Gene expression profile of chicken lung in response to Avian influenza virus challenge in broiler chickens

To determine the host response to AIV in chicken lungs, a whole chicken genome array was used to analyze RNA isolated from chicken lungs infected with AIV (4dpi) or medium control (NS). Dual-color, direct comparisons were carried between AIV infected and non-infected controls. Each comparison includes four biological replicates. There were 508 mRNAs (347 down-regulated) were differentially expressed following AIV infection. From the results, MX1, IL-8, IRF-7, TNFRS19 are identified as strong candidate genes involved in regulating the host response to AIV infection in the lungs of broiler chickens. Further gene specific knock-down assay is warranted to elucidate underlying mechanism of AIV infection regulation in the chicken. Dual-color, common reference comparisons were carried between AIV infected and non-infected controls. Four biological replicates, with dye swap labeling, were included in the comparisons. Background subtracted signal intensity were collected from 4 arrays and normalized before data analysis.