Project Number: 1265-31320-075-00
Project Type: Appropriated

Start Date: Mar 12, 2008
End Date: Mar 11, 2013

Objective:
1. Conduct comparative genomics studies of Eimeria species of economic importance and identify genetic determinants of infection and virulence. 1-1. Discover biological determinants that drive drug resistance and immunovariability. Hypothesis: Biological determinants exist in strains and species of Eimeria that can be used as a tool for precision application of controls. 2. Identify genetic sequences and gene products of developmental stages of Eimeria that are associated with host responses during infection. 2-1. Genomics driven methods of Eimeria protein discovery: Identification of genes that are expressed in distinct developmental stages of Eimeria using high throughput EST analysis. Hypothesis: Genes that are expressed by the intracellular and/or invasive stages of the Eimeria life-cycle encode proteins that will serve as good vaccine target candidates, immunomodulators, or targets for novel control strategies. 2-2. Clone, express, and characterize proteins that by their structure or function or biological properties suggest they may be important in regulation of parasite or host processes. Hypothesis: Parasite proteins exist that interact with the host to modify the host environment or to adapt the parasite to the host so as to aid development of the parasite within host cells. These proteins can be used to design novel anti-coccidia control measures.

Approach:
Obtain nucleic acid sequences from Eimeria species that have different phenotypic characteristics, such as infection and virulence, and identify genes or functional mutations associated with these variances. Using molecular methods that can identify gene sequences that are expressed during the various stages of Eimeria development, upregulated during intracellular development, or are associated with parasite-host interactions. Study the functions of these expressed gene products in parasite development and determine parasite factors that are associated with immune evasion or induction of protective immunity. Conduct studies on antigenic variation and drug resistance in Eimeria with the goal of developing genetic markers for these traits. BL1/BL2N certified 2/20/08.