Turkey and chicken interleukin-18 (IL18) share high sequence identity, but have different polyadenylation sites in their 3' UTR

Upregulation of INF-γ, IL-6, and IL-8 expression during replication of turkey coronavirus in nonepithelial cells obtained from Meleagris gallopavo

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are considered multipotent progenitors with the capacity to differentiate into mesoderm-like cells in many species. The immunosuppressive properties of MSCs are important for downregulating inflammatory responses. Turkey coronavirus (TCoV) is the etiological agent of a poult mortality syndrome that affects intestinal epithelial cells. In this study, poult MSCs were isolated, characterized, and infected with TCoV after in vitro culture. The poult-derived MSCs showed fibroblast-like morphology and the ability to undergo differentiation into mesodermal-derived cells and to support virus replication. Infection with TCoV resulted in cytopathic effects and the loss of cell viability. TCoV antigens and new viral progeny were detected at high levels, as were transcripts of the pro-inflammatory factors INFγ, IL-6, and IL-8. These findings suggest that the cytokine storm phenomenon is not restricted to one genus of the family Coronaviridae and that MSCs cannot always balance the process.

Functional characterization of the turkey macrophage migration inhibitory factor

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is a soluble protein that inhibits the random migration of macrophages and plays a pivotal immunoregulatory function in innate and adaptive immunity. The aim of this study was to clone the turkey MIF (TkMIF) gene, express the active protein, and characterize its basic function. The full-length TkMIF gene was amplified from total RNA extracted from turkey spleen, followed by cloning into a prokaryotic (pET11a) expression vector. Sequence analysis revealed that TkMIF consists of 115 amino acids with 12.5 kDa molecular weight. Multiple sequence alignment revealed 100%, 65%, 95% and 92% identity with chicken, duck, eagle and zebra finch MIFs, respectively. Recombinant TkMIF (rTkMIF) was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified through HPLC and endotoxin removal. SDS-PAGE analysis revealed an approximately 13.5 kDa of rTkMIF monomer containing T7 tag in soluble form. Western blot analysis showed that anti-chicken MIF (ChMIF) polyclonal antisera detected a monomer form of TkMIF at approximately 13.5 kDa size. Further functional analysis revealed that rTkMIF inhibits migration of both mononuclear cells and splenocytes in a dose-dependent manner, but was abolished by the addition of anti-ChMIF polyclonal antisera. qRT-PCR analysis revealed elevated transcripts of pro-inflammatory cytokines by rTkMIF in LPS-stimulated monocytes. rTkMIF also led to increased levels of IFN-γ and IL-17F transcripts in Con A-activated splenocytes, while IL-10 and IL-13 transcripts were decreased. Overall, the sequences of both the turkey and chicken MIF have high similarity and comparable biological functions with respect to migration inhibitory activities of macrophages and enhancement of pro-inflammatory cytokine expression, suggesting that turkey and chicken MIFs would be biologically cross-reactive.

Identification and analysis of divergent immune gene families within the Tasmanian devil genome

Background

The Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) is being threatened with extinction in the wild by a disease known as devil facial tumour disease (DFTD). In order to prevent the spread of this disease a thorough understanding of the Tasmanian devil immune system and its response to the disease is required. In 2011 and 2012 two genome sequencing projects of the Tasmania devil were released. This has provided us with the raw data required to begin to investigate the Tasmanian devil immunome in depth. In this study we characterise immune gene families of the Tasmanian devil. We focus on immunoglobulins, T cell receptors and cytokine families.

Results

We identify and describe 119 cytokines including 40 interleukins, 39 chemokines, 8 interferons, 18 tumour necrosis family cytokines and 14 additional cytokines. Constant regions for immunoglobulins and T cell receptors were also identified. The repertoire of genes in these families was similar to the opossum, however devil specific duplications were seen and orthologs to eutherian genes not previously identified in any marsupial were also identified.

Conclusions

By using multiple data sources as well as targeted search methods, highly divergent genes across the Tasmanian devil immune system were identified and characterised. This understanding will allow for the development of devil specific assays and reagents and allow for future studies into the immune response of the Tasmanian devil immune system to DFTD.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-015-2206-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Acquisition of immunity to the protozoan parasite Eimeria adenoeides in turkey poults and cellular responses to infection

Newly hatched turkey poults were infected with 10(2) oocysts of Eimeria adenoeides and subsequently reinfected with 10(3) and 10(4) oocysts at 6 and 12 d of age, respectively. Three peaks in oocyst production were observed in the feces of poults following this series of infections. A second group of poults given the same dosing regimen was challenged with 5 × 10(4) oocysts/poult at different times to evaluate the acquisition of immunity. Judging by weight gain and mortality, no protection had been acquired at 6 d of age, but partial protection was observed by 12 and 18 d of age. A third group of poults were also infected with 10(2) oocysts and subsequently reinfected with 10(3) and 10(4) oocysts at 6 and 12 d of age to evaluate cellular immune responses to infection. Sections of ceca from infected poults showed a significantly higher leukocyte infiltration on d 6, 10, 12, 16, and 18 after infection than uninfected controls. The percent area occupied by CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocytes in the ceca, as assessed by immunohistochemistry, was significantly elevated in infected poults on d 12, 16, and 18. The relative expression of chemokine CXCLi2, and cytokines IL1β, IFNγ, IL10, IL13, IL2, IL12b, and IL18 was measured by real-time reverse-transcription PCR. The expression of CXCLi2 and IL10 was found to be elevated on d 12, and IFNγ on d 10, 12, and 16. Expression of IL13 and IL18 was increased on d 10 and IL2 on d 10 and 16, and that of IL12b on d 16 in infected poults. Increase in the infiltration of leukocytes, percent area occupied by CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocytes, and changes in the relative expression of cytokines in the ceca characterize the dynamics of immune responses in turkey poults infected with E. adenoeides early in life.

Development of reagents to study the turkey's immune response: cloning and characterisation of two turkey cytokines, interleukin (IL)-10 and IL-13

The cDNAs of two turkey cytokines, interleukin (IL)-10 and IL-13, were cloned using oligonucleotide primers designed from their chicken orthologues. The coding regions of the chicken and turkey genes are highly conserved, with IL-10 and IL-13 exhibiting 94.1% and 90% nucleotide and 92% and 79.9% amino acid identity respectively. Both showed consistent mRNA expression in turkey lymphoid and gut tissues. Expression in non-lymphoid tissues was more variable but generally highest in the skin and trachea. Recombinant turkey IL-10 was expressed and bioactivity demonstrated by inhibition of IFN-γ synthesis from activated splenocytes. Chicken and turkey IL-10 cross-reacted in functional assays.

Nitric oxide inducing function and intracellular movement of chicken interleukin-18 in cultured cells

To evaluate the characteristics of chicken interleukin-18 (ChIL-18) in different forms in vitro, the ChIL-18 full-length gene (ChIL-18-F) and the ChIL-18 presumed mature protein gene (ChIL-18-M) were cloned and inserted into the eukaryotic expression vector pCI, to construct recombinant pCI-ChIL-18-F and pCI-ChIL-18-M. The recombinant plasmids were then transferred into chicken splenic lymphocytes (CSLs). Western blot showed that ChIL-18-F, with a molecular weight of 23.0 kDa, was produced in CSLs transfected by pCI-ChIL-18-F; ChIL-18-M, with a molecular weight of 19.5 kDa, was produced in CSLs transfected by pCI-ChIL-18-M. The nitric oxide (NO) level in the transfected CSLs and the culture medium at different time points was further examined under confocal microscopy using 4,5-diaminofluorescein staining. The results showed that both pCI-ChIL-18-F and pCI-ChIL-18-M groups showed significant increase in intracellular and extracellular NO production compared with pCI transfected control cells. These results suggest that both ChIL-18-F and ChIL-18-M could stimulate NO secretion in CSLs. To characterize the intracellular distribution of ChIL-18, ChIL-18-F and ChIL-18-M were each fused to the enhanced green fluorescent protein gene, and expressed in Vero cells. The results showed that the ChIL-18-F tended to the membranous region in Vero cells, while ChIL-18-M did not. This indicates that the N-terminal 27 amino acid peptide helped ChIL-18 target to Vero cell membranes.

Molecular Characterization of Major Histocompatibility Complex Class I (B-F) mRNA Variants from Chickens Differing in Resistance to Marek's Disease

In this study, the relative distributions of two alternatively polyadenylated chicken major histocompatibility complex (MHC) mRNA isoforms of approximately 1.5 and 1.9 kb were analysed in spleen cells from chickens homozygous for the MHC haplotypes B21 and B19v1 as well as in heterozygous B19v1/B21 birds. Both isoforms are likely to encode classical MHC class I (B-F) alpha chains. The B19v1 and B21 MHC haplotypes confer different levels of protection against Marek's disease (MD), which is caused by infection with MD virus (MDV). In spleen cells, MD-resistant B21 birds were shown to have the highest percentage of the 1.5 kb variant relative to the total MHC class I expression, MD-susceptible B19v1 birds the lowest and B19v1/B21 birds an intermediate percentage. Infection of 4-week-old chickens with the GA strain of MDV was shown to cause a significant increase in the relative amount of 1.5 kb transcripts in B21 birds 32 days postinfection (dpi). Alternatively polyadenylated mRNA isoforms may encode identical proteins, but differences in the 3' untranslated region (UTR) can influence polyadenylation, mRNA stability, intracellular localization and translation efficiency. It was shown that the increased 1.5 kb percentage in B21 birds 32 days postinfection may be a result of a change in the choice of poly(A) site rather than a locus-specific upregulated transcription of the BF1 gene that preferentially expresses the 1.5 kb variant. Furthermore, the 3' end of the 1.5 kb mRNA variants deriving from B19v1 and B21 chickens was characterized by Rapid Amplification of cDNA Ends (RACE) and sequencing. No potentially functional elements were identified in the 3' UTR of the RACE products corresponding to this short isoform. However, variation in polyadenylation site was observed between the BF1 and BF2 mRNA transcripts and alternative splicing-out of the sequence (exon 7) encoding the second segment of the cytoplasmic part of the mature BF2*19 molecules. This alternative exon 7 splice variant was also detected in other MD-susceptible haplotypes, but not in the MD-resistant B21 and B21-like haplotypes, suggesting a potential role of exon 7 in MHC-related MD resistance.

Avian interleukin-12beta (p40): cloning and characterization of the cDNA and gene

We isolated the chicken interleukin-12 (ChIL-12) p40 cDNA from a concanavalin A (ConA)-stimulated spleen cDNA library using the PCR with primers based on a partial 3' EST sequence in a chicken EST library. The cDNA encodes a polypeptide of 315 amino acids (aa), with a predicted mature peptide of 300 aa. ChIL-12 p40 has 46% and 41% amino acid identity with human (HuIL-12) and murine IL-12 (MuIL-12) p40, respectively. We also isolated a partial turkey IL-12 (TuIL-12) p40 cDNA sequence with 95% predicted aa identity with ChIL-12 p40. The structures of the ChIL-12 p40 gene and its promoter were determined by direct sequencing of a chicken BAC identified by hybridization with the cDNA. The gene structures of HuIL-12, MuIL-12, and ChIL-12 p40 all differ. The promoter of the ChIL-12 p40 gene shares some (an ETS consensus sequence, a C/EBP binding site, and a TATA box) but not all (an NF-kappaB binding site and a GA12 site are absent) of the transcription factor binding sites identified in the human and murine promoters. IL-12 p40 mRNA expression was identified in a wide variety of tissues and in B, T, and macrophage cell lines by RT-PCR.

Identification and expression analysis of an IL-18 homologue and its alternatively spliced form in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

A homologue of interleukin 18 has been identified from rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss. The trout IL-18 gene spans 3.7 kb and consists of six exons and five introns, sharing the same gene organization with its human counterpart. The putative translated protein is 199 amino acids in length with no predicted signal peptide. Analysis of the multiple sequence alignment reveals a conserved ICE cut site, resulting in a mature peptide of 162 amino acids. The trout IL-18 shares 41-45% similarity with known IL-18 molecules and contains an IL-1 family signature motif. It is constitutively expressed in a wide range of tissues including brain, gill, gut, heart, kidney, liver, muscle, skin and spleen. Transcription is not modulated by lipopolysaccharide, poly(I:C) or trout recombinant IL-1beta in primary head kidney leucocyte cultures and RTS-11 cells, a macrophage cell line. However, expression is downregulated by lipopolysaccharide and rIL-1beta in RTG-2 cells, a fibroblast-like cell line. An alternatively spliced form of IL-18 mRNA has also been found and translates into a 182 amino acid protein with a 17 amino acid deletion in the precursor region of the authentic form. This alternatively spliced form is also widely expressed although much lower than the authentic form. Interestingly, its expression is upregulated by lipopolysaccharide and poly(I:C), but is not affected by rIL-1beta in RTG-2 cells. The present study suggests that alternative splicing may play an important role in regulating IL-18 activities in rainbow trout.

Myosin light chain genes in the turkey (Meleagris gallopavo)

Myosin light chains associate with the motor protein myosin and are believed to play a role in the regulation of its actin-based ATPase activity. Myosin light chain cDNA clones from the turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) were isolated and sequenced. One sequence corresponded to an alternative transcript, the skeletal muscle essential light chain (MYL1 isoform 1) and a second to the smooth muscle isoform of myosin light chain (MYL6). The DNA and predicted amino acid sequences of both light chain genes were compared to that of the chicken. Based on the cDNA sequence, oligonucleotide primers were designed to amplify genomic DNA from six of the seven introns of the MYL1 gene. Approximately 5 kb of DNA was sequenced (introns and 3' UTR) and evaluated for the presence of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). SNPs were verified by sequencing common intron regions from multiple individuals and three polymorphisms were used to genotype pedigreed families. MYL1 is assigned to a turkey linkage group that corresponds to a region of chicken chromosome 7 (GGA7). The results of this study provide genomic reagents for comparative studies of avian muscle components and muscle biology.