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
 Animal Biosciences & Biotechnology Laboratory: Beltsville, MD
 close



    Research

                    Research Projects
                                    Publications
                                    Collaborations
                                    News
                People

                    Staff Listing
                                    Careers


        


                    Announcements
                        ABBL Journal Club
                    USDA Civil Rights Policy StatementSearch small
                    Search
            
            ARS Home
                                About ARS
                                Contact Us




ARS Home Northeast Area Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) Beltsville Agricultural Research Center Animal Biosciences & Biotechnology Laboratory 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
                                            HONG, YEONG HO - Chung-Ang Universityitem
                                            Lillehoj, Hyunitem
                                            SONG, WONHEE - Non ARS Employeeitem
                                            Lee, Sung
  Submitted to: Poultry Science
                                    Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
                                    Publication Acceptance Date: 6/15/2012
                                    Publication  Date: 6/25/2012
                                    Citation: Hong, Y., Lillehoj, H.S., Song, W., Lee, S.H. 2012. Differential gene expression profiles of ß-defensins in the crop, intestine, and spleen using a necrotic enteritis model in two commercial broiler chicken lines. Poultry Science. 91(5):1081-1088.Interpretive Summary: Defensins are antimicrobial peptides of relatively small molecules with less than 100 amino acids and contribute to the antimicrobial action of granulocytes, mucosal host defense in the gut and epithelial host defense in the skin and elsewhere. Although mammals possess at least 2 different kinds of defensins, a- and ß-defensins, chickens have only one type. Chicken ß-defensins represent important effector molecules of host innate immune system and their timely production is vital in immediate defense against invading pathogens such as bacteria, virus and parasites considering birds’ exposure to dirty environment right after hatch.  There is very limited information on chicken defensins although they are known to be important host defense molecules. In this study, ARS scientists and scientists at the Choong Ang University of South Korea collaborated to study their role in necrotic enteritis (NE) disease model in poultry commercial meat-type chickens. In the United States, NE is among the most important infectious diseases in chickens and recently NE has re-emerged as a significant problem as a result of restrictions on use of in-feed antibiotics, modern practices of high-density housing conditions, and re-use of litter. The results of this study showed that  some avian ß-defensin (AvBD) are induced in  necrotic enteritis (NE).  Among the 14 ß-defensin types examined, there was a tissue-specific expression of AvBD transcripts which indicate the role of some AvBD in NE.  The findings of this study provide a groundwork for future investigation on the role of defensins in poultry diseases and will help our understanding of effector mechanisms of host defense in poultry.
                                Technical Abstract: Changes in the expression levels of avian ß-defensin (AvBD) mRNAs were evaluated in  necrotic enteritis (NE) disease model in two genetically disparate commercial broiler chicken  lines, R and C. NE was initiated in the intestinal track by a previously established co-infection model using oral Eimeria maxima (E. maxima) infection followed by Clostridium perfringens (C. perfringens) challenge. Among the 14 ß-defensin types examined, there was a tissue-specific expression of AvBD transcripts: AvBD1, AvBD7, and AvBD9 in the crop, AvBD8, AvBD10, and  AvBD13 in the intestine and AvBD1 and AvBD7 in the spleen. Two different commercial broiler chicken lines showed differential gene expression patterns of AvBD transcripts following coinfection with E. maxima and C. perfringens with R line generally showing higher expression levels than C strain chickens. Both chicken strains showed enhanced gene expression levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-17F and TNFSF15 in spleen, and TNFSF15 in intestine whereas only IL-17F was increased in intestine in R line chickens following NE infection compared to their uninfected counterparts. Although the exact interactions between defensins and cytokines in determining the nature of host innate immune responses to the pathogens of NE in chickens remains to be investigated, the differences in gene expression levels of ß-defensin and pro-inflammatory cytokines in the intestine and spleen could explain the genetically determined disease resistance and susceptibility to NE in two commercial broiler chickens.


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