# Investigation of an association between in vitro expression of TMEM154 and PARP14 genes and restriction of SRLV infection in primary skin cells of Carpathian goats

## TL;DR

This study explores how gene expression in goat skin cells relates to resistance against a virus that affects goats and sheep.

## Contribution

The study investigates TMEM154 and PARP14 gene expression in relation to SRLV infection resistance in Carpathian goats.

## Key findings

- Higher SRLV replication was observed in cells from goats with high proviral DNA load.
- TMEM154 and PARP14 gene expression profiles differed between high and low proviral load goats after infection.
- The genes may influence susceptibility to SRLV, but further verification is needed.

## Abstract

Small ruminant lentivirus (SRLV) infections occur worldwide in goats and sheep and have negative impact on the production and welfare of animals. During recent years, many studies have focused on the host factors that determine the resistance of individual animals to SRLV infection; consideration of such factors would be an alternative to current control programmes based on culling seropositive animals. The aim of this study was to analyse the relationship between the expression of two previously selected goat genes, TMEM154 encoding transmembrane protein 154 and PARP14 encoding poly ADP-ribose polymerase 14, and the kinetics of SRLV replication in primary skin cells of goats. Potential role of these genes as host factors determining susceptibility to SRLV infection was investigated.

Primary fibroblast cultures obtained from the skin of goats with high SRLV proviral DNA load (HPL), low proviral load (LPL) or free of infection were inoculated with the A5 SRLV subtype circulating in the flock. The course of infection was observed based on cytopathic changes in cell cultures and the presence of SRLV A5 RNA, of which the level was monitored using a quantitative reverse-transcription PCR. The relative expression of the selected host genes following SRLV infection was analysed.

The kinetics of SRLV replication differed, and distinctly higher numbers of SRLV particles were detected in cells derived from the HPL animal. The expression profiles of TMEM154 and PARP14 after in vitro SRLV infection also differed in skin cells derived from HPL from the profiles in LPL-animal cells.

The observed relationship between expression of TMEM154 and PARP14 and cell permissiveness after SRLV infection suggest their involvement in the infection process, but their utility as susceptibility factors still needs to be verified.