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Title: NK-LYSIN: HIGH LEVEL OF LOCAL GENE EXPRESSION IN COCCIDIOSIS

Author
item Lillehoj, Hyun
item DALLOUL, RAMI - USDA ARS BELTSVILLE MD
item Miska, Kate
item Tuo, Wenbin
item LEE, SUNG HYEN - USDA ARS BELTSVILLE MD
item HAN, JAE YONG - SEOUL, KOREA
item LILLEHOJ, ERIK - U MD BALTIMORE, MD

Submitted to: American Association of Immunologists Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/15/2006
Publication Date: 5/12/2006
Citation: Lillehoj, H.S., Hong, Y.H., Dalloul, R.A., Miska, K.B., Tuo, W., Lee, S., Han, J., Lillehoj, E.P. 2006. Nk-lysin: high level of local gene expression in coccidiosis.May 12-16, Boston, MA. P43.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: NK-lysin is an anti-microbial and anti-tumor protein expressed by NK cells and T lymphocytes. A novel chicken gene encoding NK-lysin was cloned from the intestinal cDNA library which was produced from Eimeria-infected gut tissue. NK-lysin gene consists of 868 bp DNA with an open reading frame of 140 amino acids with a predicted molecular mass of 15.2 kDa. Comparison of its deduced amino acid sequence showed less than 20% identity to mammalian NK-lysins. High level of NK-lysin expression was detected in the intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs), but lymphocytes from spleen, peripheral blood also showed significant levels of NK-lysin. In chickens orally infected with Eimeria maxima, NK-lysin transcript levels increased 3- to 4-fold in IEL with most expression occurring with CD4+ and CD8+ IELs. The kinetics of NK-lysin mRNA expression indicated that, whereas infection with E. acervulina induced maximum expression only at 7-8 days post-infection, E. maxima and E. tenella infections elicited biphasic responses at 3-4 and 7-8 days post-infection. Recombinant NK-lysin expressed in COS7 cells exhibited anti-tumor cell activity against LSCC-RP9, a tumor target for NK-cells. We conclude that chicken NK-lysin plays important roles during anti-microbial and anti-tumor defenses. (This project was supported, in part, by the National Research Initiative of the USDA CSREES, grant # 2004-35204-14798).