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Current Contribution to the Research Based on Animal Tissue and Cellular Models

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A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Physiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2022) | Viewed by 18299

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Katarzyna Stadnicka

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Guest Editor

Faculty of Animal Breeding and Biology, UTP University of Science and Technology in Bydgoszcz, Bydgoszcz, Poland
Interests: in vitro models, establishment of avian cell cultures (oviduct, primordial germ cells); advances in cell analysis, secretome, and proteomics; in ovo technology to shape the gut health and resistance (early, prenatal delivery of bioactive compounds); testing natural alternatives to microbials in poultry production

Dr. Luiz Cordeiro

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Cell Interactions and Fertility team, PRC, INRAE, Nouzilly, France
Interests: oviduct secretome; sperm-oocyte interactions and oviduct-embryo cross-talk; development of in vitro models to study oviduct physiology

Special Issue Information

Data from animal (livestock) trials are intricate and influenced by environmental factors, as well as by individual animal biology. Often, the straightforward interpretation of the results is hardly possible. Thus, simplified biological systems have become an inherent component of animal experimental research.

Cell/organoid-based research in livestock science only seems to be thriving for the past decade. The knowledge of emerging and newly established cell model concepts may be greatly expected and applicable in the field.

This Special Issue will collect and publish original research, short communications, and review articles that will disseminate in vitro studies of livestock species (including but not limited to poultry and pigs). We believe that the proposed compilation of publications will improve our understanding of certain physiological, genetic, and metabolic processes, but will also highlight the most recent cellular techniques that might be adapted in the laboratories.

The manuscripts addressing, but not limited to the following topics are welcome:

Investigating molecular mechanisms of biological interactions in the organism using in vitro models (e.g., microbiome–host interactions, environmental impact, secretory functions in tissues)
Role of tissue microenvironments in development (e.g., germplasm maturation, epigenetic impact, and programming)
Studies based on organ and cell models, including new cell cultures and cell lines, mini organoids, organs on-chip, and microfluidic culture systems and cellular techniques and molecular analyses adapted to livestock research: visualization techniques, omic analyses

Dr. Katarzyna Stadnicka
Dr. Luiz Cordeiro
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Cell culture
mini-organs
3D culture
organ-on-chip
microfluidic culture system
cellular techniques
cell omics

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 2778 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Co-Culture Model of IPEC-J2 and Swine PBMC to Study the Responsiveness of Intestinal Epithelial Cells: The Regulatory Effect of Arginine Deprivation

by Roberta Saleri, Paolo Borghetti, Francesca Ravanetti, Melania Andrani, Valeria Cavalli, Elena De Angelis, Luca Ferrari and Paolo Martelli

Animals 2021, 11(9), 2756; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11092756 - 21 Sep 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2578

Abstract

Arginine is a semi-essential amino acid, supplementation with which induces a reduction of intestinal damage and an improvement of intestinal immunity in weaned piglets, but the mechanism is not yet entirely clear. The aim of this study was to characterise a co-culture model by measuring changes in gene expression over time (24 and 48 h) in intestinal IPEC-J2 cells in the presence of immune cells activated with phytohemagglutinin and, consequently, to assess the effectiveness of arginine deprivation or supplementation in modulating the expression of certain cytokines related to the regulation of intestinal cells’ function. The main results show the crucial role of arginine in the viability/proliferation of intestinal cells evaluated by an MTT assay, and in the positive regulation of the expression of pro-inflammatory (TNF-α, IL-1α, IL-6, IL-8) and anti-inflammatory (TGF-β) cytokines. This experimental model could be important for analysing and clarifying the role of nutritional conditions in intestinal immune cells’ functionality and reactivity in pigs as well as the mechanisms of the intestinal defence system. Among the potential applications of our in vitro model of interaction between IEC and the immune system there is the possibility of studying the effect of feed additives to improve animal health and production. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Current Contribution to the Research Based on Animal Tissue and Cellular Models)

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15 pages, 5420 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Development of a Pig Mammary Epithelial Cell Culture Model as a Non-Clinical Tool for Studying Epithelial Barrier—A Contribution from the IMI-ConcePTION Project

by Chiara Bernardini, Debora La Mantia, Roberta Salaroli, Augusta Zannoni, Nina Nauwelaerts, Neel Deferm, Domenico Ventrella, Maria Laura Bacci, Giuseppe Sarli, Michele Bouisset-Leonard, Pieter Annaert and Monica Forni

Animals 2021, 11(7), 2012; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11072012 - 5 Jul 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 4936

Abstract

The ConcePTION project aims at generating further knowledge about the risks related to the use of medication during breastfeeding, as this information is lacking for most commonly used drugs. Taking into consideration multiple aspects, the pig model has been considered by the consortium as the most appropriate choice. The present research was planned to develop an efficient method for the isolation and culture of porcine Mammary Epithelial Cells (pMECs) to study the mammary epithelial barrier in vitro. Mammary gland tissues were collected at a local slaughterhouse, dissociated and the selected cellular population was cultured, expanded and characterized by morphology, cell cycle analysis and immunophenotyping. Their ability to create a barrier was tested by TEER measurement and sodium fluorescein transport activity. Expression of 84 genes related to drug transporters was evaluated by a PCR array. Our results show that primary cells express epithelial cell markers: CKs, CK18, E-Cad and tight junctions molecules ZO-1 and OCL. All the three pMEC cellular lines were able to create a tight barrier, although with different strengths and kinetics, and express the main ABC and SLC drug transporters. In conclusion, in the present paper we have reported an efficient method to obtain primary pMEC lines to study epithelial barrier function in the pig model. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Current Contribution to the Research Based on Animal Tissue and Cellular Models)

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14 pages, 21735 KiB

Open AccessArticle

In Vitro Culture of Chicken Circulating and Gonadal Primordial Germ Cells on a Somatic Feeder Layer of Avian Origin

by Agata Szczerba, Takashi Kuwana, Michelle Paradowska and Marek Bednarczyk

Animals 2020, 10(10), 1769; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10101769 - 30 Sep 2020

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3140

Abstract

The present study had two aims: (1) To develop a culture system that imitates a normal physiological environment of primordial germ cells (PGCs). There are two types of PGCs in chicken: Circulating blood (cPGCs) and gonadal (gPGCs). The culture condition must support the proliferation of both cPGCs and gPGCs, without affecting their migratory properties and must be deprived of xenobiotic factors, and (2) to propose an easy-to-train, nonlabeling optical technique for the routine identification of live PGCs. To address the first aim, early chicken embryo’s feeder cells were examined instead of using feeder cells from mammalian species. The KAv-1 medium at pH 8.0 with the addition of bFGF (basic fibroblast growth factor) was used instead of a conventional culture medium (pH approximately 7.2). Both cPGCs and gPGCs proliferated in vitro and retained their migratory ability after 2 weeks of culture. The cultivated cPGCs and gPGCs colonized the right and/or left gonads of the recipient male and female embryos. To address the second aim, we demonstrated a simple and rapid method to identify live PGCs as bright cells under darkfield illumination. The PGCs rich in lipid droplets in their cytoplasm highly contrasted with the co-cultured feeder layer and other cell populations in the culture. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Current Contribution to the Research Based on Animal Tissue and Cellular Models)

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Review

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19 pages, 334 KiB

Open AccessReview

Avian Cell Culture Models to Study Immunomodulatory Properties of Bioactive Products

by Michelle Paradowska, Aleksandra Dunislawska, Maria Siwek and Anna Slawinska

Animals 2022, 12(5), 670; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12050670 - 7 Mar 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 4029

Abstract

Antimicrobial resistance is becoming a greater danger to both human and animal health, reducing the capacity to treat bacterial infections and increasing the risk of morbidity and mortality from resistant bacteria. Antimicrobial efficacy in the treatment of bacterial infections is still a major concern in both veterinary and human medicine. Antimicrobials can be replaced with bioactive products. Only a small number of plant species have been studied in respect to their bioactive compounds. More research is needed to characterize and evaluate the therapeutic properties of the plant extracts. Due to the more and more common phenomenon of antimicrobial resistance, poultry farming requires the use of natural alternatives to veterinary antibiotics that have an immunomodulatory effect. These include a variety of bioactive products, such as plant extracts, essential oils, probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics. This article presents several studies on bioactive products and their immunomodulatory effects tested in vitro and ex vivo using various avian cell culture models. Primary cell cultures that have been established to study the immune response in chickens include peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), intestinal epithelial cells (IEC), and bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDCs). Chicken lymphatic lines that can be used to study immune responses are mainly: chicken B cells infected with avian leukemia RAV-1 virus (DT40), macrophage-like cell line (HD11), and a spleen-derived macrophage cell line (MQ-NCSU). Ex vivo organ cultures combine in vitro and in vivo studies, as this model is based on fragments of organs or tissues grown in vitro. As such, it mimics the natural reactions of organisms, but under controlled conditions. Most ex vivo organ cultures of chickens are derived from the ileum and are used to model the interaction between the gastrointestinal tract and the microbiota. In conclusion, the use of in vitro and ex vivo models allows for numerous experimental replications in a short period, with little or no ethical constraints and limited confounding factors. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Current Contribution to the Research Based on Animal Tissue and Cellular Models)

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