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Analysis of Immune-Relevant Genes Expressed in Spleen of Capra hircus Kids Fed with Trivalent Chromium

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Abstract

Chromium is a biologically important element for humans and laboratory animals. Although the favorable effects of trivalent chromium on immune responses of studied animals have been well documented, the precise mechanisms by which the chromium acts on immune system is relatively poor studied. In this study, real-time qPCR technique was employed to evaluate the expression profiles of four immune-related genes (B2M, MHCA, MHCB, and Rap2A) in spleens of the domestic goats, Capra hircus, feeding on four different levels of supplemental chromium (0, 0.5, 1, and 1.5 mg/day) as chromium–methionine. The results showed that 1.5 mg/day of supplemental chromium significantly increased the expression of the four studied genes (P < 0.01). Since the studied genes play important roles in development, activation, and migration of lymphocytes, their increased expression seems to be an unknown mechanism by which chromium impose reinforcing effects on immune system. Therefore, supplemental chromium can be potentially used to improve immune responses especially in animals experiencing any type of stress such as invasion by a pathogen.

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Acknowledgments

We are thankful to Dr. M. Ganjkhanlou, Dr. A. Zali, and A. Emami for their helps with this study. This work was financially supported by the University of Tehran.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran

    Mostafa Sadeghi & Mohammad Javad Najafpanah

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  1. Mostafa Sadeghi
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  2. Mohammad Javad Najafpanah
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Correspondence to Mostafa Sadeghi.

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Mostafa Sadeghi and Mohammad Javad Najafpanah are joint first authors.

Appendix 1

Appendix 1

Table 2 Ingredient, chemical composition, and macro- and micromineral of basal standard diet fed to goat kids
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Sadeghi, M., Najafpanah, M.J. Analysis of Immune-Relevant Genes Expressed in Spleen of Capra hircus Kids Fed with Trivalent Chromium. Biol Trace Elem Res 156, 124–129 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-013-9828-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-013-9828-z

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