Related Experiment Videos
Molecular and functional characterization of turkey interferon
1Department of Veterinary PathoBiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, St. Paul 55108, USA.
Abstract:
The turkey interferon (TkIFN) gene encodes a signal peptide and a mature protein of 30 and 162 amino acids, respectively. TkIFN mRNA expression was induced by reoviral double-stranded RNA in fibroblasts. The recombinant TkIFN protein possessed species-specific antiviral activity and in synergy with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced bone marrow macrophages to produce nitric oxide (NO). LPS or TkIFN alone did not induce bone marrow macrophages to produce significant amounts of NO, which showed that TkIFN provided one of the two signals necessary to induce NO production in turkey macrophages. Unlike the anti-inflammatory nature of mammalian alpha/beta IFNs, TkIFN augmented the LPS-induced expression of interleukin-8, a proinflammatory cytokine. This finding suggests a role for TkIFN in inflammatory conditions.
Insights
Turkey interferon (TkIFN) acts as a crucial signal for nitric oxide (NO) production in macrophages. Unlike mammalian interferons, TkIFN promotes inflammation by upregulating interleukin-8.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Virology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Interferons (IFNs) are critical antiviral proteins.
- The role of turkey interferon (TkIFN) in innate immunity is not fully understood.
- Nitric oxide (NO) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) are key inflammatory mediators.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize the recombinant turkey interferon (TkIFN) protein.
- To investigate the role of TkIFN in modulating macrophage functions, specifically nitric oxide (NO) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) production.
- To compare the inflammatory potential of TkIFN with mammalian alpha/beta IFNs.
Main Methods:
- TkIFN gene cloning and recombinant protein expression.
- Induction of TkIFN mRNA expression using reoviral double-stranded RNA in fibroblasts.
- Assessing TkIFN's antiviral activity in a species-specific manner.
- Stimulating bone marrow macrophages with TkIFN and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to measure NO and IL-8 production.
Main Results:
- Recombinant TkIFN exhibited species-specific antiviral activity.
- TkIFN, in synergy with LPS, significantly induced NO production in bone marrow macrophages.
- TkIFN alone did not induce significant NO production, indicating it provides a necessary co-stimulatory signal.
- TkIFN enhanced LPS-induced expression of the proinflammatory cytokine IL-8, contrasting with mammalian IFNs.
- TkIFN's pro-inflammatory activity was demonstrated through IL-8 upregulation.
Conclusions:
- Turkey interferon (TkIFN) plays a role in innate immunity by co-stimulating NO production in macrophages.
- TkIFN possesses pro-inflammatory properties, distinct from the anti-inflammatory effects of mammalian alpha/beta IFNs.
- TkIFN may contribute to inflammatory conditions in turkeys due to its ability to induce IL-8 expression.