Genetic Polymorphism of Avian Leukosis Virus Host Receptors in Korean Native Chickens and Establishment of Resistant Line

Abstract

Avian leukosis virus (ALV) is a highly contagious retrovirus that causes tumors and has resulted in great economic loss worldwide owing to its high transmission rate. Various ALV viral subgroups exist, with infections occurring via specific host receptors. The susceptibility or resistance of avian species to the ALV-A and K subgroups is determined by the host receptor, the tumor virus locus A ( tva ) gene, while that to ALV-B depends on another host receptor, the tumor virus locus B ( tvb ) gene. The resistance alleles of tva and tvb have primarily been identified in China, but none have been detected in Korea. We analyzed the frequencies of tva and tvb genotypes in White Leghorn (WL), Korean Ogye (KO), and Korean native chicken (KNC) breeds, and assessed the resistance to ALV subgroups. In WL, both tva and tvb had various genotypes, including susceptibility and resistance alleles, whereas in KO, tva and tvb resistance alleles were dominant. In KNC, tva susceptibility and resistance alleles were mixed, whereas tvb resistance alleles were dominant. In addition, we showed that there were differences in the splicing pattern of tva transcripts and the expression level of tvb transcripts within breeds. Finally, we confirmed that ALV resistance depended on KO and KNC genotypes by in vitro infection of chicken embryonic fibroblasts with ALV. These results highlight that some KO and KNC individuals are naturally resistant to ALV subgroups A, B, and K, and will facilitate the preservation of economically superior traits through selective breeding.