Molecular analysis of chicken gene and transcriptional regulation.

Interferon-alpha inducible protein 6 (IFI6) is an interferon-stimulated gene (ISG), belonging to the FAM14 family of proteins and is localized in the mitochondrial membrane, where it plays a role in apoptosis. Transcriptional regulation of this gene is poorly understood in the context of inflammation by intracellular nucleic acid-sensing receptors and pathological conditions caused by viral infection. In this study, chicken (ch) was identified and studied for its molecular features and transcriptional regulation in chicken cells and tissues, i.e., lungs, spleens, and tracheas from highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV)-infected chickens. The ch-coding sequences contained 1638 nucleotides encoding 107 amino acids in three exons, whereas the duck -coding sequences contained 495 nucleotides encoding 107 amino acids. IFI6 proteins from chickens, ducks, and quail contain an IF6/IF27-like superfamily domain. Expression of ch was higher in HPAIV-infected White Leghorn chicken lungs, spleens, and tracheas than in mock-infected controls. signals regulate the transcription of ch in chicken DF-1 cells via the NF-κB and JNK signaling pathways, indicating that multiple signaling pathways differentially contribute to the transcription of ch. Further research is needed to unravel the molecular mechanisms underlying transcription, as well as the involvement of ch in the pathogenesis of HPAIV in chickens.