319 THE VALUE OF TRANSIENT ELASTOGRAPHY AND SAMPLE SEROLOGICAL TEST FOR THE EVALUATION OF LIVER FIBROSIS IN CHRONIC HCV HEPATITIS

Abstract

and its isoform protein (DuIL-10Dexon5) that lacks one receptor binding site for IL-10R1. The aim of this study was to identify and characterize duck IL-10R1 (DuIL-10R1) and to explore the role of IL-10 signaling in duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV) infection. Methods: The open reading frame of DuIL-10R1 was obtained by RT-PCR with primers based on chicken sequence and 5′ RACE and 3’RACE from duck splenocytes. DuIL-10, DuIL-10Dexon5 and IL-10R1 transcript levels were assessed by real-time PCR in PBMC’s and tissue of DHBV-naive animals and liver of ducks infected with DHBV. Results: The predicted DuIL-10R1 protein showed an identity of 63%, 28% and 27% with chicken, human and murine homologues, respectively. Transcripts of DuIL-10R1 and DuIL-10-isoform proteins were predominately expressed in primary and secondary immune organs and lung. DuIL-10R1 transcripts were down-regulated in PBMCs following mitogen stimulation and transcripts of DuIL-10 isoform proteins were differentially expressed in the liver of ducks with congenital or acute resolving DHBV infection and uninfected, age-matched control animals. Conclusions: DuIL-10R1 has significant homology with mammalian and chicken homologues. The interaction of DuIL-10R1 with the identified two DuIL-10 isoform proteins and their individual roles in duck immune responses and DHBV infection can now be further investigated.