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ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #74644

Title: MOLECULAR CLONING OF A CHICKEN 25 KDA FK506-BINDING GENE

Author
item ZHANG, SHUPING - 1265-20-00
item Lillehoj, Hyun
item Jenkins, Mark
item LALLY, NICOLA - 1265-20-00

Submitted to: Journal of Biological Chemistry
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/3/1996
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Avian Coccidiosis is a major parasitic disease of poultry which costs industry greater than $600 million economic loss. Ability to vaccinate chickens against coccidiosis will have a major impact on the poultry industry. The development of a vaccine, however, requires our comprehensive understanding of the chicken immune system, specially T lymphocytes. To investigate the role of various antigens associated with T-cell function, ARS scientists cloned a chicken gene which is associated with T-cell activation. This chicken gene encodes a protein which controls production of factors important in disease resistance to coccidiosis. Thus, availability of this gene will lead to comprehensive understanding of chicken immunity and coccidia vaccine development.

Technical Abstract: Inhibition of T cell activation by immunosuppressive drugs such as FK506 and rapamycin is mediated by soluble binding proteins designated FK506-binding proteins (FKBPs). Multiple FKBPs have been characterized including a 25 kDa protein, FKBP25. We now report the isolation of a cDNA for FKBP25 from a chicken T cell cDNA library. The nucleotide sequence reveals a 227 amino acid open reading frame. Chicken FKBP25 shows 76% and 74% amino acid sequence homology to human and bovine FKBP25 respectively and 44% homology with human FKBP12. FKBP25 gene expression by spleen and peripheral blood lymphocytes was inducible by concanavalin A (ConA) activation in a time-dependent manner with maximal levels of mRNA expression 6 hrs after ConA activation. These results indicate that FKBP25 protein is a novel T cell activation antigen.