Inhibition of Eimeria tenella replication after recombinant IFN-gamma activation in chicken macrophages, fibroblasts and epithelial cells

We have previously shown that activation of primary cultures of chicken bon e-marrow macrophages and embryo fibrobrasts with supernatants of concanaval ine A-stimulated or reticuloendotheliosis virus (REV)-transformed chicken s pleen cells as source of IFN-gamma significantly decreases Eimeria tenella growth in vitro. In the present study, we used various chicken cell lines, HD11 macrophages and DU24 fibroblasts, both virally transformed, CHCC-OU2 f ibroblasts and LMH hepatic epithelial cells, both chemically transformed to replicate E. tenella in vitro. We confirmed the previous results by showin g that HD11 macrophages pre-treated for 24h with recombinant chicken IFN-ga mma (either produced in E. coli or by transfected COS cells), at doses rang ing from 1000 to 10 U/ml, drastically inhibited E. tenella replication as m easured by [H-3] uracil uptake after a further 70 h of culture, as when tre ated with REV supernatant. Likewise the fibroblast and epithelial cell line s exhibited significant inhibitory activity on E. tenella replication after pre-treatment with recombinant chicken IFN-gamma, but were less sensitive (1000-100 U/ml) than when treated with REV supernatant. Recombinant chicken IFN-alpha pre-treatment of all cell lines had no inhibitory effect on para site development. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.