Department of Animal Production, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki,
Res Vet Sci. 2012 Feb;92(1):60-5. doi: 10.1016/j.rvsc.2010.10.010. Epub 2010 Nov 10.
Avian β-defensins (AvβDs) are antimicrobial peptides that play significant roles in the innate immune system in chickens. The aim of this study was to identify the types of AvβDs expressed in the chicken ovary, to investigate the effects of sexual maturation in the ovarian mRNA abundance and to determine the changes in their expression levels as a result to Salmonella enteritidis (SE) infection. RNA was extracted from the ovary of healthy prepubertal, sexually mature and aged birds, as well as from sexually mature and aged SE infected birds. Real-time PCR analysis revealed that 11 AvβDs genes were expressed in the chicken ovary. A significant up regulation of AvβD1, 3, 4, 5, 7 and 11 was observed in the ovary of sexually mature and aged birds. Furthermore, a significant up-regulation of AvβD4, 5, 7, 11 and 12 was observed in the ovary of SE infected sexually mature birds. These results suggest that the mRNA expression of at least six AvβDs increase with age in the ovary of laying hens, and that at least five AvβDs show an induction in their expression in response to SE infection, indicating an AvβD-mediated immune response mechanism in the chicken ovary.
禽类β-防御素（AvβDs）是在鸡的天然免疫系统中发挥重要作用的抗菌肽。本研究旨在鉴定在鸡卵巢中表达的 AvβD 类型，研究性成熟对卵巢 mRNA 丰度的影响，并确定其表达水平因肠炎沙门氏菌（SE）感染而发生的变化。从健康未成熟、性成熟和老年鸡的卵巢以及性成熟和老年 SE 感染鸡的卵巢中提取 RNA。实时 PCR 分析显示，11 种 AvβD 基因在鸡卵巢中表达。在性成熟和老年鸡的卵巢中观察到 AvβD1、3、4、5、7 和 11 的显著上调。此外，在 SE 感染的性成熟鸡的卵巢中，AvβD4、5、7、11 和 12 的表达也显著上调。这些结果表明，至少六种 AvβD 的 mRNA 表达在产蛋母鸡的卵巢中随年龄增长而增加，至少五种 AvβD 在响应 SE 感染时表现出诱导表达，表明鸡卵巢中存在 AvβD 介导的免疫反应机制。
