Distribution and potential involvement of PTEN in the innate immune response during viral infections in Cherry Valley ducks.

INTRODUCTION

Phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) is a well-established tumor suppressor gene that antagonizes the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway and plays a critical role in regulating both innate and adaptive immune responses. However, its function in avian species, particularly in ducks, remains largely unexplored.

METHODS

In this study, the full-length cDNA of duck PTEN (PTEN) was cloned from the spleen of healthy Cherry Valley ducks. Sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis were performed to evaluate its structural conservation and evolutionary relationships. The tissue distribution of duPTEN mRNA was examined using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Furthermore, duPTEN expression was assessed in the spleen, lung, and brain at 1, 3, and 5 days post-infection (dpi) following exposure to Duck Tembusu Virus (DTMUV), Duck Plague Virus (DPV), and Novel Duck Reovirus (NDRV).

RESULTS

Sequence analysis demonstrated that PTEN shares a high degree of conservation with PTEN from other avian species, displaying 100% identity with sequences from and . qRT-PCR results revealed that PTEN is ubiquitously expressed across multiple tissues, with the highest expression observed in the brain. Upon DTMUV and DPV infection, duPTEN expression was significantly upregulated in the spleen and lung but downregulated in the brain. In contrast, NDRV infection led to consistent downregulation of PTEN across all three tissues.

DISCUSSION

This study is the first to characterize the molecular cloning, tissue-specific expression, and virus-induced regulation of PTEN in ducks. The findings suggest that PTEN plays a role in the host immune response to diverse viral infections, highlighting its potential involvement in the regulation of antiviral innate immunity in avian species.