Mapping Cytokine Genes in Food Animals

This chapter discusses: the correlation between cytokine expression and the resistance or susceptibility to specific diseases; techniques used to genetically map the chromosomal location of specific genes; and the status of the genetic mapping of cytokine and cytokine receptor genes for economically important animal species. In addition to the delineation of the cytokine cascades that mediate protection against pathogenic challenge, it is also required that the molecular mechanisms that control these networks be identified. Comparative molecular genetic analyses of agriculturally important animals is expanding and has identified conserved linkage groups and established the location of many genes, including several cytokine genes. Cytokine receptors are initially divided based on the presence or absence of intrinsic tyrosine kinase activity. The biggest obstacle in generating genetic maps in livestock is the production of suitable reference families that can be used to identify polymorphic cytokine alleles for subsequent analyses of correlation with specific traits.