Alveolar macrophages (AMs) are not only important immune cell of the host, but also important target cell of a variety of respiratory pathogens. They play an important role in defense against pathogen invasion and in maintaining tissue balance. Interferon (IFN)-γ is a well known multipotent cytokine that has antiviral and antibacterial immune activity and enhances antigen presentation. To better reveal the biological processes of porcine AMs activated by IFN-γ, transcriptomic analysis was performed using Illumina HiSeqTM technique. The results identified 2,248 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), of which 753 were upregulated and 1,495 were downregulated, in porcine AMs 12 h after IFN-γ stimulation, compared with mock-treated porcine AMs. A gene ontology function enrichment analysis of these DEGs indicated that these genes were significantly enriched in functional clusters such as immune response, defense response, and intracellular signaling cascades. Analyzing the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways of the DEGs showed that these genes are mainly involved in cytokine–cytokine receptor interactions, alpha linolenic acid metabolism, and the RIG-I-like receptor signaling pathway. This study shows that a massive gene expression change occurred in porcine AMs following IFN-γ stimulation, which is critical for understanding the mechanisms of IFN-γ-mediated macrophage activation and immune regulation.

The interstitial cells known as telocytes have been described in various organs. Their role in the normal physiology and pathogenesis of numerous diseases is well known. They have been described in the context of various diseases (gallstone disease, endometriosis, uterine myoma, hydronephrosis, myocardial infraction, psoriasis, etc.), while their impact on inflammation, involvement in angiogenesis, and repair highlights their part in local homeostasis. What is known about their relationship with the immune system? Their secretomes, genome, immune profiles, contacts with surrounding cells, and specific loca-lization allow us to give a possible explanation for their involvement in pathological pathways. This review aims to present the roles and features of telocytes in the context of intestinal immunity (the largest in our body), in the spleen, their interactions with immunocytes, and their place in stem cell niches.

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a core part of gram-negative bacteria, is crucial for inducing an inflammatory response in living things. In the current study, we used LPS from Salmonella to stimulate chicken macrophages (HD11). Proteomics was used to investigate immune-related proteins and their roles further. Proteomics investigation revealed 31 differential expression proteins (DEPs) after 4 hours of LPS infection. 24 DEPs expressions were up-regulated, while seven were down-regulated. In this investigation, ten DEPs were mainly enriched in S. aureus infection, complement, and coagulation cascades, which were all implicated in the inflammatory response and clearance of foreign pathogens. Notably, complement C3 was shown to be up-regulated in all immune-related pathways, indicating that it is a potential protein in this study. This work contributes to a better understanding and clarification of the processes of Salmonella infection in chickens. It might bring up new possibilities for treating and breeding Salmonella-infected chickens.