Metzincin metalloproteases have major roles in intercellular communication by modulating the function of membrane proteins. One of the proteases is the a-disintegrin-and-metalloprotease 10 (ADAM10) which acts as alpha-secretase of the Alzheimer's disease amyloid precursor protein. ADAM10 is also required for neuronal network functions in murine brain, but neuronal ADAM10 substrates are only partly known. With a proteomic analysis of Adam10-deficient neurons we identified 91, mostly novel ADAM10 substrate candidates, making ADAM10 a major protease for membrane proteins in the nervous system. Several novel substrates, including the neuronal cell adhesion protein NrCAM, are involved in brain development. Indeed, we detected mistargeted axons in the olfactory bulb of conditional ADAM10-/- mice, which correlate with reduced cleavage of NrCAM, NCAM and other ADAM10 substrates. In summary, the novel ADAM10 substrates provide a molecular basis for neuronal network dysfunctions in conditional ADAM10-/- mice and demonstrate a fundamental function of ADAM10 in the brain.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.12748.001

Gene targeting by homologous recombination or by sequencespecific nucleases allows the precise modification of genomes and genes to elucidate their functions. Although gene targeting has been used extensively to modify the genomes of mammals, fish, and amphibians, a targeting technology has not been available for the avian genome. Many of the principles of humoral immunity were discovered in chickens, yet the lack of gene targeting technologies in birds has limited biomedical research using this species. Here we describe targeting the joining (J) gene segment of the chicken Ig heavy chain gene by homologous recombination in primordial germ cells to establish fully transgenic chickens carrying the knockout. In homozygous knockouts, Ig heavy chain production is eliminated, and no antibody response is elicited on immunization. Migration of B-lineage precursors into the bursa of Fabricius is unaffected, whereas development into mature B cells and migration from the bursa are blocked in the mutants. Other cell types in the immune system appear normal. Chickens lacking the peripheral B-cell population will provide a unique experimental model to study avian immune responses to infectious disease. More generally, gene targeting in avian primordial germ cells will foster advances in diverse fields of biomedical research such as virology, stem cells, and developmental biology, and provide unique approaches in biotechnology, particularly in the field of antibody discovery.B-cell development | avian immunology | genome editing T he chicken has historically been an important model vertebrate organism in the fields of developmental biology and immunology and has contributed a number of basic tenets to these fields. For example, B lymphocytes were first recognized in chickens as the antibody-producing cells and are named after the bursa of Fabricius, a gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) that is required for B-cell development in chickens (1). Graft-versushost response was first described in chicken embryos (2), and the first attenuated vaccine was developed by Louis Pasteur against fowl cholera caused by Pasteurella multocida. Nevertheless, the lack of a robust genome editing technology including knockouts has put the chicken at a distinct disadvantage to mammalian species, especially the mouse, as a vertebrate animal model. The discovery of ES cells provided a powerful method to make desired changes to genes of interest in the mouse using homologous recombination, but interestingly, ES cells have not been as easily derived from other species. In the case of chickens, ES cells can contribute to all somatic lineages in high-grade chimeras, but germ-line transmission has not yet been demonstrated, precluding their use in creating fully transgenic chickens (3). Although ES cells are not germ line competent in chickens, embryo-derived primordial germ cells (PGCs) can be cultured indefinitely, transfected, clonally selected, and reintroduced into the embryo where they colonize the gonad and give rise to fully transgenic progeny ...

In dHepaRGNTCP cells and PHHs, HBV evades the induction of IFN and IFN-induced antiviral effects. HBV infection does not rescue HCV from the IFN-mediated response.

Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) is a pleiotropic cytokine playing critical roles in host defense and acute and chronic inflammation. It has been described in fish, amphibians, and mammals but was considered to be absent in the avian genomes. Here, we report on the identification and functional characterization of the avian ortholog. The chicken TNF-α (chTNF-α) is encoded by a highly GC-rich gene, whose product shares with its mammalian counterpart 45% homology in the extracellular part displaying the characteristic TNF homology domain. Orthologs of chTNF-α were identified in the genomes of 12 additional avian species including Palaeognathae and Neognathae, and the synteny of the closely adjacent loci with mammalian TNF-α orthologs was demonstrated in the crow (Corvus cornix) genome. In addition to chTNF-α, we obtained full sequences for homologs of TNF-α receptors 1 and 2 (TNFR1, TNFR2). chTNF-α mRNA is strongly induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation of monocyte derived, splenic and bone marrow macrophages, and significantly upregulated in splenic tissue in response to i.v. LPS treatment. Activation of T-lymphocytes by TCR crosslinking induces chTNF-α expression in CD4+ but not in CD8+ cells. To gain insights into its biological activity, we generated recombinant chTNF-α in eukaryotic and prokaryotic expression systems. Both, the full-length cytokine and the extracellular domain rapidly induced an NFκB-luciferase reporter in stably transfected CEC-32 reporter cells. Collectively, these data provide strong evidence for the existence of a fully functional TNF-α/TNF-α receptor system in birds thus filling a gap in our understanding of the evolution of cytokine systems.

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Finally, we found that both isoforms of chicken Mx protein appear to lack GTPase activity, which might explain the observed lack of antiviral activity.

From infection studies with cultured chicken cells and experimental mammalian hosts, it is well known that influenza viruses use the nonstructural protein 1 (NS1) to suppress the synthesis of interferon (IFN). However, our current knowledge regarding the in vivo role of virus-encoded NS1 in chickens is much more limited. Here, we report that highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses of subtypes H5N1 and H7N7 lacking fully functional NS1 genes were attenuated in 5-week-old chickens. Surprisingly, in diseased birds infected with NS1 mutants, the IFN levels were not higher than in diseased birds infected with wild-type virus, suggesting that NS1 cannot suppress IFN gene expression in at least one cell population of infected chickens that produces large amounts of the cytokine in vivo. To address the question of why influenza viruses are highly pathogenic in chickens although they strongly activate the innate immune system, we determined whether recombinant chicken alpha interferon (IFN-␣) can inhibit the growth of highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses in cultured chicken cells and whether it can ameliorate virus-induced disease in 5-week-old birds. We found that IFN treatment failed to confer substantial protection against challenge with highly pathogenic viruses, although it was effective against viruses with low pathogenic potential. Taken together, our data demonstrate that preventing the synthesis of IFN is not the primary role of the viral NS1 protein during infection of chickens. Our results further suggest that virus-induced IFN does not contribute substantially to resistance of chickens against highly pathogenic influenza viruses.The nonstructural protein 1 (NS1) of influenza A virus serves multiple functions in the viral life cycle. It regulates viral polymerase activity, and it modulates cellular signaling pathways (for a review, see reference 14). It is well established that NS1 can suppress innate immune responses in infected cells by blocking intracellular signaling pathways that lead to the synthesis of type I and type III interferon (IFN). Specifically, NS1 inhibits ubiquitinylation of RIG-I by TRIM25, thereby preventing efficient induction of IFN in infected cells (9,12,28,35). The NS1 proteins of most influenza viruses block global posttranscriptional processing of cellular mRNAs, including mRNAs encoding 27,33,34). NS1 further inhibits specific antiviral effector proteins, such as 2Ј-5Ј oligoadenylate synthetase (OAS) (29) and double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)-activated protein kinase (PKR) (23,30). In addition, NS1 was shown to modulate host cell apoptosis (39, 55), stimulate phosphoinositol 3-kinase signaling (13), and regulate viral polymerase activity (2, 30).Current knowledge regarding the in vivo functions of NS1 is mainly based on studies in mice with targeted deletions of several key components of the IFN system. Viruses expressing defective NS1 proteins are generally strongly attenuated in hosts with an intact IFN system but retain a high degree of virulence in hosts with defective IFN syst...

The chicken represents a valuable model for research in the area of immunology, infectious diseases as well as developmental biology. Although it was the first livestock species to have its genome sequenced, there was no reverse genetic technology available to help understanding specific gene functions. Recently, homologous recombination was used to knockout the chicken immunoglobulin genes. Subsequent studies using immunoglobulin knockout birds helped to understand different aspects related to B cell development and antibody production. Furthermore, the latest advances in the field of genome editing including the CRISPR/Cas9 system allowed the introduction of site specific gene modifications in various animal species. Thus, it may provide a powerful tool for the generation of genetically modified chickens carrying resistance for certain pathogens. This was previously demonstrated by targeting the Trp38 region which was shown to be effective in the control of avian leukosis virus in chicken DF-1 cells. Herein we review the current and future prospects of gene editing and how it possibly contributes to the development of resistant chickens against infectious diseases.