Data from: Cytokine responses in birds challenged with the human food-borne pathogen Campylobacter jejuni implies a Th17 response

Development of process orientated understanding of cytokine interactions within the gastrointestinal tract during an immune response to pathogens requires experimentation and statistical modelling. The immune response against pathogen challenge depends on the specific threat to the host. Here, we show that broiler chickens mount a breed-dependent immune response to Campylobacter jejuni infection in the caeca by analysing experimental data using frequentist and Bayesian structural equation models (SEM). SEM provides a framework by which cytokine interdependencies, based on prior knowledge, can be tested. In both breeds important cytokines including pro-inflammatory interleukin (IL)-1β, , IL-4, IL-17A, interferon (IFN)-γ and anti-inflammatory IL-10 and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β4 were expressed post-challenge. The SEM revealed a putative regulatory pathway illustrating a T helper (Th)17 response and regulation of IL-10, which is breed-dependent. The prominence of the Th17 pathway indicates the cytokine response aims to limit the invasion or colonization of an extracellular bacterial pathogen but the time-dependent nature of the response differs between breeds.

在病原体免疫应答过程中建立对胃肠道内细胞因子相互作用的过程导向性认知，需结合实验研究与统计建模手段。宿主针对病原体侵染所产生的免疫应答，取决于其面临的特异性致病威胁。本研究通过频率学派与贝叶斯学派结构方程模型（SEM）分析实验数据，证实肉鸡针对盲肠空肠弯曲菌（Campylobacter jejuni）感染所产生的免疫应答具有品种依赖性。结构方程模型可提供一套研究框架，能够基于先验知识对细胞因子间的相互依赖关系进行验证。两个品种的肉鸡在感染后均表达了多种关键细胞因子：包括促炎性白细胞介素（IL）-1β、IL-4、IL-17A、干扰素（IFN）-γ，以及抗炎性IL-10与转化生长因子（TGF）-β4。结构方程模型揭示了一条潜在的调控通路，该通路可体现T辅助（Th）17细胞应答与IL-10的调控机制，且该通路具有品种依赖性。Th17通路的显著激活表明，此次细胞因子应答的目的是限制胞外细菌性病原体的入侵与定植，但免疫应答的时间动态特征因肉鸡品种不同而存在差异。