dPRLR causes differences in immune responses between early and late feathering chickens after ALV-J infection

• DOI: 10.1186/s13567-021-01016-7
• Publication Date: 2022-01-08T20:02:42Z
• Authors: Guodong Mo; Bowen Hu; Qihong Zhang; Zhuohao Ruan; Wangyu Li; Jiaying Liang; Yizi Shen; Zhixin Mo; Zihao Zhang; Zhuyue Wu; Meiqing Shi; Xiquan Zhang
• Keywords: 0301 basic medicine; Receptors, Prolactin; Epidemiology; Veterinary medicine; Immunology; Transgene Expression; immune response; 03 medical and health sciences; Endocrinology; Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology; SF600-1100; Health Sciences; dPRLR; Genetics; Animals; Biology; Internal medicine; Poultry Diseases; Antibody; Immunology and Microbiology; 2. Zero hunger; 0303 health sciences; Avian Leukosis Virus; early feathering chickens; FOS: Clinical medicine; Immunity; Life Sciences; Hormone; Prolactin; 3. Good health; Herpesviruses: Epidemiology, Pathogenesis, and Management; Immune system; Avian Leukosis; Immunoglobulin M; Growth Hormone; Immunoglobulin G; FOS: Biological sciences; Medicine; ALV-J; Gene Therapy Techniques and Applications; Chickens; Spleen; late feathering chickens; Research Article; Natural Killer Cells in Immunity

AbstractTo understand the differences in immune responses between early feathering (EF) and late feathering (LF) chickens after infection with avian leukosis virus, subgroup J (ALV-J), we monitored the levels of prolactin, growth hormone and the immunoglobulins IgG and IgM in the serum of LF and EF chickens for 8 weeks. Moreover, we analysed the expression of immune-related genes in the spleen and the expression of PRLR, SPEF2 and dPRLR in the immune organs and DF-1 cells by qRT–PCR. The results showed that ALV-J infection affected the expression of prolactin, growth hormone, IgG and IgM in the serum. Regardless of whether LF and EF chickens were infected with ALV-J, the serum levels of the two hormones and two immunoglobulins in EF chickens were higher than those in LF chickens (P < 0.05). However, the expression of immune-related genes in the spleen of positive LF chickens was higher than that in the spleen of positive EF chickens. In the four immune organs, PRLR and SPEF2 expression was also higher in LF chickens than in EF chickens. Furthermore, the dPRLR expression of positive LF chickens was higher than that of negative LF chickens. After infection with ALV-J, the expression of PRLR in DF-1 cells significantly increased. In addition, overexpression of PRLR or dPRLR in DF-1 cells promoted replication of ALV-J. These results suggested that the susceptibility of LF chickens to ALV-J might be induced by dPRLR.