Exploring the molecular mechanisms of positive and negative regulation of apoptosis post Orf virus infection in sheep. Ovis aries

Contagious ecthyma (Orf) is a contagious disease with worldwide distribution, caused by the epitheliotropic Orf virus (ORFV), a member of the genus Parapoxvirus. In the current study, we collected the oral mucosa tissues samples (T0, T3, T7 and T15) from sheep at 0, 3, 7 and 15 days post ORFV infection, respectively. To explore the changes of comprehensive transcriptome of host cells from oral mucosa tissues post ORFV infection, the RNA-seq transcriptome comparisons were performed on these samples. It showed that 1928, 3219 and 2646 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified among T3 vs. T0, T7 vs. T0, T15 vs. T0 respectively. Through Gene Ontology (GO) analyses of the DEGs from these comparisons, it revealed that ORFV provoked the vigorous immune response of the host cells during the early stage of infection. Moreover, GO and network analysis revealed that positive and negative regulative mechanisms of apoptosis worked as whole in the host cells, in order to reach a homeostasis of oral mucosa tissues. Overall design: To explore the changes of comprehensive transcriptome of host cells from oral mucosa tissues post ORFV infection