Defensins are antimicrobial peptides composed of 3 conserved disulfide bridges, a β-sheet, and both hydrophobic and cationic amino acids. In this study, we aimed to demonstrate the immunomodulation role of avian β-defensin 8 (AvBD8) in a chicken macrophage cell line. Chicken AvBD8 stimulated the expression of proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, interferon gamma, and IL-12p40) and chemokines (CCL4, CXCL13, and CCL20) in macrophages. Furthermore, by Western blotting and immunocytochemistry, we confirmed that AvBD8 activated the mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway via extracellular regulated kinases 1/2 and p38 signaling molecules. Overall, AvBD8 plays a crucial role in host defense as not only an antimicrobial peptide but also an immunomodulator by activating the mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway and inducing the expression of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines.

中文翻译：

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鸡禽β-防御素8通过鸡巨噬细胞细胞系中的丝裂原激活的蛋白激酶信号传导途径调节免疫反应。

防御素是由3个保守的二硫键，一个β-折叠以及疏水和阳离子氨基酸组成的抗菌肽。在这项研究中，我们旨在证明禽类β-防御素8（AvBD8）在鸡巨噬细胞细胞系中的免疫调节作用。鸡AvBD8刺激巨噬细胞中促炎性细胞因子（IL-1β，干扰素γ和IL-12p40）和趋化因子（CCL4，CXCL13和CCL20）的表达。此外，通过蛋白质印迹和免疫细胞化学，我们证实AvBD8通过细胞外调节激酶1/2和p38信号分子激活了丝裂原激活的蛋白激酶信号通路。总体，