Responses Of Ducklings Research Articles

Oral DNA vaccine adjuvanted with cyclic peptide nanotubes induced a virus-specific antibody response in ducklings against goose parvovirus

Background Cyclic peptide nanotubes (cPNTs) formed from the spontaneous beta-sheet stacking of peptide rings may serve as a safe and effective oral delivery vehicle/adjuvant for DNA vaccines. Aim In this study, we sought to determine if a DNA vaccine expressing the VP2 protein of goose parvovirus, adjuvanted with cPNTs, may elicit virus-specific antibody response through oral vaccination. Material and methods Forty 20-day-old Muscovy ducks were randomly assigned to two groups of 20 ducks each and vaccinated. Ducks were orally vaccinated (Day 0) and boosted (Day 1 and Day 2) or were mock-vaccinated with saline as the negative control. For immunohistochemical staining, the primary antibody used comprised a rabbit anti-GPV antibody, and the secondary antibody was a goat anti-rabbit antibody. Goat-anti-mouse-IgG was used as a tertiary antibody. IgG and IgA antibody titers in serum were analyzed by the GPV virus-coated ELISA. For IgA antibody analysis, intestine lavage was harvested too. Results A DNA vaccine, coated with cPNTs, can induce a significant antibody response in ducklings. Immunohistochemical staining of tissues from vaccinated ducklings showed that VP2 proteins can be detected in the intestines and livers for up to six weeks, confirming the antigen expression by the DNA vaccine. Antibody analysis found that this vaccine formulation was very efficient at inducing IgA antibodies in the serum and the intestinal tract. Conclusion A DNA vaccine adjuvanted with cPNTs can effectively express the antigen and can significantly induce an antibody response against goose parvovirus through oral vaccination.

Protection of Ducklings from Duck Hepatitis A Virus Infection with ELPylated Duck Interferon-α.

Duck viral hepatitis type I (DVH I) is a lethal disease in ducklings caused by duck hepatitis A virus (DHAV). Although the commercial vaccine is available for vaccination of one-day-old ducklings or breeder ducks, the disease is still prevalent due to the delayed immune response in ducklings and variable maternal antibody levels in breeder duck flocks. To explore the feasibility of duck interferon-α (DuIFN-α) for control of DVH I, DuIFN-α was expressed as an elastin-like polypeptide (ELP) fusion protein (ELP-DuIFN-α) in E. coli and purified by inverse phase transition cycling (ITC). After detection of its cytotoxicity, bioactivity, plasma stability and serum half-life, the protective efficacy of ELP-DuIFN-α against DHAV-1 infection of embryos or ducklings was evaluated using different treatment routes at different infection times. The results show that ELP-DuIFN-α was correctly expressed and purified to more than 90% purity after two cycles of ITC. The purified fusion protein had a specific anti-DHAV-1 activity of 6.0 × 104 IU/mg protein, significantly extended plasma stability and serum half-life without overt cytotoxicity. After allantoic injection with ELP-DuIFN-α pre-infection, co-infection or post-infection with DHAV-1, 5/5, 5/5 or 4/5 embryos survived from the virus challenge. After intramuscular injection or oral administration with ELP-DuIFN-α, 3/5 or 4/5 ducklings survived from co-infection with DHAV-1. After oral administration with ELP-DuIFN-α pre-infection, co-infection or post-infection with DHAV-1, 3/5, 4/5 or 4/5 ducklings survived from the virus challenge, and the relative transcription levels of interferon-stimulated genes were significantly higher than the normal control group and virus challenge control group (p < 0.01). These experimental data suggest that ELP-DuIFN-α can be used as a long-lasting anti-DHAV-1 reagent.

The phosphoproteomic responses of duck (Cairna moschata) to classical/novel duck reovirus infections in the spleen tissue

Duck reovirus (DRV) is a fatal member of the genus Orthoreovirus in the family Reoviridae. The disease caused by DRV leads to huge economic losses to the duck industry. Post-translational modification is an efficient strategy to enhance the immune responses to virus infection. However, the roles of protein phosphorylation in the responses of ducklings to Classic/Novel DRV (C/NDRV) infections are largely unknown. Using a high-resolution LC–MS/MS integrated to highly sensitive immune-affinity antibody method, phosphoproteomes of Cairna moschata spleen tissues under the C/NDRV infections were analyzed, producing a total of 8,504 phosphorylation sites on 2,853 proteins. After normalization with proteomic data, 392 sites on 288 proteins and 484 sites on 342 proteins were significantly changed under the C/NDRV infections, respectively. To characterize the differentially phosphorylated proteins (DPPs), a systematic bioinformatics analyses including Gene Ontology annotation, domain annotation, subcellular localization, and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway annotation were performed. Two important serine protease system-related proteins, coagulation factor X and fibrinogen α-chain, were identified as phosphorylated proteins, suggesting an involvement of blood coagulation under the C/NDRV infections. Furthermore, 16 proteins involving the intracellular signaling pathways of pattern-recognition receptors were identified as phosphorylated proteins. Changes in the phosphorylation levels of MyD88, NF-κB, RIP1, MDA5 and IRF7 suggested a crucial role of protein phosphorylation in host immune responses of C. moschata. Our study provides new insights into the responses of ducklings to the C/NDRV infections at PTM level.

Recombinant VP1 protein of duck hepatitis virus 1 expressed in Pichia pastoris and its immunogenicity in ducks.

The VP1 gene of duck hepatitis virus type 1 (DHV-1) strain VJ09 was amplified by reverse transcription PCR from the liver of a duckling with clinical symptoms of viral hepatitis. The resulting VP1 cDNA was 720 bp in length and encoded a 240-amino-acid protein. In VP1 gene-based phylogenetic analysis, the VJ09 strain grouped with DHV-1 genotype C. The VP1 gene was inserted into the expression vector pPICZαA and expressed in Pichia pastoris. The expressed VP1 protein was purified and identified by western blot analysis. To evaluate the recombinant VP1's immunogenic potential in ducklings, the antibodies raised in the immunized ducklings were titrated by ELISA, and lymphocyte proliferation and virus neutralization assays were performed. The results show that the recombinant VP1 protein induced a significant immune response in ducklings and this could be a candidate for the development of a subunit vaccine against DHV-1 genotype C.

Intestinal mucosal immune response in ducklings following oral immunisation with an attenuated Duck enteritis virus vaccine

To investigate the intestinal mucosal immune responses in ducklings orally inoculated with attenuated Duck enteritis virus (DEV), the kinetics of the viral load, the specific humoral immune responses, and the distribution of immunoglobulin (Ig)A-secreting cells in the intestine were evaluated. Oral inoculation with attenuated DEV stimulated an IgA-dominant response in intestinal secretions and a IgY-dominant response in the serum. The dramatic increase in virus-specific mucosal IgA 15 days after inoculation was accompanied by reductions in the DEV intestinal load, suggesting that the IgA response has a role in controlling viral replication. The kinetics of virus-specific IgA production closely correlated with the presence of IgA+ plasma cells in the intestinal lamina propria.

The Wheel-Running Response as a Valid Index of Imprinted Response in Chicks and Ducklings

This study investigated whether the wheel-running response to an imprinting stimulus is a valid index of the imprinted response in chicks and ducklings. The three following problems were studied.(1) Whether the wheel-running responses were elicited by the imprinting experience during the first few days of life in birds. (Experiments 1, 2, and 3). This problem was investigated by using two different stimuli, the red rotating lamp and the moving red cylinder.(2) Which dimension of a compound stimulus such as the moving red cylinder with tones (or without tones) controlled the subjects' wheel-running response. (Experiments 2 and 3).(3) The response characteristics of chicks were compared with those of ducklings in terms of the stimlus control. (Experiments 2 and 3).The results of this study are summarized as follows;(1) Wheel-running responses were elicited by imprinting experiences in both chicks and ducklings. That is, both imprinting stimuli (the red rotating lamp and the moving red cylinder) acquired control over the responses to them. When either stimulus was present, the birds emitted many wheel-running responses. In contrast, they emitted few responses when either stimulus was withdrawn.(2) The chicks' responses to the moving red cylinder with tones were controlled by the acoustic dimension of the stimulus. The ducklings' responses to the same stimulus without tones were controlled by the movement of the stimulus.(3) The wheel-running responses were stable among the chicks but the ducklings' responses were unstable. Some ducklings emitted many responses after the withdrawal of the imprinting stimulus. Furthermore, the responses in ducklings were much more variable than in chicks.These results showed that the wheel-running responses are a valid index of the imprinted responses, and that this index has many advantages for studying the functional relationships between the imprinting stimulus and the responses.

免疫能の発育から見たアルヒＢ型肝炎ウイルスの感染様式の差異

免疫能の発育から見たアルヒＢ型肝炎ウイルスの感染様式の差異

Alarm call responsivity of mallard ducklings: I. The acoustical boundary between behavioral inhibition and excitation.

Mallard (Anas platyrhychos) maternal assembly calls have fast repetition rates (notes/sec), which promote behavioral excitation in ducklings (i.e., vocalizing, approaching). On the other hand, maternal alarm calls have slow repetition rates, which promote behavioral inhibition (i.e., cessation of vocalizations, "freezing"). This study assesses the nature of the acoustical boundary separating these 2 behavioral states. Maternally naive ducklings were tested to 1 of 2 series of altered alarm calls that either increased or decreased in repetition rate every minute by 2/10 sec. Ducklings in control groups were exposed to a constant repetition rate for comparable periods of time. The inhibitory and disinhibitory responses of ducklings revealed that a relatively sharp acoustical boundary between inhibitory and excitatory repetition rates exists around 2.6 to 2.8 notes/sec. This transitional region happens to coincide with the range within which neither maternal assembly nor maternal alarm calls occur. Thus, there is a genuine match along this acoustical dimension between auditory perception of ducklings and the 2 major species-typical vocalizations of mallards.

The serological response of ducklings to infection withsalmonella typhimuriumas measured by the microantiglobulin and microagglutination tests

Exposure to a heavy dose of Salmonella typhimurium at 1-day-old caused a marked serological response in ducklings which was monitored for 11 weeks. The microantiglobulin test proved to be the most sensitive of three serological methods. The rapid slide test was of no value after the 4th week of infection. All the ducklings excreted 5. typhimurium during the early part of the experiment but at postmortem examination the organism was isolated from less than 50% of the birds.

Interhemispheric mediation of the following response in ducklings

The evidence for interhemispheric transfer of learned discriminations in young birds is inconsistent. In the imprinting situation, there is evidence suggesting that the discrepancy lies in the nature of the test stimuli employed. We found that interhemispheric transfer of a visual preference in monocularly imprinted Peking ducklings was not readily apparent in a simultaneous discrimination test when there was an unlearned preference for the nonimprinted object by control birds. Additional studies demonstrated that interhemispheric transfer can occur if the imprinting and novel stimulus objects are equated for their initial attractiveness. The lack of consistent transfer results in previous imprinting studies could be due to the failure to take these perceptual preferences into account.

Effect of presence of an imprinted object on response of ducklings in an open field and when exposed to a fear stimulus

This study was designed to determine whether ducklings would show evidence of attachment to a previously “imprinted” object when they were placed in an open field at 14 days of age. It was found that they did show attachment, spending considerably more time in the center of the field when the object was there than when it was absent. It was also found that when a fear object was placed in the field, half the ducklings stayed close to the imprinted object despite the fact that it meant being closer to the fear object than any duckling would tolerate in the absence of the imprinted object.

Why is the Male Wood Duck Strikingly Colorful?

Previous articleNext article No AccessLetters to the EditorsWhy is the Male Wood Duck Strikingly Colorful?Jack P. HailmanJack P. Hailman Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by The American Naturalist Volume 93, Number 873Nov. - Dec., 1959 Published for The American Society of Naturalists Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/282099 Views: 7Total views on this site Citations: 7Citations are reported from Crossref PDF download Crossref reports the following articles citing this article:Gregory S. Butcher, Sievert Rohwer The Evolution of Conspicuous and Distinctive Coloration for Communication in Birds, (Jan 1989): 51–108.https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-9918-7_2Jack Demarest, Nicholas Brecha, Richard Bronstein Interhemispheric mediation of the following response in ducklings, Physiological Psychology 5, no.33 (Nov 2013): 378–382.https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03335348Peter H. Klopfer Is imprinting a cheshire cat?, Behavioral Science 12, no.22 (Mar 1967): 122–129.https://doi.org/10.1002/bs.3830120205Peter H. Klopfer, Jack P. Hailman Perceptual Preferences and Imprinting in Chicks, Science 145, no.36383638 (Sep 1964): 1333–1334.https://doi.org/10.1126/science.145.3638.1333Peter H. Klopfer, Jack P. Hailman Basic Parameters of Following and Imprinting in Precocial Birds, Zeitschrift für Tierpsychologie 21, no.66 (Apr 2010): 755–762.https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0310.1964.tb01214.xPhilip Howard Gray A checklist of papers since 1951 dealing with imprinting in birds, The Psychological Record 13, no.44 (May 2017): 445–454.https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03393547 Terrell H. Hamilton , and Robert H. Barth, Jr. The Biological Significance of Season Change in Male Plumage Appearance in Some New World Migratory Bird Species, The American Naturalist 96, no.888888 (Oct 2015): 129–144.https://doi.org/10.1086/282215