Gaiping Zhang

Bio: Gaiping Zhang is an academic researcher from Henan Agricultural University. The author has contributed to research in topics: C-C chemokine receptor type 7 & Bursa of Fabricius. The author has an hindex of 1, co-authored 1 publications receiving 6 citations.

Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor Triggers Inflammatory Responses During Very Virulent Infectious Bursal Disease Virus Infection.

Abstract: Infectious bursal disease (IBD) is one of the main threats to the poultry industry worldwide. In China, very virulent IBD virus (vvIBDV) is the main prevalent virus strain, causing inflammation, immunosuppression, and high mortality in young chickens. To determine whether this acute inflammation can trigger lesions or even death in chickens, it is important to study the mechanism of vvIBDV pathogenicity. Thus, in the current study, we investigated the inflammation response, bursal lesions, and mortality in chickens caused by vvIBDV at different time points postinfection. Results showed an upregulation of proinflammatory cytokines, including interleukin-1β and interleukin-18, and macrophage infiltration in bursa in response to vvIBDV infection. High-throughput proteomic sequencing based on isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation showed that chicken macrophage migration inhibitory factor (chMIF) was upregulated uniquely in primary bursal cells infected with vvIBDV compared with infection by nonpathogenic attenuated IBDV. We confirmed that chMIF was upregulated by vvIBDV infection both in vivo and in vitro. Moreover, chMIF was extracellularly secreted by infected DT40 and primary bursal cells. Further experiments revealed that the secreted chMIF could induce migration of peripheral blood mononuclear cells and promote transcription of proinflammatory cytokines in chicken primary macrophages. Notably, these effects of chMIF could be reduced by using an MIF specific inhibitor. Thus, our study elucidates critical molecular determinants underlying vvIBDV-mediated initiation of acute inflammation, which might be pivotal to understand the mechanism of vvIBDV pathogenicity.

Differential Response of the Chicken Trachea to Chronic Infection with Virulent Mycoplasma gallisepticum Strain Ap3AS and Vaxsafe MG (Strain ts-304): a Transcriptional Profile.

Abstract: Mycoplasma gallisepticum is the primary etiological agent of chronic respiratory disease in chickens. Live attenuated vaccines are most commonly used in the field to control the disease, but current vaccines have some limitations. Vaxsafe MG (strain ts-304) is a new vaccine candidate that is efficacious at a lower dose than the current commercial vaccine strain ts-11, from which it is derived. In this study, the transcriptional profiles of the trachea of unvaccinated chickens and chickens vaccinated with strain ts-304 were compared 2 weeks after challenge with M. gallisepticum strain Ap3AS during the chronic stage of infection. After challenge, genes, gene ontologies, pathways, and protein classes involved in inflammation, cytokine production and signaling, and cell proliferation were upregulated, while those involved in formation and motor movement of cilia, formation of intercellular junctional complexes, and formation of the cytoskeleton were downregulated in the unvaccinated birds compared to the vaccinated birds, reflecting immune dysregulation and the pathological changes induced in the trachea by infection with M. gallisepticum Vaccination appears to protect the structural and functional integrity of the tracheal mucosa 2 weeks after infection with M. gallisepticum.

Transcriptome analysis of chicken intraepithelial lymphocyte natural killer cells infected with very virulent infectious bursal disease virus.

Abstract: The infectious bursal disease (IBD) is an acute immunosuppressive viral disease that significantly affects the economics of the poultry industry. The IBD virus (IBDV) was known to infect B lymphocytes and activate macrophage and T lymphocytes, but there are limited studies on the impact of IBDV infection on chicken intraepithelial lymphocyte natural killer (IEL-NK) cells. This study employed an mRNA sequencing approach to investigate the early regulation of gene expression patterns in chicken IEL-NK cells after infection with very virulent IBDV strain UPM0081. A total of 12,141 genes were expressed in uninfected chicken IEL-NK cells, and most of the genes with high expression were involved in the metabolic pathway, whereas most of the low expressed genes were involved in the cytokine-cytokine receptor pathway. A total of 1,266 genes were differentially expressed (DE) at 3 day-post-infection (dpi), and these DE genes were involved in inflammation, antiviral response and interferon stimulation. The innate immune response was activated as several genes involved in inflammation, antiviral response and recruitment of NK cells to the infected area were up-regulated. This is the first study to examine the whole transcriptome profile of chicken NK cells towards IBDV infection and provides better insight into the early immune response of chicken NK cells.

Bacillus amyloliquefaciens TL Downregulates the Ileal Expression of Genes Involved in Immune Responses in Broiler Chickens to Improve Growth Performance

Abstract: Bacillus amyloliquefaciens TL promotes broiler chicken performance by improving nutrient absorption and utilization and reducing intestinal inflammation. In this study, RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq)-based transcriptomes of ileal tissues collected from probiotic-fed and control broiler chickens were analyzed to elucidate the effects of the probiotic B. amyloliquefaciens TL, as a feed additive, on the gut immune function. In total, 475 genes were significantly differentially expressed between the ileum of probiotic-fed and control birds. The expression of genes encoding pyruvate kinase, prothymosin-α, and heat stress proteins was high in the ileum of probiotic-fed birds (FPKM > 500), but not in the control group. The gene ontology functional enrichment and pathway enrichment analyses revealed that the uniquely expressed genes in the control group were mostly involved in immune responses, whereas those in the probiotic group were involved in fibroblast growth factor receptor signaling pathways and positive regulation of cell proliferation. Bacillus amyloliquefaciens TL downregulated the expression of certain proinflammatory factors and affected the cytokine–cytokine receptor interaction pathway. Furthermore, B. amyloliquefaciens TL in broiler diets altered the expression of genes involved in immune functions in the ileum. Thus, it might contribute to improved broiler growth by regulating the immune system and reducing intestinal damage in broilers.