Feeding of yeast cell wall extracts during a necrotic enteritis challenge enhances cell growth/survival and immune signaling in the jejunum of broiler chickens

Authors: JOHNSON, CASEY - University Of Delaware; HASHIM, MOHAMMED - Texas A&M University; BAILEY, CHRISTOPHER - Texas A&M University; Byrd Ii, James - Allen; Kogut, Michael - Mike; ARSENAULT, RYAN - University Of Delaware

Submitted to: Poultry Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/4/2020
Publication Date: 6/1/2020
Publication URL: https://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/6897992
Citation: Johnson, C.N., Hashim, M.M., Bailey, C.A., Byrd II, J.A., Kogut, M.H., Arsenault, R.J. 2020. Feeding of yeast cell wall extracts during a necrotic enteritis challenge enhances cell growth/survival and immune signaling in the jejunum of broiler chickens. Poultry Science. 99(6):2655-2966. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2020.03.012.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2020.03.012

Interpretive Summary: Necrotic enteritis (NE) is one of the most common and costly diseases in the modern chicken industry, costing approximately $6 billion dollars annually. Increasing incidents of NE have resulted from restrictions on the use of antibiotic feed additives throughout the chicken industry. As such, finding effective antibiotic alternatives has become a priority. In this study, an experimental model of NE was used, comprising a commercial chicken viral (IBDV) vaccine and a bacterium called Clostridium perfringens (C. perfringens) inoculation. Yeast cell wall components were evaluated for their effects on disease status. A specific protein test was used to measure differences between control (uninfected), challenged (infected), and treated birds in different sections of the gastrointestinal tract. The yeast cell wall components treatments have an influence on gut tissue in all portions of the gastrointestinal tract. The results from this study suggest that there are changes in cell growth/survival responses, as well as immune responses in individual cell communication with other cells caused from the treatments.

Technical Abstract: Necrotic enteritis (NE) is one of the most common and costly diseases in the modern broiler industry, having an economic impact of approximately $6 billion dollars annually. Increasing incidents of NE have resulted from restrictions on the use of antibiotic feed additives throughout the broiler industry. As such, finding effective antibiotic alternatives has become a priority. In this study, an experimental model of NE was used, comprising a commercial infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) vaccine and Clostridium perfringens (C. perfringens) inoculation. Yeast cell wall components, ß-glucan (BG), and mannoproteins (MPT) were evaluated for their effects on disease status. Chicken-specific immunometabolic kinome peptide arrays were used to measure differential phosphorylation between control (uninfected), challenged (infected), and treated birds in duodenal, jejunal, and ileal tissues. Treatment groups included BG, MPT, or BG+MPT as feed additives. Data analysis revealed kinome profiles cluster predominantly by tissue, with duodenum showing the greatest relative signaling and whole jejunum showing the greatest response to treatment. BG, MPT, and BG+MPT cluster together separate from controls and challenge birds in each tissue. Changes in signaling resulting from the treatments are observed in cell growth/survival responses, as well as in immune responses. None of the treatments of disease challenge return the profiles to control-like. This is attributable to the immune modulation and metabolic effects of the treatments generating distinct profiles from control. Importantly, all the treatments are distinct from the challenge group despite being challenged themselves. The treatments have a profound impact on gut tissue signaling in all segments. Treatment separates the tissue response from both uninfected control and infected groups due to changes in immune/metabolic signaling.