title: Recombinant chicken interferon-gamma-mediated inhibition of Eimeria tenella development in vitro and reduction of oocyst production and body weight loss following Eimeria acervulina challenge infection.
abstract: Recombinant chicken interferon-gamma (chIFN-gamma) was produced in CHO-K1 or Spodoptera frugiperda (SF9) insect cells by transfection with a pcDNA vector or recombinant baculovirus (SF9-interferon-gamma [IFN-gamma] carrying the chIFN-gamma gene. A rabbit antibody against a synthetic peptide corresponding to an immunogenic portion of chIFN-gamma recognized a 22-23-kDa band in SF9-IFN-gamma cell extracts by western blot analysis. Biological activity of recombinant chIFN-gamma was shown by its inhibition of vesicular stomatitis virus-induced cytotoxicity of chicken embryonic fibroblast cells in vitro. To investigate the role of chIFN-gamma during Eimeria infection, CHCC-OU2 chicken cells either pretreated with chIFN-gamma or stably transfected with the chIFN-gamma gene were infected with Eimeria tenella sporozoites. IFN-gamma demonstrated significant reductions in intracellular sporozoite development without affecting sporozoite invasion of host cells. Furthermore, chickens treated with recombinant chIFN-gamma showed decreased oocyst production and significant improvement in body weight gain following Eimeria acervulina challenge infection. These results provide the first direct evidence that chIFN-gamma exerts an inhibitory effect against Eimeria and provides a rational basis for use of this cytokine as a vaccine adjuvant against coccidiosis.
authors.affiliation: USDA-ARS, Livestock and Poultry Sciences Institute, Immunology and Disease Resistance Laboratory, Beltsville, MD 20705-2350, USA.
authors.forename: H S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Lillehoj
authors.forename: K D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Choi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western / Q000662:veterinary; D002460:Cell Line; D002645:Chickens / Q000469:parasitology*; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D003048:Coccidiosis / Q000469:parasitology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000662:veterinary*; D004539:Eimeria / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology*; D016786:Eimeria tenella / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development / Q000276:immunology*; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D014162:Transfection; D015431:Weight Loss / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D007371:Interferon-gamma