CD4CD25 Cells Are Essential for Maintaining Immune Tolerance in Chickens Inoculated with Bovine Serum Albumin at the Late Stage of Embryonic Development.

In this study, the role of chicken CD4CD25 cells during induced immunotolerance was tested. Properties of chicken CD4CD25 cells sorted by flow cytometry were analyzed. Results showed that chicken CD4CD25 cells express IL-10, TGF-β highly and suppress proliferation of CD4CD25 cells in vitro.

Gene Expression Profiling Reveals Potential Players of Left-Right Asymmetry in Female Chicken Gonads.

Most female birds develop only a left ovary, whereas males develop bilateral testes. The mechanism underlying this process is still not completely understood. Here, we provide a comprehensive transcriptional analysis of female chicken gonads and identify novel candidate side-biased genes.

Immunomodulatory and Anti-IBDV Activities of the Polysaccharide AEX from Coccomyxa gloeobotrydiformis.

A number of polysaccharides have been reported to show immunomodulatory and antiviral activities against various animal viruses. AEX is a polysaccharide extracted from the green algae, . The aim of this study was to examine the function of AEX in regulating the immune response in chickens and its capacity to inhibit the infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV), to gain an understanding of its immunomodulatory and antiviral ability.

Rare Deleterious PARD3 Variants in the aPKC-Binding Region are Implicated in the Pathogenesis of Human Cranial Neural Tube Defects Via Disrupting Apical Tight Junction Formation.

Increasing evidence that mutation of planar cell polarity (PCP) genes contributes to human cranial neural tube defect (NTD) susceptibility prompted us to hypothesize that rare variants of genes in the core apical-basal polarity (ABP) pathway are risk factors for cranial NTDs. In this study, we screened for rare genomic variation of PARD3 in 138 cranial NTD cases and 274 controls. Overall, the rare deleterious variants of PARD3 were significantly associated with increased risk for cranial NTDs (11/138 vs.

PRDM14 inhibits 293T cell proliferation by influencing the G1/S phase transition.

PRDM14 (PRDI-BF1 and RIZ domain-containing 14), a transcription factor, plays important roles in primordial germ cell specification and embryonic stem cell pluripotency, and supports the maintenance of self-renewal by promoting the expression of stem cell markers while also repressing the expression of differentiation factors. As a proto-oncogene, the ectopic expression of PRDM14 can enhance breast cell growth and reduce breast cell sensitivity to chemotherapeutic drugs. Conversely, knockdown of PRDM14 expression induces apoptosis in breast cancer cells and restores their sensitivity to chemotherapeutic drugs.

PRDM1 overexpression induce G0/G1 arrest in DF-1 cell line.

PRDM1 (PR domain containing 1) is a transcriptional repressor that affects the expression of numerous genes involved in cell proliferation, differentiation and metabolism. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying PRDM1-regulated gene expression in the DF-1 cell line remain to be elucidated. In this study, we explored the role of PRDM1 in cell proliferation and cell cycle by forced expression of PRDM1 in DF-1 cells.

RTN3 Regulates the Expression Level of Chemokine Receptor CXCR4 and is Required for Migration of Primordial Germ Cells.

CXCR4 is a crucial chemokine receptor that plays key roles in primordial germ cell (PGC) homing. To further characterize the CXCR4-mediated migration of PGCs, we screened CXCR4-interacting proteins using yeast two-hybrid screening. We identified reticulon3 (RTN3), a member of the reticulon family, and considered an apoptotic signal transducer, as able to interact directly with CXCR4.

Expression of stem cell pluripotency factors during regeneration in the earthworm Eisenia foetida.

Stem cell pluripotency factors can induce somatic cells to form induced pluripotent stem cells, which are involved in cell reprogramming and dedifferentiation. The tissue regeneration in the earthworm Eisenia foetida may involve cell dedifferentiation. There is limited information about associations between pluripotency factors and the regeneration.

Pigeon RIG-I Function in Innate Immunity against H9N2 IAV and IBDV.

Retinoic acid-inducible gene I (RIG-I), a cytosolic pattern recognition receptor (PRR), can sense various RNA viruses, including the avian influenza virus (AIV) and infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV), and trigger the innate immune response. Previous studies have shown that mammalian RIG-I (human and mice) and waterfowl RIG-I (ducks and geese) are essential for type I interferon (IFN) synthesis during AIV infection. Like ducks, pigeons are also susceptible to infection but are ineffective propagators and disseminators of AIVs, i.

Soluble expression and purification of the functional interleukin-30 protein in Escherichia coli.

Interleukin-30 (IL-30), or IL-27p28, is the α subunit of IL-27 constructed by Epstein-Barr virus-induced gene 3 (EBI3) and IL-27p28 binding via noncovalent bonds. IL-30 can be independently secreted and function independently of IL-27. Recent studies demonstrated IL-30 could concurrently antagonize T helper 1 (Th1) and Th17 responses and might have therapeutic implications for controlling autoimmune diseases.

Specific Inhibitory Effect of κ-Carrageenan Polysaccharide on Swine Pandemic 2009 H1N1 Influenza Virus.

The 2009 influenza A H1N1 pandemic placed unprecedented demands on antiviral drug resources and the vaccine industry. Carrageenan, an extractive of red algae, has been proven to inhibit infection and multiplication of various enveloped viruses. The aim of this study was to examine the ability of κ-carrageenan to inhibit swine pandemic 2009 H1N1 influenza virus to gain an understanding of antiviral ability of κ-carrageenan.

Changes of CD4+CD25+ cells ratio in immune organs from chickens challenged with infectious bursal disease virus strains with varying virulences.

In the current study, we investigate changes in CD4+CD25+ cells in chickens during infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) infection. The percentage of CD4+CD25+ cells in lymph organs, e.g.

RIG-I from waterfowl and mammals differ in their abilities to induce antiviral responses against influenza A viruses.

The retinoic acid-induced gene I (RIG-I) plays a crucial role in sensing viral RNA and IFN-β production. RIG-I varies in length and sequence between different species. We assessed the functional differences between RIG-I proteins derived from mammals and birds.

Function of duck RIG-I in induction of antiviral response against IBDV and avian influenza virus on chicken cells.

The avian influenza (AI) H9N2 virus and IBDV are two major problems in the poultry industry. They have been prevalent among domestic poultry in Asia for many years and have caused considerable economic losses. Retinoic-acid-induced gene I (RIG-I) is a cytoplasmic sensor of dsRNA and ssRNA.

Expression patterns of prdm1 during chicken embryonic and germline development.

PRDM1 (PR domain containing 1) is a transcriptional repressor that has been identified in various species and is crucial for cell growth, differentiation and development. However, the expression pattern and role of PRDM1 in development has not been sufficiently established in birds. We therefore investigate the spatio-temporal expression of PRDM1 in various tissues, especially in the germline, during chicken development, providing the basis for functional study.

Production of chimeras between the Chinese soft-shelled turtle and Peking duck through transfer of early blastoderm cells.

Chimeras are useful models for studies of developmental biology and cell differentiation. Intraspecies and interspecies germline chimeras have been produced in previous studies, but the feasibility of producing chimeras between animals of two different classes remains unclear. To address this issue, we attempted to produce chimeras between the Chinese soft-shelled turtle and the Peking duck by transferring stage X blastoderm cells to recipient embryos.

Transgenic quail production by microinjection of lentiviral vector into the early embryo blood vessels.

Several strategies have been used to generate transgenic birds. The most successful method so far has been the injection of lentiviral vectors into the subgerminal cavity of a newly laid egg. We report here a new, easy and effective way to produce transgenic quails through direct injection of a lentiviral vector, containing an enhanced-green fluorescent protein (eGFP) transgene, into the blood vessels of quail embryos at Hamburger-Hamilton stage 13-15 (HH13-15).

Transgenic chimera quail production by microinjecting lentiviral vector into the blood vessel of the early embryo.

In the past, several strategies have been used to generate transgenic birds. The most successful method has proven to be injection of lentiviral vector into the subgerminal cavity of the newly laid egg. In this study, we directly injected lentiviral vector into the blood vessel of HH13-15 quail embryos to produce transgenic chimeras.

Induction of immunological tolerance in chickens inoculated with xenogeneic antigens at a late stage of embryonic development.

To induce immunotolerance, chicken embryos were inoculated with BSA on embryonic incubation day (EID) 20. All hatched chickens were challenged with BSA four times at 10-day intervals, beginning at 3 weeks of age. Serum anti-BSA antibodies were analyzed and our results show that immunotolerance was obtained in the group micro-injected with 1 mg of BSA.

Contribution of blastoderm cells to Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica)-Peking duck (Anas platyrhynchos) chimeras.

The purpose of this study was to produce quail-duck chimeras by transferring stage X blastoderm cells and to detect the distribution of donor cells in heterogeneous embryos using PCR. Four experimental groups were made by transferring different amounts of quail blastoderm cells into duck recipients. In early embryonic stages, donor cells labeled with PKH26 fluorescent dye were observed in the head, neural tube and gonads by fluorescent microscopy.

Comparison of the expression of cytokine genes in the bursal tissues of the chickens following challenge with infectious bursal disease viruses of varying virulence.

Background: Cytokines are important mediators and regulators of host responses against foreign antigen, with their main function to orchestrate the functional activities of the cells of the immune system. However little is known about the role of cytokines in pathogenesis and immune responses caused by infectious bursa disease virus (IBDV). The aim of this study was to examine the transcripts of cell-mediated immune response-related cytokine genes in the bursal tissues of chickens infected with IBDVs of varying virulence to gain an understanding of pathological changes and mechanisms of immunosuppression caused by IBDV infection and the immune responses evoked.

Ontogeny of ghrelin mRNA expression and identification of ghrelin-immunopositive cells in the gastrointestinal tract of the Peking duck, Anas platyrhynchos.

Ghrelin is an acylated peptide and an endogenous ligand for the growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHS-R), and stimulates growth hormone release and food intake in mammals. Peking duck is a very fast growing species of poultry. Although the sequence and structure of ghrelin have recently been determined, the expression of ghrelin in Peking duck has not been studied.

Rapid clearance of circulating protein by early chicken embryo blood cells.

It has been speculated that free amino acids digested from proteins in bird eggs are transported to the circulation for the nourishment of the embryo. In the present study, we found that early chicken embryo protein in the serum might be utilized efficiently as a nutrient. Proteins injected into the blood of embryonic day 3 (E3) embryos were partially degraded and rapidly cleared.

Effects of 17beta-estradiol on distribution of primordial germ cell migration in male chicks.

Aim: To assess whether exogenous estradiol has any effect on migration of primordial germ cells (PGCs) in the chick.

Methods: Fertilized eggs were treated with 17beta-estradiol (E(2)) (80 microg/egg) at stage X (day 0 of incubation), stages 8-10 (incubation 30 h) and 13-15 (incubation 55 h). Controls received vehicle (emulsion) only.

Cloning and characterization of chicken SPATA4 gene and analysis of its specific expression.

The spermatogenesis associated 4 gene (SPATA4, previously named TSARG2) was first cloned from a mouse testis cDNA library and was reported to be a candidate apoptosis-related gene in male germ cells. In this study, we cloned and characterized the SPATA4 gene from chicken (Gallus gallus). Bioinformatics analysis shows that the chicken SPATA4 gene is located on chromosome 4, is made up of six exons, and contains an 860 bp open reading frame encoding a putative protein of 250 amino acids.