Characterisation of chicken ZAP

•Molecular cloning and bioinformatic analysis of chicken ZAP shows high similarity to other avian species.•Chicken ZAP contains structural motifs similar to mammalian orthologues.•chZAP expression is upregulated by various viral mimics.•Induction of chZAP is triggered by viral infection.

Emerging pathogenic viruses, such as avian influenza (AI), represent a serious threat to the poultry industry and human health. The development of novel therapeutics to protect against these viruses is critical and necessitates understanding the host immune mechanisms to find new pathways for protection against virus infection. Interferon (IFN) is a major antiviral arm of the immune system and is generally the first line of defence against virus. The multiple genes orchestrated by IFN upregulation are not well characterised in chickens due to a lack of reagents and research efforts. Here we have identified chicken ZAP (chZAP), an IFN stimulated gene (ISG), that has antiviral properties in human models, and show that chZAP is upregulated in response to PAMPs. Moreover, we show that chZAP is upregulated in vivo following particular viral infections. This data will benefit further studies that aim to understand antiviral response pathways in the chicken.