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ARS Home » Plains Area » College Station, Texas » Southern Plains Agricultural Research Center » Food and Feed Safety Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #124454
Title: ACTIVATION OF CHICKEN IMMUNE CELLS BY UNMETHYLATED CPG DINUCLEOTIDE MOTIF OF BACTERIAL DNA

Author
item He, Louis
item FARNELL, MORGAN - TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
item Crippen, Tawni - Tc
item Kogut, Michael - Mike

Submitted to: Society for Leukocyte Biology Meetings Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/7/2001
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Unmethylated CpG dinucleotide motif is a Pathogen Associated Molecular Pattern (PAMP) of bacterial DNA. Recent studies have shown that vertebrate immune systems are able to recognize unmethylated CpG motifs and trigger protective immune responses. However, effects of CpG motif on avian immune responses have not previously been reported. Using synthetic oligonucleotides containing the CpG motif, we measured the immune responses of neonatal chicken peripheral blood heterophils and mononuclear cells and of the chicken macrophage cell line (HD-11) to CpG dinucleotide stimulation. RT-PCR demonstrates that the CpG dinucleotide motif is a strong stimulator of inflammatory cytokine IL-1 expression in heterophils and IFN-gamma expression in mononuclear cells. Incubation of heterophils and HD-11 cells with CpG dinucleotide significantly increases the level of oxidative burst and nitric oxide production, respectively. Our results demonstrate that the CpG motif is able to stimulate proinflammatory responses, up-regulate cytokine expression and increase nitric oxide production and oxidative burst in chicken immune cells.