Abstract
Cathelicidins are a major family of antimicrobial peptides present in vertebrate animals with potent microbicidal and immunomodulatory activities. Four cathelicidins, namely fowlicidins 1 to 3 and cathelicidin B1, have been identified in chickens. As a first step to understand their role in early innate host defense of chickens, we examined the tissue and developmental expression patterns of all four cathelicidins. Real-time PCR revealed an abundant expression of four cathelicidins throughout the gastrointestinal, respiratory, and urogenital tracts as well as in all primary and secondary immune organs of chickens. Fowlicidins 1 to 3 exhibited a similar tissue expression pattern with the highest expression in the bone marrow and lung, while cathelicidin B1 was synthesized most abundantly in the bursa of Fabricius. Additionally, a tissue-specific regulatory pattern was evident for all four cathelicidins during the first 28 days after hatching. The expression of fowlicidins 1 to 3 showed an age-dependent increase both in the cecal tonsil and lung, whereas all four cathelicidins were peaked in the bursa on day 4 after hatching, with a gradual decline by day 28. An abrupt augmentation in the expression of fowlicidins 1 to 3 was also observed in the cecum on day 28, while the highest expression of cathelicidin B1 was seen in both the lung and cecal tonsil on day 14. Collectively, the presence of cathelicidins in a broad range of tissues and their largely enhanced expression during development are suggestive of their potential important role in early host defense and disease resistance of chickens.
Highlights
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are an important component of the innate immune system playing a critical role in host defense and disease resistance in virtually all species of life [1,2,3,4]
We studied the tissue expression pattern of four cathelicidins in 28-day-old broiler chickens and further examined their expression in the first 28 days after hatching
We observed that chicken cathelicidin transcripts are synthesized in a wide range of tissues and differentially expressed during the development, suggesting that cathelicidins may play an important role of early host defense of chickens
Summary
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are an important component of the innate immune system playing a critical role in host defense and disease resistance in virtually all species of life [1,2,3,4]. In addition to being antimicrobial, a number of AMPs were recently found to exert a broad range of immunomodulatory roles by recruiting and activating all major types of innate and adaptive immune cells [3,5]. All four chicken cathelicidins are capable of killing a broad range of bacteria including antibiotic-resistant strains [9,11,12,13,14]. We observed that chicken cathelicidin transcripts are synthesized in a wide range of tissues and differentially expressed during the development, suggesting that cathelicidins may play an important role of early host defense of chickens
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.