Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology 138 (2010) 239–240
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Preface
Cutting edge technologies in animalomics
The goal of the American Association of Veterinary Immunologists (AAVI; http://www.theaavi.org) is to develop, disseminate, and promote knowledge in the specialty of veterinary immunology. Each year, AAVI holds its annual business and scientific meeting in conjunction with the Conference of Research Workers in Animal Diseases (CRWAD). The scientific meeting held on December 7–9, 2009 in Chicago, Illinois was highlighted by two special events. The AAVI organized a special mini-symposium entitled “Cutting Edge Technologies Animalomics”. The mini-symposium focused on how the application of genomic and proteomic methods revolutionized our understanding of important host-pathogen interaction in several animal disease models of economic importance. The Immunology section of CRWAD also hosted a keynote address by the 2009 AAVI Distinguished Veterinary Immunologist award winner, Dr. Mark Estes. Dr. Estes provided an overview of his seminal research contributions in the area of bovine humoral immune responses. The reviews presented in this issue are the outcome of the 2009 CRWAD presentations and are supplemented by additional reviews from experts in the fields of veterinary animalomics. The purpose of the AAVI mini-symposium was to illustrate the utility of genomics and proteomics to scientifically advance our understanding of important animal diseases. The mini-symposium featured four leaders in the area of animalomics that showcased their latest research. Dr. Chris Tuggle from Iowa State University illustrated how transcriptomic data could be used to develop tools for predicting Salmonella shedding traits in growing pigs. In this special issue, his review describes technological developments in both the collection and analysis of molecular genetic data and the resultant contribution to our understanding of global responses to pathogen exposure in pigs. We also were most fortunate to have Dr. Manuela Rinaldi from the Bovine Functional Genomics Laboratory, USDA discuss her transcriptome profiling and network analysis of bovine and mammary gland tissues during Escherichia coli mastitis. Her review for this special issue details how transcriptomic characterization of host-pathogen interactions 0165-2427/$ – see front matter © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.vetimm.2010.10.010
can provide important mechanistic insight into host resistance to mastitis. The uses of proteomic technologies in animal health research were addressed by two other excellent scientists. Dr. John Lippolis from the National Animal Disease Center, USDA provided an outstanding overview of the utility, limitations, and promise of proteomics in animal science. Whereas his review does reveal some of the challenges and limitations of proteomic investigations that are unique to veterinary research, it is clear that this technology holds significant promise as a method to advance animal health. The use of proteomic techniques for the quantification of host biomarkers in bovine milk during E. coli mastitis was delivered by Dr. Jamie Boehmer from the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine. Her review provided for this special issue illustrates how proteomic strategies can be used for the profiling of proteins in complex mixtures, such as milk from coliform-infected mammary glands. Due to the great interest generated by the minisymposium, two other leaders in the fields of animal genomics and proteomics were invited to submit reviews for this special issue. Genomic information for chickens has increased exponentially in recent years. Dr. Shayan Sharif, along with his co-workers from the Ontario Veterinary College in Guelph, wrote an excellent review of the recent advances in transcriptome and protein profiling which allow for a better understanding of host responses to Marek’s disease. Genomic and transcriptomic data also has yielded significant advances into the genetic regulation and biology of Johne’s disease. This special issue included an insightful review by Drs. Bannatine and Talaat of the National Animal Disease Center in Ames, Iowa of how microarray technology has enabled deeper analyses of the genomic diversity among bacteria belonging to the Mycobacerium avium complex and critical host responses involved in the pathogenesis of Johne’s disease. The AAVI Distinguished Veterinary Immunologist award is presented each year to honor individuals for their outstanding contributions to the field of veterinary immunology. Recipients of the award provided scientific contributions that are widely recognized as advanc-
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Preface / Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology 138 (2010) 239–240
ing our understanding of domestic and/or wild animal immunology. Dr. Mark Estes was the recipient of the 2009 Distinguished Veterinary Immunologist award for his research in the areas of B cell development and differentiation, humoral immunity and vaccine development in cattle. His review for this special issue provides in-depth analyses of bovine humoral immune responses to pathogens of economic and public health importance and comparison with other species. This special issue provided a timely and critical review of how genomic and proteomic technologies can be used to achieve a comprehensive profile of important host responses to invading pathogens. Greater understanding of critical host-pathogen interactions could provide novel insight into the prevention and treatment of animal diseases of great economic significance. The compilation of reviews in this special issue of Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology is an example of how
AAVI-related events continue to advance the field of veterinary immunology. The contributions of both the authors and reviewers during the preparation of this special issue are greatly appreciated. Lorraine M. Sordillo ∗ College of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA Isis K. Mullarky Department of Dairy Science, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA ∗ Corresponding
author. Tel.: +1 517 432 8821; fax: +1 517 432 8822. E-mail address:
[email protected] (L.M. Sordillo)