Project
Chicken NK cells: the killers of avian viruses
Chickens are an important source of protein for the growing world population but also a source of viruses that can be transmitted to humans. Natural killer cells play a central role in controlling these infections. However, many fundamental aspects of natural killer cell function in chickens remain to be established since the current tools do not allow detailed mechanistic studies. We develop novel technology and use this to obtain a better understanding of chicken natural killer cells and their role during infections with common poultry pathogens.
Background
Chickens are an important source of protein for the growing world population and unfortunately, also form a reservoir of zoonotic pathogens like avian influenza virus. A better understanding of the chicken immune system is essential to control virus infections in chickens and prevent their spread to humans. Natural killer (NK) cells play a central role in the anti-viral immune response by killing infected cells and by inducing subsequent adaptive immune responses.
My group developed assays to study the function of chicken NK cells and we identified the first virally derived ligand for chicken NK cell receptors when we showed that avian influenza virus binds the activating NK receptor CHIR-A2.
These assays gave me the unique opportunity to study for the first time the role of NK cells during infections with (zoonotic) poultry viruses. We observed differential NK cell activation upon infection with low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) and highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses by measuring surface expression of the activation marker CD107. Enhanced activation was also observed upon infection with Infectious Bronchitis Virus and the foodborne zoonosis Salmonella enteritidis. The mechanism behind this differential activation of chicken NK cells remains to be identified.
The project
In the last decade important steps have been set in chicken NK cell research. The development of chicken-specific NK markers and functional assays allowed for the first time studies on the anti-viral NK cell response in chickens. However, the current tools do not allow detailed mechanistic studies.
We aim to develop novel technology to perform in dept studies on the biology of chicken NK cells and use this to discover how viruses activate chicken NK cells.
Publications
- Differential lung NK cell responses in avian influenza virus infected chickens correlate with pathogenicity
- Marek's Disease Virus Infection of Natural Killer Cells
- Rapid NK-cell activation in chicken after infection with infectious bronchitis virus M41
- A detailed analysis of innate and adaptive immune responsiveness upon infection with Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis in young broiler chickens
- Identification of an Activating Chicken Ig-like Receptor Recognizing Avian Influenza Viruses
- Analysis of chicken intestinal natural killer cells, a major IEL subset during embryonic and early life
- Identification of new populations of chicken natural killer (NK) cells