title: Expression of pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide in the primary lymphoid organs of the duck Anas platyrhynchos.
abstract: The expression of pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) was studied in the thymus and bursa of Fabricius of the duck Anas platyrhynchos, at different ages, using immunohistochemistry, Western blotting, RT-PCR and sequencing. In the thymus, PACAP immunoreactivity (-ir) was found in lymphoid cells. CD68/ and PGP 9.5/PACAP38 double labelling showed that PACAP was not expressed either in macrophages or in epithelial cells, suggesting that the PACAP-positive cells observed were lymphoid cells. Immunoreactive lymphocytes were observed in the interlobular septa. They increased in number with ageing. In the bursa, PACAP-ir was found in nerve fibres and in a few lymphoid cells. RT-PCR revealed PACAP mRNA expression in the thymus but not in the bursa. These results suggest that PACAP plays a role in the functions of the immune system in birds.
authors.affiliation: Department of Structure, Functions and Biological Technologies, University of Naples Federico II, Italy.
authors.forename: Caterina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Squillacioti
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mirabella
authors.forename: Adriana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: De Luca
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Paino
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000276:immunology*; D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western / Q000379:methods; D002060:Bursa of Fabricius / Q000737:chemistry; D004372:Ducks / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000737:chemistry; D008221:Lymphoid Tissue / Q000737:chemistry*; D008297:Male; D009412:Nerve Fibers / Q000737:chemistry; D051219:Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide / Q000378:metabolism*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D051219:Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide