Comparative transcriptomics identifies ribosome-associated signatures associated with restricted replication of...

Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) is a highly contagious avian coronavirus causing severe disease in chickens. Cell-adapted strains replicate efficiently in continuous cell lines, whereas wild-type strains retain full pathogenicity in vivo but replicate poorly in vitro, often requiring propagation in embryonated chicken eggs, which is time-consuming and costly. Comparative transcriptomic analysis of matched 24 h post-infection datasets revealed distinct host response profiles between cell-adapted and wild-type IBV strains. These differences were mainly reflected in genes and pathways associated with RNA metabolism, protein homeostasis, and host stress responses. Notably, differential expression and functional enrichment analyses identified alterations in ribosome-related and translational processes between the two strains. Wild-type IBV infection exhibited broader dysregulation of ribosome-associated host genes together with distinct RNA processing and stress-response signatures, whereas the cell-adapted strain showed comparatively less pronounced perturbation of ribosome-related pathways. These findings provide transcriptomic evidence of strain-specific host responses associated with IBV replication phenotypes and offer a framework for future studies of viral adaptation and host-virus interactions.