Molecular identification and characterisation of a novel chicken leukocyte immunoglobulin-like receptor A5

Abstract

1. Leukocyte immunoglobulin-like receptor A5 (LILRA5) is a key molecule that regulates the immune system. However, theLILRA5gene has not been characterised in avian species, including chickens. The present study aimed to identify and functionally characteriseLILRA5identified from two genetically disparate chicken lines,viz., Marek's disease (MD)-resistant (R) line 6.3 and MD-susceptible (S) line 7.2. 2. Multiple sequence alignment and phylogenetic analyses confirmed that the identity and similarity homologies of amino acids of LILRA5 in chicken lines 6.3 and 7.2 ranged between 93% and 93.7%, whereas those between chicken and mammals ranged between 20.9% and 43.7% and 21.1% to 43.9%, respectively. The newly clonedLILRA5from chicken lines 6.3 and 7.2 revealed high conservation and a close relationship with other known mammalian LILRA5 proteins. 3. The results indicated that LILRA5 from chicken lines 6.3 and 7.2 was associated with phosphorylation of Src kinases and protein tyrosine phosphatase non-receptor type 11 (SHP2), which play a regulatory role in immune functions. Moreover, the results demonstrated thatLILRA5in these lines was associated with the activation of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I and beta 2-microglobulin and induced the expression of the transporter associated with antigen processing. In addition,LILRA5in both chicken lines activated and induced Janus kinase (JAK)-signal transducer and the activator of transcription (STAT), nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappa B), phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT) and the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)1/2 signalling pathways; toll-like receptors; and Th1-, Th2-, and Th17- cytokines. 4. The data suggested that LILRA5 has innate immune receptors essential for macrophage immune response and provide novel insights into the regulation of immunity and immunopathology.