Abstract
Galectins play important roles in the host's innate immunity as pattern recognition receptors. In this study, the coding sequences of galectin-2 were identified from Cherry Valley ducks. Tissue distribution of duck galectin-2 (duGal-2) in healthy ducks and ducks infected with avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) was studied, respectively. The results showed that duGal-2 expression was higher in the gut, kidney, and liver tissue, and weakly expressed in the lung and brain, in healthy ducks; however, the expression level of duGal-2 was detected as being up-regulated after infection with APEC. In addition, knockdown or overexpression of duGal-2 in DEFs was achieved by small interference RNA (siRNA) transfection and plasmid transduction, respectively. The knockdown of duGal-2 led to a decrease in the expression of some inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-8, while the expression levels of anti-inflammatory factor IL-10 were up-regulated. At the same time, the bacterial load of APEC was increased after knockdown of duGal-2 in vitro. However, the opposite results were obtained in the duGal-2 overexpression group. Taken together, duGal-2 plays an important role in the host against APEC infection.
Highlights
Pattern recognition receptors (PRR) are responsible for identifying the pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs), and activating the innate immune response mainly includes the production of type I interferons (IFNs) and inflammatory cytokines [1], which is important for resisting infection by pathogenic microorganisms
The phylogenetic result shows that duck galectin-2 (duGal-2) has the closest relationship to mallard ducks and was in the same subgroup as other birds; the galectin-2 of mammals or fishes belongs to two other subgroups, respectively (Figure 1B)
Galectin-2 was identified as a novel inhibitor of arteriogenesis
Summary
Pattern recognition receptors (PRR) are responsible for identifying the pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs), and activating the innate immune response mainly includes the production of type I interferons (IFNs) and inflammatory cytokines [1], which is important for resisting infection by pathogenic microorganisms. Lectin is a protein that is widely distributed in animals, plants, and microorganisms. Galectins (S-type lectins) are evolutionarily conservative and belong to the lectin superfamily, characterized by an affinity for β-galactosides and conserved carbohydrate recognition domains (CRDs) [3, 4]. It was found that galectins were widely distributed in immune-related organs and cells, suggesting that they are related to growth and immune function [5]. Galectins are multifunctional molecules involved in cell adhesion, apoptosis [6], mRNA
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