Heat Stress Influences Immunity Through DUSP1 and HSPA5 Mediated Antigen Presentation in Chickens

The objective of this study was to elucidate the immune system response to heat stress in chickens. In this study, mRNA-seq was conducted on the spleen and bursa of experimental chickens, six differentially expressed genes associated with immunity were present in the spleen following immunization. Following exposure to heat stress, 15 differentially expressed genes related to immune and heat shock proteins were identified. Furthermore, the expression levels of <i>DUSP1</i> and <i>HSPA5</i> were significantly lower in the non-stressed group. With regard to the mechanism, overexpression of <i>DUSP1</i> or <i>HSPA5</i> resulted in no significant difference in <i>MHC-I</i>, <i>MHC-II</i>, and <i>CD80</i> mRNA expression. However, following stimulation with LPS, mRNA expression of <i>MHC-II</i>, <i>CD80</i>, <i>CD86</i>, <i>CD1C</i>, <i>IL1B</i>, and <i>TLR4</i> was significantly increased. Furthermore, the enhancement was observed to occur at an earlier stage than when LPS was stimulated alone, thereby facilitating the recognition of LPS by HD11. Following the inhibition of DUSP1 or HSPA5 and the stimulation of LPS, no significant alterations were detected. However, CD1C expression was notably diminished. In conclusion, <i>DUSP1</i> and <i>HSPA5</i> have been demonstrated to play important roles in immunity to heat stress by affecting antigen presentation. The present study provides a theoretical basis for the regulation mechanism of disease resistance in poultry.