1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin-D3 Induces Avian β-Defensin Gene Expression in Chickens

Abstract

Host defense peptides (HDPs) play a critical role in innate immunity. Specific modulation of endogenous HDP synthesis by dietary compounds has been regarded as a novel approach to boost immunity and disease resistance in animal production. 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D3 (1,25D3) is well known as a powerful HDP inducer in humans, but limited information about the effect of 1,25D3 on HDPs in poultry is available. Here, we sought to examine whether 1,25D3 could stimulate avian β-defensin (AvBD) expression in chickens. We used chicken embryo intestinal epithelial cells (CEIEPCs) and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) to study the effect of 1,25D3 on the expression of AvBDs. We observed that 1,25D3 is able to up-regulate the expression of several AvBDs in CEIEPCs and PBMCs, whereas it increased the amounts of AvBD4 mRNA in CEIEPCs only in the presence of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). On the other hand, LPS treatment not only inhibited the expression of CYP24A1 but also altered the expression pattern of VDR in CEIEPCs. Furthermore, AvBDs were not directly regulated by 1,25D3, as cycloheximide completely blocked 1,25D3-induced expression of AvBDs. Our observations suggest that 1,25D3 is capable of inducing AvBD gene expression and is a potential antibiotic alternative through augmentation of host innate immunity as well as disease control in chickens.

Effects of Toll-like Receptor Ligands on the Expression of Proinflammatory Cytokines and Avian <i>β</i>-defensins in Cultured Chick Intestine

“…Our results suggested that the mucosal tissues of the ileum and cecum, which contain leukocytes, including heterophil-like cells, luminal and crypt epithelial cells, and other enterocytes, express not only IL-1 β and IL-6, but also AvBD1, 4, and 7. These observations support the results of previous reports, showing that the AvBD genes were expressed in the small intestine and cecum of embryos and chicks ( Akbari et al , 2008 ; Crhanova et al , 2011 ; Hong et al , 2012 ; Lu et al , 2015 ; Zang et al , 2016 ; Su et al , 2017 ; Terada et al , 2018 ). AvBD2 in the mucosal leukocytes and AvBD9 in enteroendocrine cells from the luminal and crypt epithelia have also been reported ( Cuperus et al , 2016 ; Terada et al , 2018 ).…”

“…Defensins are peptides that show antimicrobial activity against various microbes, including Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, enveloped viruses, and fungi ( Ganz et al , 2003 ). Zhang et al (2016) detected gene expression of 11 out of 14 avian β -defensins (AvBDs) in the intestinal epithelial cells of chicken embryos, whereas Lu et al (2015) observed the expression of seven AvBDs in the small intestinal mucosa of an 84-day-old chicken. Both studies revealed a synergistic effect of vitamin D3 with LPS-challenge in the induction of AvBD expression.…”

Dietary vitamin D3 supplementation protects laying hens against lipopolysaccharide-induced immunological stress

“…In birds, the role of VD 3 in calcium and phosphorus metabolism is crucial for its well-documented involvement in bone development and eggshell formation in laying hens. However, the immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory and anti-coccidia roles of VD 3 or its metabolites have also been demonstrated in chickens [ 21 – 24 ] and chicken cells [ 23 , 25 ]. In addition, Rodriguez-Lecompte et al [ 26 ] reported that vitamin D or 25(OH)D, both have a robust immunomodulatory property with a more favorable helper T cell (Th2) response in broiler chickens.…”

Dietary modulation of endogenous host defense peptide synthesis as an alternative approach to in-feed antibiotics

“…In poultry, 20 and 200 ng/mL (equivalent to 48 and 480 nmol/L) vitamin D 3 has been shown to induce AvBD3, AvBD6, and AvBD9 in chicken embryonic intestinal epithelial cells, while AvBD1, AvBD6, and AvBD9 were induced in a dose-dependent manner in primary monocytes ( Zhang et al., 2016 ). Consistently, CATH-1 and CATH-B1 were dose-dependently induced by dietary vitamin D in the spleen of chickens and that induction was further enhanced by low calcium and phosphorus in the diet, although CATH-3 was suppressed ( Rodriguez-Lecompte et al., 2016 ).…”