Identification of gene regulatory networks associated with MDV latency and reactivation.

A shared feature of herpesviruses is their ability to enter a latent state following an initially lytic infection. Marek's Disease virus serotype 1 (MDV-1), an avian herpesvirus, is considered oncogenic as it has the ability to transform latently infected lymphocytes. Numerous lymphblastoid cell lines have been generated from tumors and lesions of MDV infected birds, which allows for an in vitro examination of the molecular mechanisms underlying MDV latency and transformation. Recent small RNA profiling studies have suggested that microRNA (miRNA), a type of small regulatory RNA, is involved in viral latency. In order to further our understanding of genes and pathways associated with MDV latency and reactivation the present study was undertaken to determine global transcriptome and miRNome changes upon viral reactivation induced by sodium butyrate in three MDV transformed cell lines, MSB1, RP2, and CU115. Integration of the transciptome and miRNome will provide a detailed view of the pathways and regulatory networks associated with MDV latency and reactivation.