title: Measurement of IL-12 (p40, p35), IL-23p19, and IFN-γ mRNA in duodenal biopsies of cats with inflammatory enteropathy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Dietary hypersensitivity and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are important causes of chronic vomiting and diarrhea in cats. IL-23 has been recently found to be a key factor in the immunopathogenesis of IBD in humans but the involvement in IBD has not been investigated in cats.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Expression of genes encoding Il-12p35 and p40, IL-23p19, and IFN-γ may be up-regulated in duodenal biopsy specimens taken from cats with histologic evidence of inflammation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Duodenal biopsy specimens were collected from control cats (n = 21) and cats with inflammatory enteropathy (n = 13). Routine histopathology, immunohistochemistry (IHC), and qRT-PCR were used to assess expression of MHC class II and to measure gene transcripts encoding the p35, p40, and p19 subunits of the IL-12 family of cytokines and IFN-γ.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were significant differences in expression of mRNA encoding IL-12p35 and IL-23p19 between healthy cats and cats with inflammatory enteropathy. IL-12p35 mRNA was lower in the duodenal mucosa of cats with inflammatory enteropathy compared with the mucosa of healthy cats (P = .001). In contrast, IL-23p19 mRNA expression was higher in duodenal biopsy specimens from cats with inflammatory enteropathy than in those from healthy controls (P = .001). There was no difference in expression of IL-12p40 and IFN-γ mRNA (P > .05). The majority of cats with inflammatory enteropathy had histologic evidence of moderate to severe colitis (score 2).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this preliminary study suggest that IL-23 plays a role in the pathogenesis of feline inflammatory enteropathy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt.
authors.forename: N E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Waly
authors.forename: I R
authors.initials: IR
authors.lastname: Peters
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Day
authors.forename: C R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Stokes
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bailey
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Gruffydd-Jones
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001706:Biopsy / Q000662:veterinary; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D002415:Cats; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000276:immunology*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000662:veterinary; D015212:Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D053765:Interleukin-12 Subunit p35 / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D053762:Interleukin-12 Subunit p40 / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D053760:Interleukin-23 Subunit p19 / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D012313:RNA / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
chemical_list: D053765:Interleukin-12 Subunit p35; D053762:Interleukin-12 Subunit p40; D053760:Interleukin-23 Subunit p19; D012313:RNA; D007371:Interferon-gamma
keywords: Dietary hypersensitivity; Food-responsive diarrhea; GALT; Inflammatory bowel disease