Project description:We report the transcriptomes of 10 different chicken (Gallus gallus) cell/tissue types. The goal of this project was to determine similarities and differences between different cell/tissue types, with respect to protein coding genes, lncRNA, isoform counts, and differential gene expression. We provide raw data and bigWig files for UCSC visualization. The findings described here will be useful towards a complete annotation of chicken tissue and cellular transcriptomes.
Project description:The existence of conventional dendritic cells (cDCs) has not yet been demonstrated outside mammals. In this paper, we identified bona fide cDCs in chicken spleen. Comparative profiling of global and of immune response gene expression, morphology, and T cell activation properties show that cDCs and macrophages (MPs) exist as distinct mononuclear phagocytes in chicken, resembling their human and mouse cell counterparts. Using computational analysis, core gene expression signatures for cDCs, MPs, T and B cells across chicken, human and mouse were established, which will facilitate the identification of these subsets in other vertebrates. Overall this study, by extending the newly uncovered cDC and MP paradigm to chicken, suggests that the generation of these two phagocyte lineages occurred before the reptile to mammal and bird transition in evolution. It opens avenues for the design of new vaccines and neutraceuticals that are mandatory for the sustained supply of poultry products in the expanding human population.
