Early post hatch nutrition on immune system development and function in broiler chickens

Abstract Decisions about cell survival or death are central components of adaptive immunity and occur at several levels in immune system development and function. The Bcl-2 family of homologous proteins plays an important role in these decisions in lymphoid cells. Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, and A1 are differentially expressed during B- and T-cell development, and they have shared and distinct roles in regulating cell death. We sought to gain insight into the role of A1 in immune system development and function. A murine A1-a transgene was expressed under the control of the Eμ enhancer, and mice with A1 overexpression in B- and T-cell lineages were derived. Thymocytes and early B cells in Eμ-A1 mice showed extended survival. B-lineage development was altered, with expansion of the pro–B cell subset at the expense of pre–B cells, suggesting an impairment of the pro– to pre–B-cell transition. This early B-cell phenotype resembled Eμ–Bcl-xL mice but did not preferentially rescue cells with completed V(D)J rearrangements of the immunoglobulin heavy chain. In contrast to Eμ–Bcl-2 transgenes, A1 expression in pro–B cells did not rescue pre–B-cell development in SCID mice. These studies indicate that A1 protects lymphocytes from apoptosis in vitro but that it has lineage- and stage-specific effects on lymphoid development. Comparison with the effects of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL expressed under similar control elements supports the model that antiapoptotic Bcl-2 homologs interact differentially with intracellular pathways affecting development and apoptosis in lymphoid cells.

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Do Transgenerational Epigenetic Inheritance and Immune System Development Share Common Epigenetic Processes?

Journal of Developmental Biology ◽

10.3390/jdb9020020 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 20

Author(s):

Rwik Sen ◽

Christopher Barnes

Keyword(s):

Immune Response ◽

Immune System ◽

System Development ◽

Epigenetic Inheritance ◽

Epigenetic Modifications ◽

Future Research ◽

Transgenerational Epigenetic Inheritance ◽

Immune System Development ◽

And Function

Epigenetic modifications regulate gene expression for development, immune response, disease, and other processes. A major role of epigenetics is to control the dynamics of chromatin structure, i.e., the condensed packaging of DNA around histone proteins in eukaryotic nuclei. Key epigenetic factors include enzymes for histone modifications and DNA methylation, non-coding RNAs, and prions. Epigenetic modifications are heritable but during embryonic development, most parental epigenetic marks are erased and reset. Interestingly, some epigenetic modifications, that may be resulting from immune response to stimuli, can escape remodeling and transmit to subsequent generations who are not exposed to those stimuli. This phenomenon is called transgenerational epigenetic inheritance if the epigenetic phenotype persists beyond the third generation in female germlines and second generation in male germlines. Although its primary function is likely immune response for survival, its role in the development and functioning of the immune system is not extensively explored, despite studies reporting transgenerational inheritance of stress-induced epigenetic modifications resulting in immune disorders. Hence, this review draws from studies on transgenerational epigenetic inheritance, immune system development and function, high-throughput epigenetics tools to study those phenomena, and relevant clinical trials, to focus on their significance and deeper understanding for future research, therapeutic developments, and various applications.

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Toll-Like Receptor Signaling in the Establishment and Function of the Immune System

Cells ◽

10.3390/cells10061374 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (6) ◽

pp. 1374

Author(s):

Jahnavi Aluri ◽

Megan A. Cooper ◽

Laura G. Schuettpelz

Keyword(s):

Immune System ◽

Immune Cell ◽

System Development ◽

Cell Types ◽

Tlr Signaling ◽

Inborn Errors ◽

Immune System Dysfunction ◽

Immune System Development ◽

And Function ◽

Immune Defects

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are pattern recognition receptors that play a central role in the development and function of the immune system. TLR signaling promotes the earliest emergence of hematopoietic cells during development, and thereafter influences the fate and function of both primitive and effector immune cell types. Aberrant TLR signaling is associated with hematopoietic and immune system dysfunction, and both loss- and gain-of- function variants in TLR signaling-associated genes have been linked to specific infection susceptibilities and immune defects. Herein, we will review the role of TLR signaling in immune system development and the growing number of heritable defects in TLR signaling that lead to inborn errors of immunity.

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Symbiont-induced odorant binding proteins mediate insect host hematopoiesis

eLife ◽

10.7554/elife.19535 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 6 ◽

Cited By ~ 48

Author(s):

Joshua B Benoit ◽

Aurélien Vigneron ◽

Nichole A Broderick ◽

Yineng Wu ◽

Jennifer S Sun ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Immune System ◽

Molecular Mechanisms ◽

System Development ◽

Model Systems ◽

Tsetse Flies ◽

Immune System Development ◽

Indigenous Microbiota ◽

And Function ◽

Necessary And Sufficient ◽

Odorant Binding

Symbiotic bacteria assist in maintaining homeostasis of the animal immune system. However, the molecular mechanisms that underlie symbiont-mediated host immunity are largely unknown. Tsetse flies (Glossina spp.) house maternally transmitted symbionts that regulate the development and function of their host’s immune system. Herein we demonstrate that the obligate mutualist, Wigglesworthia, up-regulates expression of odorant binding protein six in the gut of intrauterine tsetse larvae. This process is necessary and sufficient to induce systemic expression of the hematopoietic RUNX transcription factor lozenge and the subsequent production of crystal cells, which actuate the melanotic immune response in adult tsetse. Larval Drosophila’s indigenous microbiota, which is acquired from the environment, regulates an orthologous hematopoietic pathway in their host. These findings provide insight into the molecular mechanisms that underlie enteric symbiont-stimulated systemic immune system development, and indicate that these processes are evolutionarily conserved despite the divergent nature of host-symbiont interactions in these model systems.

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