Impacts of Salmonella enteritidis Infection on Liver Transcriptome in Broilers

To provide insight into the systemic metabolic effects of S. enteritidis infection, liver samples were harvested 10 days post infection from broiler hens. Hepatic global gene expression levels were assessed using a chicken 44K Agilent microarray. Forty-four genes were differentially expressed at a significance level of q-value < 0.05. One hundred eighty-three genes were differentially expressed at a suggestive significance level of q-value < 0.1. A predominance of down-regulation existed among significantly differentially expressed genes. A cell morphology, cell cycle, organismal injury and abnormalities network and a metabolic disease, cardiovascular system development and function, and urological disease network were created from the differentially expressed genes. Apoptosis, electron transport, peptidase activity, vein constriction, cell differentiation, IL-2 signaling, Jak-Stat signaling, B-cell receptor signaling, GDP/GTP exchange, and cytokine suppression were among the functions of the differentially expressed genes that were down-regulated in response to S. enteritidis. The effects of S. enteritidis infection on the liver transcriptome profiles of broilers reflect a predominance of down-regulation of genes involved with metabolic, cell morphology, cell cycle, urological disease, and organismal injury functions. These results provide insight into important systemic metabolic mechanisms that are active in the chicken liver in response to S. enteritidis infection. Sixteen broiler hens of approximately 5 months (8 challenged orally with 1x108 S. enteritidis on each of three sequential days and 8 mock-challenged with phosphate buffered saline) were used. Livers were harvested at 10 days post infection and stored in RNALater (Ambion).