Hindawi Publishing Corporation
BioMed Research International
Volume 2013, Article ID 190382, 7 pages
http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/190382
Research Article
Over, and Underexpression of Endothelin 1 and
TGF-Beta Family Ligands and Receptors in Lung Tissue of
Broilers with Pulmonary Hypertension
Norma Dominguez-Avila,
1,2
Gabriel Ruiz-Castañeda,
2,3
Javier González-Ramírez,
4
Nora Fernandez-Jaramillo,
5
Jorge Escoto,
6
Fausto Sánchez-Muñoz,
6
Ricardo Marquez-Velasco,
6
Rafael Bojalil,
3,6
Román Espinosa-Cervantes,
3
and Fausto Sánchez
3
1
Unidad Laguna, Universidad Aut´ onoma Agraria Antonio Narro, 27010 Torre´ on, COAH, Mexico
2
Posgrado del Centro de Estudios Justo Sierra, Surutato, 80600 Badiraguato, SIN, Mexico
3
Universidad Aut´ onoma Metropolitana Xochimilco, Calzada del Hueso 1100, Villa Quietud, 04960 Coyoacan, DF, Mexico
4
Posgrado Biolog´ ıa Experimental, Universidad Aut´ onoma Metropolitana Iztapalapa, 09340 Iztapalapa, Mexico
5
FMVZ, Benem´ erita Universidad Aut´ onoma de Puebla, 72482 Tecamachalco, PUE, Mexico
6
Departamento de Inmunolog´ ıa, Instituto Nacional de Cardiolog´ ıa Dr. Ignacio Ch´ avez, Juan Badiano No. 1,
Col. Secci´ on XVI, 140080 Tlalpan, DF, Mexico
Correspondence should be addressed to Fausto S´ anchez-Mu˜ noz; fausto22@yahoo.com
Received 30 April 2013; Revised 13 July 2013; Accepted 10 September 2013
Academic Editor: Coline van Moorsel
Copyright © 2013 Norma Dominguez-Avila et al. Tis is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons
Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is
properly cited.
Transforming growth factor beta (TGF) is a family of genes that play a key role in mediating tissue remodeling in various forms
of acute and chronic lung disease. In order to assess their role on pulmonary hypertension in broilers, we determined mRNA
expression of genes of the TGF family and endothelin 1 in lung samples from 4-week-old chickens raised either under normal
or cold temperature conditions. Both in control and cold-treated groups of broilers, endothelin 1 mRNA expression levels in lungs
from ascitic chickens were higher than levels from healthy birds ( < 0.05), whereas levels in animals with cardiac failure were
intermediate. Conversely, TGF2 and TGF3 gene expression in lungs were higher in healthy animals than in ascitic animals in
both groups ( < 0.05). TGF1, TRI, and TRII mRNA gene expression among healthy, ascitic, and chickens with cardiac failure
showed no diferences ( > 0.05). BAMBI mRNA gene expression was lowest in birds with ascites only in the control group as
compared with the values from healthy birds ( < 0.05).
1. Introduction
Endothelin-1 is a peptide mainly produced by endothelial
cells with increased expression in pulmonary hypertension.
Its action is frst by a powerful vasoconstrictor efect and
second as a potent mitogen that can induce proliferation in
multiple cell types, including vascular smooth muscle cells,
leading to remodeling of pulmonary arteries [1]. In endothe-
lial cells, TGF induces endothelin-1 expression through
the activation of the ALK5/Smad3 pathway [2, 3], and both
participate in pulmonary artery smooth muscle hypertrophy
[4]. An increased endothelin-1 mRNA level in the lungs of
broilers is a common feature of natural or induced pulmonary
hypertension [5–8].
In contrast, the transforming growth factor beta (TGF)
family has not been documented in broilers with pulmonary
hypertension. TGF family are cytokines whose expression
increases in various forms of acute and chronic lung disease
in mammals [9]. TGF family members afect various bio-
logical processes including cell proliferation, diferentiation,
migration, adhesion, apoptosis, and extracellular matrix
(ECM) production. Te TGF ligands are encoded by three