Disease relevance of Comb and Wattles

• 1. Two-way selection for delayed-type hypersensitivity wattle reaction (DWR) competence to BCG antigen was carried out over 4 generations, using a flock of White Leghorn chickens [1].
• Challenge, which was made on the wattle with a nonirritating concentration of allergen, resulted in a dermatitis that was grossly and histologically similar to ACD in mammals [2].

High impact information on Comb and Wattles

• CMI manifested by wattle thickness increments to PPD was not different, 3.89 +/- 0.45 mm for Bsx compared with 3.73 +/- 0.75 mm for controls [3].
• To support this hypothesis, the delayed wattle response (DWR) to MC lysates was examined in SL chickens and normally pigmented, MHC-matched controls (Brown line, BL; Light Brown Leghorn, LBL) to determine whether vitiliginous SL chickens have MC-specific CMI [4].
• In the condensed tannin wattle a series of proanthocyanidin dimers to tetramers was identified together with the flavonoid monomers catechin and gallocatechin [5].
• Picture of the month. Congenital cartilaginous rests of the neck (wattles) [6].
• 5-HT and NE each depressed significantly the wattle response in 3 and 6 week old chicks [7].

Biological context of Comb and Wattles

• Alpha blockade with phenoxybenzamine also resulted in pronounced vasodilatation, suggesting tonic alpha-sympathetic tone in the wattle vasculature under normothermic conditions [8].
• Mucopolysaccharide-peptide complexes (MPS-P) from skin, comb, wattle, liver, kidney, spleen, lung, heart, ovaries, egg yolk, infundibulum, magnum, isthmus, shell gland, and vagina of the White Leghorn laying hens were isolated after extraction with acetone, papain hydrolysis, and cetyl pyridinium chloride precipitation [9].

Anatomical context of Comb and Wattles

• Administration of 1 microgram/h NE for 72 h suppressed significantly the wattle stimulation index [2.48 +/- .3 (SE)] compared to that of saline controls (4.1 +/- .3) but enhanced mean leukocyte migration (7.7 +/- .3 versus 4.9 +/- .3) [10].
• Adrenal gland and wattle AA levels were unaffected; however, spleen AA concentration was lower in birds given ACTH at challenge [11].
• Feeding furazolidone at a concentration of 0.08% w/w for 10 days decreased significantly the weights of the testes, wattles and combs [12].

Associations of Comb and Wattles with chemical compounds

• Research note: the reactivity of anti-chondroitin sulfate antibody to comb and wattle galactosaminoglycans [13].
• Galactosaminoglycans from mature rooster comb and wattle tissues were separated into five fractions by ethanol precipitation [14].
• In contrast to their growth-suppressing effect, all three steroids exerted an androgenic effect; stimulating comb and wattle development (19-nortestosterone greater than 5 alpha-DHT greater than testosterone) [15].
• Dose-time studies showed the most effective NE and E dose and exposure time on two chicken cellular immune responses: the phytohemagglutinin (PHA) wattle response and leukocyte migration [10].
• Estrogen decreased the content of hexosamine in the combs of both males and females, and in the wattle of the female, of hexuronic acid, hexose and hydroxyproline in the liver of the male, and hydroxyproline in the breast muscle of the male [16].

Gene context of Comb and Wattles

• In Trial 2, birds that received ACTH at sensitization had a greater wattle response at 18 h post HGG challenge than that of controls [11].
• DWR was measured by intradermal injection of BCG into the wattle of chickens [1].
• At 50 wk, BW, keel length (KL), posterior pelvic width and length (PPW, PPL), dorsal pelvic width and length (DPW, DPL), tarsometatarsal length and width (TL, TW), comb length and width (CL, CW), and wattle length, width, and area (WL, WW, WA) were measured [17].
• Only chickens injected with the immune TF showed DH by wattle reaction to oocyst antigen and protective immunity to Eimeria tenella challenge infection [18].
• In addition, these chickens sensitized intramuscularly with the emulsion of BSA in complete Freund's adjuvant at 5 weeks of age, and then injected into the wattle with BSA at 7 weeks of age also showed significantly increased DTH responses against BSA, when evaluated at 24 and 48 hr after challenge [19].

Analytical, diagnostic and therapeutic context of Comb and Wattles

• Glycosaminoglycan fractions isolated from either comb or wattle tissue were examined using ELISA for their antigenicities to AH12, a monoclonal antibody recognizing keratan sulfate [20].

References