Comprehensive analysis of differentially expressed mRNA profiles in chicken jejunum and cecum following Eimeria maxima infection

Coccidiosis, a protozoan disease that substantially impacts poultry production, is characterized by an intracellular parasite. The study utilized 48 one-day-old Horro chickens, randomly divided into the infected (I) and control (C) groups. The challenge group of chickens were administered Eimeria maxima oocysts via oral gavage at 21 days old, and each chicken received 2ml containing 7×104 sporulated oocysts. The total RNAs of chicken jejunum and cecum tissues were isolated from three samples, each from I and C groups. Our study aimed to understand the host immune-parasite interactions and compare immune response mRNA profiles in chicken jejunum and cecum tissues at 4 and 7 days post-infection with Eimeria maxima. The results showed that 823 up- and 737 down-regulated differentially expressed mRNA (DEmRNA) in jejunum at 4 days infection and control (J4I verses J4C), and 710 up- and 368 down-regulated DEGs in jejunum at 7 days infection and control (J7I verses J7C) were identified. In addition, DEmRNA in cecum tissue, 1424 up- and 1930 down-regulated genes in cecum at 4 days infection and control (C4I verses C4C), and 77 up- and 191 down-regulated genes in cecum at 7 days infection and control (C7I verses C7C) were detected. The crucial DEmRNAs, including SLC7A5, IL1R2, GLDC, ITGB6, ADAMTS4, IL1RAP, TNFRSF11B, IMPG2, WNT9A, and FOXF1, played pivotal roles in the immune response during Eimeria maxima infection of chicken jejunum. In addition, the potential detection of FSTL3, RBP7, CCL20, DPP4, PRKG2, TFPI2, and CDKN1A in the cecum during the host immune response against Eimeria maxima infection is particularly noteworthy. Furthermore, our functional enrichment analysis revealed the primary involvement of DEmRNAs in small molecule metabolic process, immune response function, inflammatory response, and toll-like receptor 10 signaling pathway in the jejunum at 4 and 7 days post-infection. Similarly, in the cecum, DEmRNAs at 4 and 7 days post-infection were enriched in processes related to oxidative stress response and immune responses. Our findings provide new insights and contribute significantly to the field of poultry production and parasitology.