title: Glucocorticoid production in the chicken bursa and thymus.
abstract: Glucocorticoid (GC) hormones play an important role in thymic T cell selection and in the development of autoimmune diseases. Previous studies have shown that the mammalian thymus itself is able to produce GC. In order to assess the importance of these findings in terms of the evolutionary development of the immune system, we investigated the functional presence of steroidogenic enzymes in primary lymphoid organs of chickens, which represent one of the best studied non-mammalian species. To this end, we attempted to demonstrate enzyme activities of the whole set of steroidogenic enzymes for the synthesis of GC in the bursa of Fabricius and the thymus. We isolated steroidogenic organelles from primary lymphoid tissues, incubated these with radioactive (precursor) steroids in vitro and visualized the resulting products by thin-layer chromatography. Our results show that the chicken bursa as well as the chicken thymus possesses all enzymes and cofactors required for GC production. The observation of GC production in an organ responsible for B cell selection and maturation is a further step in uncovering the yet ill-defined mechanism of B cell selection. These results provide the biochemical basis for the in situ hormonal effects, and underline the general importance of GC hormones on T and B lymphocyte development and selection.
authors.affiliation: Institute for General and Experimental Pathology, and. Central Laboratory Animal Facilities, Medical School, University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Lechner
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Dietrich
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Wiegers
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vacchio
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wick
mesh_terms: D015096:3-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism; D002060:Bursa of Fabricius / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D002645:Chickens; D002786:Cholesterol Side-Chain Cleavage Enzyme / Q000378:metabolism; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System; D005260:Female; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D008297:Male; D006899:Mixed Function Oxygenases / Q000378:metabolism; D013254:Steroid 17-alpha-Hydroxylase / Q000096:biosynthesis; D013255:Steroid 21-Hydroxylase; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System; D006899:Mixed Function Oxygenases; D015096:3-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases; C421925:cytochrome P450 C11; D013255:Steroid 21-Hydroxylase; D013254:Steroid 17-alpha-Hydroxylase; D002786:Cholesterol Side-Chain Cleavage Enzyme; D003345:Corticosterone; D006854:Hydrocortisone