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Chicken IL-6 is a heat-shock gene
Ramachandran Prakasam1, Mitsuaki Fujimoto, Ryosuke Takii
1Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Yamaguchi University School of Medicine, Minami-Kogushi 1-1-1, Ube 755-8505, Japan.
FEBS Letters
|September 24, 2013
Summary
Avian heat shock factor 3 (HSF3) activates interleukin-6 (IL-6) production during fever in chickens. This HSF3-IL-6 pathway creates a positive feedback loop, unlike the negative regulation seen in mammals.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Cellular stress response
- Comparative physiology
Background:
- Fever is a key immune response in vertebrates, involving pyrogenic cytokines like IL-6.
- Mammalian Heat Shock Factor 1 (HSF1) typically suppresses fever by inhibiting pyrogenic cytokine expression.
- Understanding fever regulation differences between species is crucial for comparative immunology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of avian Heat Shock Factor 3 (HSF3) in fever regulation.
- To compare the febrile response mechanisms in avian and mammalian cells.
- To elucidate the specific interactions of HSF3 with cytokines like IL-6 during heat shock.
Main Methods:
- Utilized chicken cell cultures to study cellular responses to heat shock.
- Investigated the binding and activation capabilities of HSF3 on the IL-6 gene promoter.
- Analyzed the differential regulation of fever-related genes (IL-6, IL-1β, ATF3) in avian versus mammalian systems.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated that avian HSF3 directly binds to and activates IL-6 gene expression during heat shock in chicken cells.
- Observed distinct regulatory patterns for IL-1β and ATF3 in chicken cells compared to mammalian cells.
- Identified a novel HSF3-IL-6 positive feedback loop in the avian febrile response.
Conclusions:
- The HSF3-IL-6 pathway acts as a feed-forward circuit, potentially exacerbating fever in birds.
- Significant differences exist in the molecular mechanisms of fever regulation between avian and mammalian species.
- This study reveals a unique aspect of avian immune response to thermal stress and infection.
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