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ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #111862
Title: MOLECULAR CHARACTERIZATION AND TISSUE DISTRIBUTION OF CHICKEN CYTOKINES HOMOLOGOUS TO MAMMALIAN IL-15 AND IL-2

Author
item Lillehoj, Hyun
item BURNSIDE, J - U DELAWARE
item CHOI, K - USDA BELTSVILLE MD

Submitted to: American Association of Immunologists Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/30/1999
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: A full-length clone of a new cDNA encoding an avian homologue of mammalian IL-15 was identified and the tissue distribution and sequences was compared to chicken IL-2. The full-length gene was isolated using a partial cDNA clone isolated from chicken liver cDNA library and an additional sequence was obtained using 5' rapid amplification of cDNA ends. .The chicken IL-15 cDNA contains an open reading frame of 187 amino acids with a single potential N-linked glycosylation site, and the predicted protein sequence shows similarities of 55%, 53% and 52% with mouse, human and bovine IL-15 sequences, respectively. Northern blotting and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analysis demonstrated that the chicken IL-15 gene is expressed in many tissues including spleen, intestine, IEL, muscle and in the established macrophage cell line whereas IL-2 was only expressed in the concanavalin-A (ConA)-stimulated spleen cells. Macrophages isolated from peripheral blood cultured with medium, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or Eimeria sporozoite antigen expressed mRNA transcript of IL-15 but not IL-2. Collectively, these results support the idea that this gene represents an avian homologue of mammalian IL-15.