Transcriptomics of the Avian Immune Response in Hypothalamus, Spleen, and Red Blood Cells using RNA-seq

The goal of this research is to better understand the transcriptomic response in peripheral and neural tissue of zebra finch to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge using RNASeq. The acute phase response (APR) is the initial reaction of the immune system to infection, and is triggered by pro-­inflammatory cytokines or exposure to immunogens, such as bacterial LPS. The APR also inhibits reproduction and induces a number of physiological and behavioral symptoms, such as fever and sickness behavior. Through RNAseq, we can better understand the transcriptomic response of genes that are important for response to infection in a wild species such as the Zebra Finch. This has implications for disease surveillance programs that monitor the epidemiology of zoonotic diseases, like avian influenza and West Nile virus. We examine the transcriptomic response in Zebra Finch spleen and hypothalumus to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge; however, unlike mammals, with the exception of the camel, avian species have red blood cells that contain a nucleus, and will have gene regulation depending on the physiological needs of the organism. Therefore, we also took the opportunity to investigate the transcriptomic response of nucleated red blood cells to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge. A comparison was made of the transcriptomic response to lipopolysccharide challenge (Escherishia Coli) of Zebra Finch hypothalamus, spleen, and red blood cells using birds injected with saline as experimental controls.