About this Research Topic

Background

Immune transcriptome sequencing provides a comprehensive in depth understanding of the complex immune response as a whole. Single cell RNA sequencing has further revolutionized our understanding of the immune system because it provides even more detail. New bioinformatics tools and databases are now available that simplifies analysis and interpretation of data, allowing correlation of different gene expression patterns with biological function.

Most historic empirically developed vaccines are able to combat infective veterinary diseases. However, many diseases still have no effective vaccine and knowledge about the mechanism of protection is lacking. These require rational and novel vaccine design methods that require an understanding of the immune response to the pathogen. An immune response is complex and involves multiple specialized cell types and organs, microenvironments, modulating signals, gene and protein networks and functional pathways. Therefore, it is highly probable that more than one signature of protective immunity exists for a particular disease and this can be revealed by immune transcriptomics.

Transcriptomics provides insight into host/pathogen/vector interactions that can be used to guide development of effective control measures for devastating infectious veterinary diseases. For example: 1) Pathogen manipulation of the host response resulting in immune evasion or disease pathogenesis can provide novel therapeutic targets for disease treatment or prevention. Interventions that act on host rather than pathogen targets lower the risk of antimicrobial resistance. 2) Elucidating host immune responses before disease symptoms begin can provide prognostic biomarkers associated with disease outcome or indication of disease resistance and severity. These early host to pathogen exposure biomarkers have diagnostic and therapeutic potential that allows early treatment limiting disease symptoms and pathogen transmission. 3) Identification of signatures of immune response induced by vaccination (correlates of immunogenicity), and both pathogen- and vaccine-induced correlates of protection, will guide rational vaccine development toward stimulation of protective immune responses.

Therefore this is a call for research manuscripts that utilize immune transcriptome sequencing to reveal secrets of veterinary diseases that can be used to combat them.

Transcriptomics research manuscripts are welcome that provide insight into:
- host/pathogen/vector interactions
- host factors that contribute to disease susceptibility or vaccine effectiveness
- disease pathogenesis
- host immune responses before symptoms begin
- pathogen immune evasion mechanisms
- early host to pathogen exposure biomarkers with diagnostic potential
- biomarkers associated with disease severity
- modulation of immune responses by vaccination (correlates of immunogenicity)
- identify both pathogen- and vaccine-induced correlates of protection
- immunological pathways that lead to functional immunity

Keywords: Transcriptomics, Immunology, Vaccine, Diagnostic, Control, Pathogen, Host, Vector

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