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. 2019 Feb 14;10(2):145.
doi: 10.3390/genes10020145.

Dynamic Expression of Interferon Lambda Regulated Genes in Primary Fibroblasts and Immune Organs of the Chicken

Mehboob Arslan  1 , Xin Yang  2 , Diwakar Santhakumar  3 , Xingjian Liu  4 , Xiaoyuan Hu  5 , Muhammad Munir  6 , Yinü Li  7 , Zhifang Zhang  8
Affiliations

Dynamic Expression of Interferon Lambda Regulated Genes in Primary Fibroblasts and Immune Organs of the Chicken

Mehboob Arslan et al. Genes (Basel). .

Abstract

Interferons (IFNs) are pleiotropic cytokines that establish a first line of defense against viral infections in vertebrates. Several types of IFN have been identified; however, limited information is available in poultry, especially using live animal experimental models. IFN-lambda (IFN-λ) has recently been shown to exert a significant antiviral impact against viral pathogens in mammals. In order to investigate the in vivo potential of chicken IFN-λ (chIFN-λ) as a regulator of innate immunity, and potential antiviral therapeutics, we profiled the transcriptome of chIFN-λ-stimulated chicken immune organs (in vivo) and compared it with primary chicken embryo fibroblasts (in vitro). Employing the baculovirus expression vector system (BEVS), recombinant chIFN-λ3 (rchIFN-λ3) was produced and its biological activities were demonstrated. The rchIFNλ3 induced a great array of IFN-regulated genes in primary chicken fibroblast cells. The transcriptional profiling using RNA-seq and subsequent bioinformatics analysis (gene ontology, differential expressed genes, and KEGGs analysis) of the bursa of Fabricious and the thymus demonstrated an upregulation of crucial immune genes (viperin, IKKB, CCL5, IL1β, and AP1) as well as the antiviral signaling pathways. Interestingly, this experimental approach revealed contrasting evidence of the antiviral potential of chIFN-λ in both in vivo and in vitro models. Taken together, our data signifies the potential of chIFN-λ as a potent antiviral cytokine and highlights its future possible use as an antiviral therapeutic in poultry.

Keywords: ISGs; RNA-Seq; Transcriptome; antiviral pathway; interferon lambda.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Construction strategy of recombinant baculovirus by employing silkworm expression vector system (BEVS).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Gene expression representation by volcano plot diagrams and Venn diagram. A: Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in chIFN-λ-treated chicken embryo fibroblasts (CEF). B: DEGs in chIFN-λ-treated bursa of Fabricius. C: DEGs in chIFN-λ-treated thymus. D: Venn diagram representing gene sharing. Red, green, and blue dots represent upregulated, downregulated, and sum of DEGs, respectively. Differential expression patterns demonstrate the temporal expression of genes expressed in the three groups.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Heat map of DEGs in the CEF, bursa, and thymus. The color bar represents the level of differential expression compared to the control (PBS).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Gene Ontology (GO) analysis associated with chIFN-λ-treated organs. A: chIFN-λ-treated CEF. B: chIFN-λ-treated bursa of Fabricius. C: chIFN-λ-treated thymus.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Pathway enrichment associated with chIFN-λ treatment. A: chIFN-λ-treated CEF. B: chIFNλ-treated bursa of Fabricius. C: chIFN-λ-treated thymus.
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