Insights into gene expression profiling of natural resistance to coccidiosis in contrasting chicken lines

Coccidiosis is a parasitic disease with major economic impact, one of whose main causative agents is Eimeria tenella. Chicken breeds display variable natural resistance to this disease. Unravelling the genetic bases of such variations could provide new clues for protection strategies. Transcriptomic experiments were conducted comparing resistant (Fayoumi) and susceptible (Leghorn) lines. Caecum and caecal tonsils were analysed. A global increase in differential gene expression following infection was observed for caecum comparisons, whereas a global decrease following infection was observed for caecal tonsils. Gene lists for infected tissues display 40 genes in common across breeds, 20 of which were specific to infected tissues. Among these specific genes, 9 belong to the 100 more differentially expressed genes of the infected caecum comparison. Gene expression networks were constructed in parallel, identifying highly connected genes. Comparing information from differential gene lists and gene network analysis allows one to highlight potential pivotal genes in the infection process, one of which was located in a putative significant QTL region for infection associated lesions.