Effect of the melatonin nuclear receptor RORα on monochromatic light-induced T-lymphocyte proliferation in chicken thymus.

Present study clarified role of melatonin nuclear receptor RORα in monochromatic light-induced T-lymphocyte proliferation in chicks. Green light elevated plasma melatonin level and organ index, T-lymphocyte proliferation and IL-2 production in thymus, but decreased RORα, p-P65 and p-IκB expressions relative to red light. By contrast, pinealectomy decreased the melatonin content and reversed the stimulatory effect of green light, and resulted in that these thymus parameters were not significantly different among the light-treated groups. Exogenous melatonin supplementation enhanced T-lymphocyte proliferation and IL-2 production in cultured thymocytes. This stimulatory effect of melatonin was reversed by RORα agonist but was enhanced by RORα antagonist. In contrast to RORα antagonist, RORα agonist decreased cytoplasmic P65 level and increased nuclear P65 level. Supplementation with P65 antagonist increased T-lymphocyte proliferation. We conclude that RORα could negatively regulate green light-enhanced T-lymphocyte proliferation in chick thymus by upregulating IκB phosphorylation, which promotes P65 nuclear translocation and NF-κB activation.

Effects of pidotimod soluble powder and immune enhancement of Newcastle disease vaccine in chickens.

The aims of this study were to prepare pidotimod (PDM) soluble powder and to investigate the immune enhancement properties of PDM in chickens vaccinated with Newcastle disease virus vaccine. In vivo experiment, 360 6-day-old chickens were averagely divided into 6 groups. The chickens, except blank control (BC) group, were vaccinated with Newcastle disease vaccine (NDV). At the same time of the vaccination, the chickens in three PDM groups were given water with PDM for 5days, respectively, with the PDM at low, medium and high concentrations (0.25g/L, 0.5g/L, 1g/L), in control drug group was treated with 0.2ml/PDM dose via drinking water, in vaccination control (VC) and BC group, with equal volume physiological saline, once a day for five successive days. On days 14, 21 and 28 after the vaccination, the growth performance, the lymphocyte proliferation, serum antibody titer, the CD4/CD8 cell ratios and interleukin-2 (IL-2) and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) were measured. The results showed that PDM at suitable dose could significantly promote growth performance, lymphocyte proliferation, enhance serum antibody titer, CD4/CD8 cell ratios and improve serum IL-2 and IFN-γ concentrations. It indicated that PDM could significantly improve the immune efficacy of Newcastle disease vaccine using doses of 0.5g/L, these results are consistent with the drug acting as an immunopotentiator.

Pro-Cognitive Properties of the Immunomodulatory Polypeptide Complex, Yolkin, from Chicken Egg Yolk and Colostrum-Derived Substances: Analyses Based on Animal Model of Age-Related Cognitive Deficits.

The study aimed to assess the effect of the polypeptide Y complex (Yolkin), isolated from chicken egg yolk, on behavioural and cognitive functions. It also aimed to compare this activity with colostrum-derived substances (Colostrinin, Coloco), which have a confirmed impact on learning and memory. In the study, the effect of Yolkin, administered to rats of different ages, who performed various tasks involving spatial and episodic memory, motor functions and exploratory behavior, was assessed. The experiment was carried out in rats which were 6 and 12 months old. Two different doses of the studied specimens based on previous comparative studies and two different routes of administration (oral and retroperitoneal) were used. A series of behavioural tests were carried out, including an open field test, a novel object recognition test and a Morris water maze. They were used to evaluate the impact of the studied specimen on improving locomotor function and exploratory behaviour, preventing their decline and assess the functioning of episodic and spatial memory in aging rats. The administration of Yolkin gave distinct effects compared to colostrum-derived substances, although confirmed its suggested pro-cognitive action. Therefore, it may be used to enhance cognitive functions and inhibit the progression of dementia in the course of neurodegenerative disorders.

Hyaluronic acid viscosupplements from avian and non-mammalian sources exhibit biocompatibility profiles with unique, source-specific, antigenic profiles.

The objective of this study was to evaluate and compare the biocompatibility profiles of hyaluronic acid (HA) viscosupplements from avian and non-mammalian sources. Inflammatory and immune reactions were assessed in models of both clinically relevant and stringent immunological exposure conditions. Experiments were conducted to evaluate tissue reactions and immunological responses and assess antibody formation with the capacity to bind directly to and cross-react with the different viscosupplements. Mice were exposed to viscosupplements using the air pouch inflammation model and specific immunization using Freund's complete adjuvant (FCA). Murine pouch membrane tissue reactions revealed generally mild to moderate responses, with cellular infiltration and cytokine profiles of pouch tissue characteristic of predominantly fibroblastic responses rather than marked inflammatory reactions. In vitro testing indicated that pouch injections did not elicit detectable T-cell proliferative responses, while antibody assays revealed that mice immunized with viscosupplements in FCA and subsequently boosted were capable of mounting an antibody response with a range of specificities. High reactivity to avian serum albumin was seen in sera from mice injected with HA from an avian source, while low positive reactivity to the bacterial antigen Staphylococcal Lipotechoic Acid was observed in sera from mice injected with HA from bacterial sources. These specificities did not indicate any propensity to cross-react, suggesting that patients with adverse immune responses to HA from an avian source should be unresponsive to subsequent injection with HA from a non-avian source. Overall, the findings demonstrate that viscosupplements exhibit good biocompatibility profiles in the murine air pouch, but when provoked to elicit immunological reactions exhibit unique antigenic spectra. These findings suggest that an immunologically mediated immune reaction directed against avian proteins should not necessarily be a contraindication for the administration of non-avian viscosupplements.

Localization of circadian clock protein BMAL1 in the photoperiodic signal transduction machinery in Japanese quail.

The circadian clock is a fundamental property of living organisms and is involved in seasonal (photoperiodic) time measurement. Among vertebrates, birds have multiple circadian pacemakers in the eye, the pineal gland, and the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), and have highly sophisticated photoperiodic mechanisms. However, because the removal of these circadian pacemakers fails to abolish the photoperiodic response, the existence of another "photoperiodic clock" has been suggested. Recent studies have revealed that the mediobasal hypothalamus (MBH) and the adjacent pars tuberalis (PT) of the pituitary gland constitute key components of the photoperiodic signal transduction machinery. In the present study, we generated a polyclonal antibody against the chicken circadian clock protein BMAL1 to examine BMAL1 distribution in the Japanese quail brain by using immunohistochemistry. BMAL1-like immunoreactivity (lir) was confirmed in the pineal gland and the medial SCN, which are critical circadian pacemakers. We also observed strong immunoreactivity in the MBH, including the ependymal cells (ECs), the infundibular nucleus (IN), the median eminence (ME), and the adjacent PT. Furthermore, semiquantitative analysis suggested that BMAL1-lir shows daily fluctuation in these regions. It is possible that circadian clocks in the photoperiodic signal transduction machinery such as the PT and the EC may be involved in the regulation of photoperiodism.

Cloning of ovocalyxin-36, a novel chicken eggshell protein related to lipopolysaccharide-binding proteins, bactericidal permeability-increasing proteins, and plunc family proteins.

The avian eggshell is a composite biomaterial composed of noncalcifying eggshell membranes and the overlying calcified shell matrix. The shell is deposited in a uterine fluid where the concentration of different protein species varies at different stages of its formation. The role of avian eggshell proteins during shell formation remains poorly understood, and we have sought to identify and characterize the individual components in order to gain insight into their function during elaboration of the eggshell. In this study, we have used direct sequencing, immunochemistry, expression screening, and EST data base mining to clone and characterize a 1995-bp full-length cDNA sequence corresponding to a novel chicken eggshell protein that we have named Ovocalyxin-36 (OCX-36). Ovocalyxin-36 protein was only detected in the regions of the oviduct where egg-shell formation takes place; uterine OCX-36 message was strongly up-regulated during eggshell calcification. OCX-36 localized to the calcified eggshell predominantly in the inner part of the shell, and to the shell membranes. BlastN data base searching indicates that there is no mammalian version of OCX-36; however, the protein sequence is 20-25% homologous to proteins associated with the innate immune response as follows: lipopolysaccharide-binding proteins, bactericidal permeability-increasing proteins, and Plunc family proteins. Moreover, the genomic organization of these proteins and OCX-36 appears to be highly conserved. These observations suggest that OCX-36 is a novel and specific chicken eggshell protein related to the superfamily of lipopolysaccharide-binding proteins/bactericidal permeability-increasing proteins and Plunc proteins. OCX-36 may therefore participate in natural defense mechanisms that keep the egg free of pathogens.