No evidence for immunoproteasomes in chicken lymphoid organs and activated lymphocytes

The proteasome is the main protein-degrading machine within the cell, producing ligands for MHC class I molecules. It is a cylindrical multicatalytic protease complex, and the catalytic activity is mediated by the three subunits beta 1, beta 2, and beta 5 which possess caspase-, trypsin-, and chymotrypsin-like activities, respectively. By stimulation with interferon (IFN)-gamma the replacement of these subunits by beta 1i, beta 2i, and beta 5i is induced leading to formation of immunoproteasomes with altered proteolytic and antigen processing properties. The genes coding for these immunosubunits are restricted to jawed vertebrates but have so far not been found in the genomes of birds, e.g., chicken, turkey, quail, black grouse and zebra finch. However, the chicken genome sequences are not completely assigned; therefore, we investigated the presence of immunoproteasome on protein level. 20S proteasome was purified from the chicken brain, blood, spleen, and bursa of Fabricius, followed by separation via two-dimensional (2D) gel electrophoresis. We analyzed the protein spots derived from the spleen and brain by mass spectrometry and could identify all 14 proteasomal subunits, but there were no differences detectable in the spot patterns. Moreover, we stimulated the chicken spleen cells with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) and ionomycin aiming at the induction of immunoproteasome, but in spite of the induction of proliferation and IFN-gamma, no evidence for immunoproteasome formation in chicken could be obtained. This result was substantiated by the finding that 20S proteasomes isolated from immune and non-immune tissues showed very similar peptidolytic activities. Taken together, our results indicate that chicken lack immunoproteasomes also on protein level.