Abstract
Specificity, antibody isotype distribution and levels of natural antibodies (NAb) may be potential informative parameters for immune mediated natural disease resistance, immune modulation, and maintenance of physiological homeostasis. A large proportion of mammalian NAb have affinity for or are directed against self-antigens; so called natural auto antibodies (N(A)Ab). In the present study we showed the presence and typed levels and isotypes (total immunoglobulins, IgG and IgM) of N(A)Ab in plasma binding the ‘auto-antigen’ complex chicken liver cell lysate (CLL) of one-year old chickens from different genotype and phenotype backgrounds by ELISA and quantitative Western blotting. Higher levels of N(A)Ab binding CLL were found in plasma from chickens genetically selected for high specific antibody responses. In all birds, extensive staining patterns of plasma antibodies binding CLL were found for all isotypes, with IgG binding the highest number of CLL antigens and also showing the highest variation in staining patterns between individuals. Patterns of IgM antibodies binding CLL appeared to be more similar in all lines. Significant differences of binding patterns of N(A)Ab (antigen fragments of CLL and staining intensity) were detected between the different chicken lines, and lines could be clustered on the basis of their auto-antibody profile. In addition, also individual differences within lines were found. The present results indicate that analysis of the levels and the N(A)Ab repertoire of poultry like in mammals could provide a new way of distinguishing differences of immune competence and immune maturation between individuals, and could provide tools to select birds for health traits, or optimize hygiene and husbandry procedures.
Highlights
Natural antibodies (NAb) are defined as antibodies present in normal healthy animals under the absence of deliberate antigenic stimulation or infection [1,2]
In a previous study [19], we described the presence of antigenbinding antibodies in healthy non-immunized chickens from lines selected for high or low specific antibody responses to sheep red blood cells (SRBC)
The levels of natural antibodies binding various antigens as determined by ELISA differed between the three selection lines
Summary
Natural antibodies (NAb) are defined as antibodies present in normal healthy animals under the absence of (previous) deliberate antigenic stimulation or infection [1,2]. Levels and isotypes of NAb in fish [3], cattle [4] and poultry [5] were suggested to be potential informative immune parameters for natural disease resistance Because of their capacity to bind a wide range of evolutionary conserved but not chemically related molecules, NAb were regarded as (specific) part of the innate immune system, which provides effective and broad protection without previous exposure to a pathogen [2,6,7,8]. Auto-IgG patterns contained the same bands as IgM with the addition of more specific bands Such IgG patterns were not expanding with age and remained stable at a young age [15]. Mice from different genetic strains [18] showed different auto-antibody binding profiles suggesting a genetic component underlying the N(A)Ab repertoire
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