Chicken heterophil extracellular traps (HETs): novel defense mechanism of chicken heterophils.
Recent findings in mammals and fish have revealed that neutrophil nuclear material associated with cytoplasmic granular content is released in the form of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) that can trap and kill invading microorganisms in vitro and in vivo. To determine if a similar mechanism is present in chicken heterophils, hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) and phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) were used for stimulation of blood-derived heterophils. Stimulated heterophils produced structures that were characterized using immunocytochemistry and confocal microscopy as heterophil extracellular traps (HETs). Released HETs contained DNA, histone-DNA complex and elastase from heterophil cytoplasmic granules. HETs released from chicken heterophils are structurally similar to NETs found in mammalian and fish neutrophils. Extracellular DNA released from heterophils was quantified by Picogreen assay. Stimulation with PMA or H(2)O(2) significantly increased the HET-DNA release index in vitro compared to non-stimulated heterophils (1.11+/-0.04 and 1.55+/-0.10, respectively), and H(2)O(2) stimulation induced significantly higher HET-DNA release than PMA (P<0.001). Thus, HETs are now characterized as an important heterophil-mediated defense mechanism in chickens.
Chuammitri
Phongsakorn
P
Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Preventive Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA.
Ostojić
Jelena
J
Andreasen
Claire B
CB
Redmond
Sarah B
SB
Lamont
Susan J
SJ
Palić
Dusan
D
D000818:Animals; D002645:Chickens / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D003594:Cytoplasmic Granules / Q000276:immunology*; D004247:DNA / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D006098:Granulocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D006657:Histones / Q000032:analysis; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide / Q000276:immunology; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000662:veterinary; D008297:Male; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal / Q000662:veterinary; D010196:Pancreatic Elastase / Q000032:analysis; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate / Q000276:immunology
D006657:Histones; D004247:DNA; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide; D010196:Pancreatic Elastase; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate