Inhibition of calmodulin increases intracellular survival of Salmonella in chicken macrophage cells

Integrated analysis of mRNA and microRNA expression pattern reveals differential transcriptome signatures in RIPK2 over-expressing chicken macrophages infected with avian pathogenic E. coli

1. As RIPK2 (receptor interacting serine/threonine kinase 2) has been shown to to alleviate excessive inflammatory responses, the following study conducted a systematic and in-depth analysis of the mRNA-seq and miRNA-seq data from chicken macrophages with/without over-expression of RIPK2 (oeRIPK2) combined with/without avian pathogenic E. coli (APEC) infection to identify the miRNA-mRNA interaction network and potential signalling pathways involved.2. A total of 9,201 differentially expressed (DE) mRNAs and 300 DE miRNA were identified in both oeRIPK2+APEC vs. APEC and oeRIPK2 vs. the wild-type (WT). Moreover, 4,269 instances of co-expression between miRNAs and mRNAs were seen involving 1,652 DE mRNAs and 164 DE miRNAs.3. Functional analysis of the DE mRNAs in the miRNA-mRNA interaction network showed that 223 biological processes and five KEGG pathways were significantly enriched in the two comparisons. In total, 128 pairs of miRNA-mRNA interactions were involved in the identified MAPK signalling pathway and focal adhesion immune related pathways.4. Significantly, these screened miRNAs (gga-miR-222b-5p and gga-miR-214) and their target genes were highly correlated with APEC infection and RIPK2. These recognised key genes, miRNA and the overall miRNA-mRNA regulatory network, enables better understanding of the molecular mechanism of host response to APEC infection, especially related to RIPK2.

From Beef to Bees: High-Throughput Kinome Analysis to Understand Host Responses of Livestock Species to Infectious Diseases and Industry-Associated Stress

Within human health research, the remarkable utility of kinase inhibitors as therapeutics has motivated efforts to understand biology at the level of global cellular kinase activity (the kinome). In contrast, the diminished potential for using kinase inhibitors in food animals has dampened efforts to translate this research approach to livestock species. This, in our opinion, was a lost opportunity for livestock researchers given the unique potential of kinome analysis to offer insight into complex biology. To remedy this situation, our lab developed user-friendly, cost-effective approaches for kinome analysis that can be readily incorporated into most research programs but with a specific priority to enable the technology to livestock researchers. These contributions include the development of custom software programs for the creation of species-specific kinome arrays as well as comprehensive deconvolution and analysis of kinome array data. Presented in this review are examples of the application of kinome analysis to highlight the utility of the technology to further our understanding of two key complex biological events of priority to the livestock industry: host immune responses to infectious diseases and animal stress responses. These advances and examples of application aim to provide both mechanisms and motivation for researchers, particularly livestock researchers, to incorporate kinome analysis into their research programs.