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Chicken mannose-binding lectin (MBL) gene variants with influence on MBL serum concentrations

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Abstract

Mannose-binding lectin (MBL) plays a major role in the innate immune defence by activating the lectin complement pathway or by acting as an opsonin. Two forms of MBL have been characterised from several species, but for humans and chickens, only one form of functional MBL has been described. The human MBL2 gene is highly polymorphic, and it causes varying MBL serum levels. Several of the single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been associated with the severity of diseases of bacterial, viral or parasitic origin. Association between various diseases and different MBL serum levels has also been identified in chickens. In this study, two inbred chicken lines (L10L and L10H) which have been selected for low and high MBL levels in serum and four other experimental chicken lines were analysed for polymorphism in the MBL gene. The presence of polymorphisms in the MBL gene was revealed by southern blot analyses, and the differences in the serum concentrations of MBL were found to be of transcriptional origin according to real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR analysis. Several SNPs were discovered in the promoter and the 5′ untranslated region of the chicken MBL gene which resulted in the identification of six different alleles. Mapping of regulatory elements in the promoter region was performed, and SNPs that could affect the MBL serum concentration were identified. One SNP that was found to be located in a TATA box was altered in one of the six alleles only. This allele was associated with low MBL serum concentration.

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Abbreviations

HNF-3α:

Hepatocyte nuclear factor 3α

IL-6 RE:

Interleukin-6-responsive element

MBL:

Mannose-binding lectin

MHC II:

Major histocompatibility complex class II

qRT-PCR:

Real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction

RFLP:

Restriction fragment length polymorphism

RT-PCR:

Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction

SNPs:

Single nucleotide polymorphisms

UTR:

Untranslated region

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank K.V. Østergaard, G.E. Glen, and L. Hansen for critical reading of the manuscript and L.R. Dal and H. Svenstrup for their technical assistance. This work was supported by grants from “Gluds legat” and Poly-Reid. The experimental procedures were conducted under the protocols approved by the Danish Animal Experiments Inspectorate and complied with the Danish Ministry of Justice Law no. 382 (10 June 1987) and Acts 739 (6 December 1988) and 333 (19 May 1990) concerning animal experimentation and care of experimental animals.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Animal Science, Aarhus University, 8830, Tjele, Denmark

    Rikke M. Kjærup, Liselotte R. Norup, Tina S. Dalgaard & Helle R. Juul-Madsen

  2. Department of Cancer and Inflammation Research, University of Southern Denmark, 5000, Odense C, Denmark

    Karsten Skjødt

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  1. Rikke M. Kjærup
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  2. Liselotte R. Norup
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  3. Karsten Skjødt
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  4. Tina S. Dalgaard
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  5. Helle R. Juul-Madsen
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Correspondence to Helle R. Juul-Madsen.

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Kjærup, R.M., Norup, L.R., Skjødt, K. et al. Chicken mannose-binding lectin (MBL) gene variants with influence on MBL serum concentrations. Immunogenetics 65, 461–471 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00251-013-0689-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00251-013-0689-6

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