we focused on two highly inbred chicken lines that differ in their resistance to Newcastle disease virus (NDV) and heat stress. Our goal was to compare the responses of the two lines to infection with a lentogenic strain of NDV under chronic heat stress to identify candidate heritable factors contributing to resistance. We used splenic transcriptome data from treated and control birds of both lines to assess this. Our results will contribute towards efforts of breeding chickens that are more resistant to NDV and other viral pathogens.