U.S. flagAn official website of the United States government
                    Here's how you know **Official websites use .gov**
                            
                            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
 **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
                            
                            A **lock** (                            
                              A locked padlock                                                      
                            
                            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Menu Agricultural Research Service
						
                    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 close



Research
                Research Home
                            National Programs
                            Research Projects
                            Scientific Manuscripts
                            International Engagement
                            Scientific Software/Models
                            Databases and Datasets
                            Office of Scientific Quality Review
            Media
                News & Features
                            Multimedia
                            Briefing Room
                            Down on the Farm
                            Press Room
                            Science in Your Shopping Cart
                            Scientific Discoveries
                            Tellus
                            Under the Microscope
            About ARS
                About ARS Home
                            Staff Directory
                            Labs and Research Centers (Map)
                            Headquarter Offices
                            Organizational Chart
                            Employee Services (REE Employees Only)
                            Office of Outreach, Diversity, and Equal Opportunity
            Work With Us
                Work With Us Home
                            ARS Vacancies at USAJOBS
                            Careers at ARS Information
                            Scientific Collaborations
                            Extramural Agreements
                            1890 Faculty Research Sabbatical ProgramSearch small
                    Search
            
            ARS Home
                                About ARS
                                Contact Us




ARS Home Research Publications at this Location





- ARS National Programs
- Search for a scientific manuscript
- Search for a research project
- ARS Software
- Programs and Projects
- Collaborations
- Subjects of Investigation
- Publications

Title:   Author  item
                                            Lillehoj, Hyunitem
                                            DALLOUL, RAMI - VISITING SYitem
                                            Miska, Kateitem
                                            Tuo, Wenbinitem
                                            LEE, SUNG-HYEN - VISITING SYitem
                                            HAN, JAE-YONG - SEOUL NTL UNIVitem
                                            LILLEHOJ, ERIC - UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND
  Submitted to: Infection and Immunity
                                    Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
                                    Publication Acceptance Date: 9/29/2006
                                    Publication  Date: 11/30/2006
                                    Citation: Hong, Y.H., Lillehoj, H.S., Dalloul, R.A., Miska, K.B., Tuo, W., Lee, S., Han, J., Lillehoj, E.P. 2006. Molecular cloning and characterization of chicken NK lysin. Infection and Immunity. 110:339-347.Interpretive Summary: With increasing concerns over the use of drugs in animal production and wide spread drug resistance incidence associated with commonly used drugs, discovery of novel compounds which are naturally produced by animal's own immune system and has anti-microbial activity against wide variety of pathogens will be important. In this paper, ARS scientists describe a novel anti-microbial peptide which is secreted by bird's lymphocytes. This novel peptide called  NK-lysin is produced by lymphocytes of poultry and its production is highly enhanced during parasitic infection indicating protective role of NK-lysin in infections. 
The full-length gene encoding chicken NK-lysin was cloned and recombinant NK-lysin protein was produced. Recombinant NK-lysin protein kills chicken tumor cells and demonstrates lytic activity against coccidia parasites. 
In conclusion, the gene encoding chicken NK-lysin has been cloned and it shows a great potential as a novel immunotherapeutic agent against coccidia parasites. This information will help industry to devise a novel method to control coccidiosis.
                                Technical Abstract: NK lysin is an anti microbial and anti tumor protein expressed by NK cells and T lymphocytes.  In a previous report, we identified a set of overlapping expressed sequence tags constituting a contiguous sequence (contig 171) homologous to mammalian NK lysins.  In the current report, a cDNA encoding NK lysin was isolated from a library prepared from chicken intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs).  It consisted of an 868 bp DNA sequence with an open reading frame of 140 amino acids and a predicted molecular mass of 15.2 kDa.  Comparison of its deduced amino acid sequence showed less than 20% identity to mammalian NK lysins.  The tissue distribution of NK lysin mRNA revealed highest levels in bursa lymphocytes, intermediate levels in peripheral blood, splenic, and intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes, and lowest levels in thymic lymphocytes.  Following intestinal infection of chickens with Eimeria maxima, one of seven Eimeria species causing avian coccidiosis, NK lysin transcript levels increased 3  to 4 fold in CD4+ and CD8+ intestinal IELs.  However, cell depletion experiments suggested other T lymphocyte subpopulations also expressed NK lysin.  The kinetics of NK lysin mRNA expression indicated that, whereas infection with E. acervulina induced maximum expression only at 7 8 days post infection, E. maxima and E. tenella elicited biphasic responses at 3 4 and 7 8 days post infection.  Finally, recombinant chicken NK lysin expressed in COS7 cells exhibited anti tumor cell activity against LSCC RP9, a retrovirus transformed B cell line.  We conclude that chicken NK lysin plays important roles during anti microbial and anti tumor defenses.


Return to top


Connect with ARS Sign up


ARS Home
                            USDA.gov
                            Plain Writing
                            Policies & Links
                            Civil Rights Statements
                            FOIA
                            Accessibility Statement
                            Privacy Policy
                            Non-Discrimination Statement
                            Quality of Information
                            USA.gov
                            WhiteHouse.gov